Preferred Gender Pronoun
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Preferred gender pronouns (also called personal gender pronouns, often abbreviated as PGP) are the set of
pronoun In linguistics and grammar, a pronoun (Interlinear gloss, glossed ) is a word or a group of words that one may substitute for a noun or noun phrase. Pronouns have traditionally been regarded as one of the part of speech, parts of speech, but so ...
s (in English, third-person pronouns) that an individual wants others to use to reflect that person's own
gender identity Gender identity is the personal sense of one's own gender. Gender identity can correlate with a person's assigned sex or can differ from it. In most individuals, the various biological determinants of sex are congruent and consistent with the in ...
. In English, when declaring one's chosen pronouns, a person will often state the subject and
object pronoun In linguistics, an object pronoun is a personal pronoun that is used typically as a grammatical object: the direct or indirect object of a verb, or the object of a preposition. Object pronouns contrast with subject pronouns. Object pronouns in En ...
s (e.g., ''he/him'', ''she/her'', ''they/them''), although sometimes, the possessive pronouns are also stated (e.g., ''she/her/hers'', ''he/him/his'', ''they/them/theirs''). The pronouns chosen may include neopronouns such as ''ze'' and ''zir''. Preferred personal pronouns were recognized as the word of the year 2019 by the American Dialect Society.


Rationale and use

In English, when declaring one's pronouns, a person will often state the subject and
object pronoun In linguistics, an object pronoun is a personal pronoun that is used typically as a grammatical object: the direct or indirect object of a verb, or the object of a preposition. Object pronouns contrast with subject pronouns. Object pronouns in En ...
s, for example ''he/him'', ''she/her'', or ''they/them''; sometimes, the
possessive pronoun A possessive or ktetic form ( abbreviated or ; from ; ) is a word or grammatical construction indicating a relationship of possession in a broad sense. This can include strict ownership, or a number of other types of relation to a greater or le ...
s are also stated (''she/her/hers'', ''he/him/his'', or ''they/them/their/theirs''). A person who uses multiple pronouns (either interchangeably or in different contexts) may list both subject pronouns, for example ''she/they'' or ''they/he''. PGPs have come into use as a way of promoting equity and inclusion for
transgender A transgender (often shortened to trans) person has a gender identity different from that typically associated with the sex they were sex assignment, assigned at birth. The opposite of ''transgender'' is ''cisgender'', which describes perso ...
, non-binary and genderqueer people. Their use has been identified by social workers, educators, and medical professionals as both a practical and ethical consideration.
Style guide A style guide is a set of standards for the writing, formatting, and design of documents. A book-length style guide is often called a style manual or a manual of style. A short style guide, typically ranging from several to several dozen page ...
s and associations of journalists and health professionals advise use of the pronoun chosen or considered appropriate by the person in question. When dealing with clients or patients, health practitioners are advised to take note of the pronouns used by the individuals themselves, which may involve using different pronouns at different times. This is also extended to the name chosen by the person concerned.
LGBTQ LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, Gay men, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning (sexuality and gender), questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, Asexuality, asexual, ...
advocacy groups also advise using the pronouns and names chosen or considered appropriate by the person concerned. They further recommend avoiding gender confusion when referring to the background of transgender people, such as using a title or rank to avoid a gendered pronoun or name. The practice of sharing personal gender pronouns has been observed in the LGBT community at least since the early 2000s. By the 2020s, it had become a common practice in social settings and on social media. Social media websites including
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,
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and
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have added dedicated pronoun fields for their users' profile pages. In July 2021, the
Pew Research Center The Pew Research Center (also simply known as Pew) is a nonpartisan American think tank based in Washington, D.C. It provides information on social issues, public opinion, and demographic trends shaping the United States and the world. It ...
reported that 26% of Americans knew someone who preferred pronouns such as ''they'' instead of ''he'' or ''she'', a rise from 18% in 2018. Some use neopronouns such as ''xe'', ''ze'', ''ve'', ''tey'', and ''hir''. Some people use more than one set of pronouns, either interchangeably or depending on the situation, and may indicate their personal pronouns as ''he/they'' or ''they/she''.


Cautions

The dean of women at
Pomona College Pomona College ( ) is a private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Claremont, California. It was established in 1887 by a group of Congregationalism in the United States, Congregationalists ...
, Rachel N. Levin, advised against professors asking students to reveal their PGPs during class introductions, since this could upset those whom the PGP use is supposed to support. The two examples Levin gives include one student who has to confront not passing (in other words, that their gender presentation is not clear to people around them), and another student who does not know which pronouns to request others to use. Christina M. Xiao, a
Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
student who favored use of PGPs, opposed PGPs being mandatory, saying that making use of PGPs can force people into an uncomfortable situation where they
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themselves or feel "incredibly dysphoric". Steven Taylor, Inclusion and Diversity Consultant for Inclusive Employers, an organization focused on improving workplace inclusion, wrote that while adding pronouns is a way for cisgender people to make non-binary and transgender people more recognized, it should not "be mandated" as an organization might have "trans colleagues who do not feel able to share their pronouns yet". The draft guidance of NIH Sexual & Gender Minority Research Office and the Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion said that disclosing personal pronouns when beginning a conversation might make others "more comfortable to disclose their own and prevent misgendering in the workplace." However, it warned that intentionally refusing to use the correct pronouns of someone is "equivalent to harassment and a violation of one's civil rights" and that pronoun disclosure should be "an individual choice and not a mandate". Analysts Louis Choporis, Gemma Martin, and Bali White, argued that using the incorrect pronouns can be "hurtful, angering, and even distracting". Additionally, Meredith Boe of Inhersight said that companies should not require pronouns in email signatures because it can "make many gender-expansive people uncomfortable".


Terminology

There exists some disagreement on whether or not to refer to PGPs as "preferred". Some people omit the word ''preferred'', calling them "gender pronouns" or simply "pronouns" to emphasize that correct use of pronouns is a social obligation rather than an individual preference. There is concern that including ''preferred'' in the name may cause the perception that using an individual's PGPs is optional. Levin states that "pronouns aren't 'preferred' but simply correct or incorrect for someone's identity."


Organizational policies

Some organizations have introduced policies facilitating the specifying of PGPs, particularly in email signatures. These include Workday, Virgin Group, TIAA, Marks & Spencer
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, the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Marine Corps,
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
, and United Kingdom Ministry of Defence. Some companies change policies to encourage sharing of PGPs to be more attractive and inclusive to
transgender A transgender (often shortened to trans) person has a gender identity different from that typically associated with the sex they were sex assignment, assigned at birth. The opposite of ''transgender'' is ''cisgender'', which describes perso ...
and
non-binary Non-binary or genderqueer Gender identity, gender identities are those that are outside the male/female gender binary. Non-binary identities often fall under the transgender umbrella since non-binary people typically identify with a gende ...
staff and customers. Out & Equal recommended that employers make providing pronouns something that is voluntary rather than required and said that using the right pronouns makes a difference, especially for those who are gender non-confirming and
transgender A transgender (often shortened to trans) person has a gender identity different from that typically associated with the sex they were sex assignment, assigned at birth. The opposite of ''transgender'' is ''cisgender'', which describes perso ...
.
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, the online learning tool, outlined the importance of preferred gender pronouns and how to set them within the program. The Te Kawa Mataaho Public Service Commission provided guidance on using PGPs in email signatures and the
Australian Government The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government or simply as the federal government, is the national executive government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. The executive consists of the pr ...
's Style Manual has a sub-section about "pronoun choice". In July 2021, the
Scottish Government The Scottish Government (, ) is the executive arm of the devolved government of Scotland. It was formed in 1999 as the Scottish Executive following the 1997 referendum on Scottish devolution, and is headquartered at St Andrew's House in ...
proposed its 8,000 civil servants should pledge to include their PGPs in their emails, but an internal poll revealed that more than half were unwilling to do so. Permanent Secretary to the Scottish Government Leslie Evans dismissed the poll results as "disappointing", and a trans woman and political campaigner Debbie Hayton warned of possible consequences of the proposal for trans people, while the campaign group For Women Scotland opposed the proposal, calling it "frightening" and "undemocratic". In August 2021, a letter signed by the Leeds University and College Union and
University of Leeds The University of Leeds is a public research university in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It was established in 1874 as the Yorkshire College of Science. In 1884, it merged with the Leeds School of Medicine (established 1831) and was renamed Y ...
LGBTQ staff and student groups, to Vice Chancellor Simone Buitendijk, called on the University to implement policies to confront transphobia and a hostile environment on campus, including not asking trans people for Gender Recognition Certificates. Toward the end of the letter, the groups suggested an "effective and fit-for-purpose pronouns policy" which included Buitendjik using pronouns in her email signature, and fostering an environment "which encourages the sharing of pronouns" in order to show support for transgender people. In October 2021, the Leeds University and College Union reported that "some limited progress" had been made in response to their letter, but did not mention PGPs. In August 2021, Scotland's government recommended that schools allow trans students to use their chosen bathrooms, names, and pronouns.


Legal issues and legal recognition

In 2018, medical doctor David Mackereth was not hired by the United Kingdom
Department for Work and Pensions The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is a Departments of the Government of the United Kingdom, ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom. It is responsible for welfare spending, welfare, pensions and child maintenance ...
(DWP) because he refused to use PGPs for transgender individuals, saying they went against his Christian faith. An employment panel in 2019 ruled that his views were "incompatible with human dignity" and that the DWP had not violated the Equality Act. Mackereth opposed the ruling, as did the Christian Legal Centre (a project of Christian Concern), while the DWP welcomed the ruling. Andrea Williams, of the Christian Legal Centre, claimed that the decision was "the first time in the history of English law that a judge has ruled that free citizens must engage in compelled speech". In response to the decision, Piers Morgan called Mackereth a "bigot" who was "self-righteous" in his beliefs. In November 2018, the
European Commission The European Commission (EC) is the primary Executive (government), executive arm of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with a number of European Commissioner, members of the Commission (directorial system, informall ...
recommended guidelines emphasizing the "desirability" of using PGPs and gender pronouns that individuals prefer, including by teachers and students in accordance with non-discrimination policies. The report also noted that only schools in
Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...
,
Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...
, and
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
were required to respect people's name and PGPs, and stated this appears to be the case in
Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...
and some regions of
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. In March 2021, U.S. federal appeals court judge Amul Thapar ruled that Nicholas Meriwether could sue Shawnee State University for violating "his constitutional rights" after the University disciplined him for failing to use the right pronouns for one of his students, who was transgender, and for violating campus anti-discrimination policies. Asaf Orr, the director of the Transgender Youth Project for the National Center for Lesbian Rights, which represented the student in the case, said that the decision "opens the door to discrimination generally". Andrew M. Koppelman, a
Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...
Professor of Law, had a similar opinion. John K. Wilson, an editor of the blog of the
American Association of University Professors The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) is an organization of professors and other academics in the United States that was founded in 1915 in New York City and is currently headquartered in Washington, D.C. AAUP membership inc ...
, called the ruling good "for protecting faculty rights" but stated that the religious beliefs of a professor "should not give them special rights to mistreat students" and that professors do not have "full latitude" to determine which students get "respectful pronouns and which will not". In May 2021, in a written court statement appealing a decision in the case of '' Forstater v Center for Global Development Europe'', Maya Forstater wrote: "I reserve the right to use he and him pronouns for male people. No one has the right to compel others to make statements they don't believe." '' PinkNews'' described Forstater as " gender-critical" and as claiming a "right to misgender trans women". In 2019, the judge in the initial case before the employment tribunal, James Tayler, had ruled against her. He had stated that her belief that "sex is immutable and not to be conflated with gender identity" was something "not worthy of respect in a democratic society", called her beliefs "absolutist" and argued that there is "enormous pain that can be caused by misgendering." The Employment Appeal Tribunal judge Akhlaq Choudhury overturned Tayler's judgment, finding that the gender-critical belief that biological sex is real, important and immutable is indeed protected under the Equality Act; still, Choudhury made clear that the ruling did not mean "that those with gender-critical beliefs can 'misgender' trans persons with impunity". In October 2021, the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal judge Devyn Cousineau ruled that for those who are non-binary, trans, and not
cisgender The word ''cisgender'' (often shortened to ''cis''; sometimes ''cissexual'') describes a person whose gender identity corresponds to their sex assigned at birth, i.e., someone who is not ''transgender''. The prefix '' cis-'' is Latin and ...
, "using the correct pronouns validates and affirms they are a person equally deserving of respect and dignity." The December 2021 update of the Equal Treatment Bench Book advised judges that the use of preferred gender pronouns is "common courtesy". The guidance states that there might be situations in which a witness might refer to a transgender person with "pronouns matching their gender assigned at birth" and that judges should be alert to "how someone prefers to be addressed". It also states that those who are victims of sexual violence or domestic violence should be allowed to use pronouns according to gender assigned at birth "because that is in accordance with the victim's experience and perception of the events". As of April 2021,
U.S. Department of Labor The United States Department of Labor (DOL) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It is responsible for the administration of federal laws governing occupational safety and health, wage and hour standards, unem ...
policies on
gender identity Gender identity is the personal sense of one's own gender. Gender identity can correlate with a person's assigned sex or can differ from it. In most individuals, the various biological determinants of sex are congruent and consistent with the in ...
encourage managers and supervisors to refer to people by the pronouns and names they want to use, stating that continued misuse of pronouns and name may "breach the person's privacy...put them at risk of harm" and in certain circumstances "may be considered harassment". It also advised such people to use gender-neutral language in order to "avoid assumptions about employees' sexual orientation or gender identity" and stated that someone's gender "should not be assumed based on their pronouns". The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission also suggested that even though misusing the PGPs and name of a transgender employee does not violate Title VII, doing so intentionally and repeatedly "could contribute to an unlawful hostile work environment." EEOC decisions in ''Lusardi v. Dep't of the Army'' (2013), ''Jameson v. U.S. Postal Serv.'' (2015), and ''Jamal v. Saks & Co.'' (2015) concluded that intentional misuse of PGPs created a hostile work environment. The commission also said gender identity harassment may include repeated, and intentional, misuse of PGPs. In May 2022, the
conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
think tank Policy Exchange reported that UK police and courts were referring to suspects by preferred pronoun because gender self-identification had been adopted as policy despite no basis in law. The practice was revealed by Freedom of Information requests made by campaign group Fair Play for Women. The report recommended the ending of "compelled use" of preferred pronouns by police. In April 2024, the U.S. EEOC issued guidance on gender ID pronouns. Employers refusing to use transgender workers' preferred pronouns or bar them from using bathrooms that match their known gender identity commit unlawful sex-based harassment acts. In October 2024, a Virginia school board settled with Peter Vlaming, a former high school French teacher who was fired for refusing to use a transgender student's preferred pronouns. Vlaming had used the student's preferred name but avoided third-person pronouns, citing religious reasons. The West Point School Board settled the lawsuit after the Virginia Supreme Court ruled that Vlaming could pursue claims based on the Virginia Constitution's rights to free exercise of religion, free speech, and due process. In January 2025, the U.S. EEOC filed with courts to withdraw six of its own cases on behalf of workers alleging gender identity discrimination, after President Trump's Executive Order 14168 which states that it is the policy of the United States to recognize two sexes, male and female. The executive order specifically mentioned the April 2024 EEOC guidance on pronouns as one of the documents that should be taken down for promoting "gender ideology". On January 28, Acting Chair Andrea Lucas released a statement saying that this document was one of several that she could not revoke or modify because the majority of the Commission voted to keep the guidance as-is, and Lucas does not have the authority to override that decision. In the same statement, the EEOC noted that they removed an internal app that displayed the user's pronouns to others. In May 2025, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas struck down the April 2024 EEOC guidance on LGBTQ+ workplace protections, including gender ID pronouns. The court ruled that the EEOC guidance is inconsistent with Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and exceeded U.S. Supreme Court
precedent Precedent is a judicial decision that serves as an authority for courts when deciding subsequent identical or similar cases. Fundamental to common law legal systems, precedent operates under the principle of ''stare decisis'' ("to stand by thin ...
.


Criticism

Some groups and individuals have been critical of the application of PGPs.
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Congressman Greg Murphy opposed the U.S. Air Force allowing PGPs in email signature blocks, calling it "unbelievable", and arguing it detracted from
military preparedness Combat readiness is a condition of the armed forces and their constituent Military organization, units and formations, warships, aircraft, weapon systems or other military technology and equipment to perform during combat military operations, or fu ...
. In a dissent in '' Bostock v. Clayton County'', U.S. Supreme Court Justice
Samuel Alito Samuel Anthony Alito Jr. ( ; born April 1, 1950) is an American jurist who serves as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. He was Samuel Alito Supreme Court ...
said that the majority decision, in which the Court held that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects employees against discrimination because they are gay or
transgender A transgender (often shortened to trans) person has a gender identity different from that typically associated with the sex they were sex assignment, assigned at birth. The opposite of ''transgender'' is ''cisgender'', which describes perso ...
,''Bostock v. Clayton County'', . may lead some to claim that not using their PGP "violates one of the federal laws prohibiting sex discrimination" and believed that the decision would affect how employers "address their employees" and how school officials and teachers talk to students. In April 2025, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated, "As a matter of policy, we do not respond to reporters with pronouns in their bios" in response to a journalist who queried her for unrelated information. She later stated, "Any reporter who chooses to put their preferred pronouns in their bio clearly does not care about biological reality or truth and therefore cannot be trusted to write an honest story."


See also

*
English personal pronouns The English personal pronouns are a subset of English pronouns taking various forms according to grammatical number, number, grammatical person, person, grammatical case, case and grammatical gender. Modern English has very little inflection of n ...
* Gender neutrality in English * Gender neutrality in languages with gendered third-person pronouns * Singular ''they'' * Third-person pronoun


References

{{Gender studies Grammatical gender LGBTQ linguistics LGBTQ-related controversies Linguistic controversies Modern English personal pronouns Non-binary gender Pronouns Transgender rights