I am an active user on social media with my favorite being Instagram. I noticed people whether they were cisgender or not started putting their prounouns in their bios. I honestly didn’t think about why people were putting it in much until I came across a post suggesting for cisgender straight people to put their pronouns in their bio. The main reason was for making a safe area for the LGBTQIA+ community and that’s all I needed to know to put my own pronouns in my bio.
Transgender and non-binary people feel like they have to address their pronouns so why not all of us introduce ourselves with our name and pronouns? Everyone has pronouns but when we know the majority of people who identify as their pronouns from birth putting their pronouns, it normalizes the use of them and lets everyone feel comfortable.
For so long we lived in a society where we were taught he and her pronouns were the norm but not everyone felt like they belonged to being a male or female so people started identifying as non-binary, like Asia Kate Dillon. At first they didn’t know what they identified with their gender until they read into their character on the show Billions named Taylor Mason. Other non-binary celebrities include actors Bobbi Salvör Menuez, Amandla Sternberg, Brigette Lundy-Paine, and singer, Sam Smith. Some people also might identify as she/they or he/they which means they can go by the gender listed or they are also comfortable being identified as non-binary.
I do suggest cisgender people to put their pronouns in their bio especially if you are an ally. We want to keep a safe environment for the LGBTQ+ community and we are working towards normalizing asking for pronouns, same sex relationships and people being transgender. As much as society progressed from hundreds of years ago there is still hatred and violence struck towards the LGBT community and our goal should be standing for human rights whether it’s for gender equality, gay rights, racial justice, religious freedom etc. So, doing something simple like putting pronouns in your bio helps us to know that you are an accepting person.
Words to know:
● Cisgender – The gender someone has identified with since birth.
● Non-binary – One who does not identify with male or female or might identify with both masculine and feminine traits at the same time. Pronouns are They/their/them.
● Transgender – A person who does not identify with their birth sex. Example: FTM means you were assigned female at birth but now identify as a male.
If you aren’t sure with one’s gender identity, it never hurts to ask for their pronouns. If you witnessed someone misgendering someone, make sure to always correct them politely. With doing this, it will help us normalize that there aren’t two genders in this world and that we need to validate trans and non-binary inclusion in today’s world.