Use Your Words to Respect Gender Identity This year, Menlo is implementing the ability for students to self-identify their gender and to designate their “chosen name” which will be used in lieu of their legal name (except where the legal name is required). This means that the campus directory, class rosters, the Menlo Online Learning Environment (MOLE), and other school documents and forums will identify students by their chosen name to avoid misnaming and misgendering. A study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health found that when compared with peers who could not use their chosen name and pronoun, young people who could were 71% less likely to experience symptoms of severe depression, 34% less likely to have thougths of suicide and 65% less likely to attempt suicide. Menlo College is acting to promote students’ mental health and wellness, and to foster a campus environment where all students’ identities are acknowledged and validated. Students, faculty, and staff can lend their support by taking steps to use each other’s correct names and pronouns. A Menlo student, who asks to remain anonymous, explains why it is important to be mindful of the ways we speak and think about gender, and why creating opportunities to share names and pronouns can help:
A Student Speaks All people have a gender identity–even cisgender people (those whose gender identity matches the sex they were assigned at birth). However, some may not identify as the sex with which they were born. A study by Meerwijk and Sevelius (2017) reports that 30 in every 100,000 people identified as transgender–not including those who identify as non-binary (someone who does not identify as exclusively feminine or masculine). A cisgender person might never think about specifying their preferred name, gender, or pronouns, so they might wonder why they should use pronouns in their bios, email signatures, Zoom names, and other areas where they describe/address themselves. But it’s beneficial to those who do not identify with their birth sex for everyone to identify their pronouns. Gender can be easy to forget about, especially when we interact online. We might use slang that expresses gender bias or makes gender assumptions (sis, girl, etc.). While it can sometimes be easy to assume someone’s gender based on their profile picture, what they identify as may not be the same as what you think they look like. But being misgendered can make some feel invalidated, judged, or disrespected. It’s not just a harmless mistake, but can create real feelings of distress (especially when a transgender or non-binary individual may experience it on a daily basis). Asking someone about their pronouns can avoid misgendering, and specifying your own pronouns demonstrates that you understand the importance of not making assumptions about someone’s gender identity. Additionally, it is harder to spot someone who is transgender or non-binary when most people specify their pronouns. Before pronouns were common to have in bios and other places, those who did specify them were immediately assumed to be non-cisgender and were often attacked for it. As someone who gets misgendered in real life, on phone calls, or even on Zoom (never on purpose), it would be comforting to know that I am not the only person with my pronouns next to my name. It can make a situation feel safer and leaves people less singled-out. I know that Menlo is an institution that cares for the LGBTQ+ community, and most want to learn how to be better allies; I believe considering pronoun use is an excellent place to start. Russell, S.T., Pollitt, A.M., Li, G., & Grossman, A.H. (2018). Chosen Name Use Is Linked to Reduced Depressive Symptoms, Suicidal Ideation, and Suicidal Behavior Among Transgender Youth. Journal of Adolescent Health, 63(4), 503-505. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2018.02.003 Meerwijk, E.L., & Sevelius, J.M. (2017). Transgender Population Size in the United States: a Meta-Regression of Population-Based Probability Samples. Am J Public Health, 107(2), e1-e8. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2016.303578
23 WINTER 2022
