Have you noticed a proliferation of pronouns in some auto signatures, especially in the University world and the business community? I was already wondering about the change and how to respect the new etiquette when I interviewed Dr. Amelious Whyte Jr. for the “On being maroon and gold, and Black” feature in the November 2020 issue of the UMRA News andnoticed this in his auto signature:
Personal Pronouns: He, Him, His
(More about pronouns and why I list them here and here)
The links to “here” and “here” connect to the Sexuality & Gender Equity Initiatives at UMD and the Center for Writing in the College of Liberal Arts. The underlying policy—Equity and Access: Gender Identity, Gender Expression, Names and Pronouns—was adopted in 2019 and can be found in the University Policy Library.
As is often the case with change, and etiquette, the evolving use of personal pronouns is not without controversy. Nevertheless, as Dr. Whyte said in a subsequent email exchange, “Words are important.”