Why Pronouns are Important Faculty Development Presentation February 23, 2022 CST 110
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Overview / Learning Goals As a result of attending this session, participants will be able to: ● ●
Identify the differences between sex, gender identity, and sexual orientation Create a plan to implement one new practice to create a trans and non-binary inclusive classroom
To do this, our plan is: ● ● ● ● ●
Overview of sex, gender identity, and sexual orientation Introduction of pronouns Tips for using pronouns Activity Reflection 2
What is LGBTQ+? Discuss at your table: ● When was the first time you realized that not everyone is straight or cisgender? ● What were some of the things that shaped your early understanding or knowledge about LGBTQ+ people? This could be family, friends, media, place of worship, etc. ● What were those initial conceptions? Positive? Negative? Indifferent? ● Why is this topic important in your work?
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Sex and Gender Identity ● What is sex ○ Sex is assigned at birth, refers to one’s biological status as either male or female, and is associated primarily with physical attributes such as chromosomes, hormone prevalence, and external and internal anatomy.
● What is gender ○ Gender refers to the socially constructed roles, behaviors, activities, and attributes that a given society considers appropriate for boys and men or girls and women.
● What if a person’s gender, gender identity, and/or sex don’t “match”?
(American Psychological Association, 2015)
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Trans* ● What is trans*? ○ Transgender is an umbrella term for persons whose gender identity, gender expression, or behavior does not conform to that typically associated with the sex to which they were assigned at birth.
● What is cisgender? ○ Cisgender refers to a person whose gender identity, gender expression, or behavior conforms to that typically associated with the sex to which they were assigned at birth.
Gender Identity Examples: Man, Woman, Transman, Nonbinary
(American Psychological Association, 2015)
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Sexual Orientation Sexual orientation refers to a component of identity that includes a person’s sexual and emotional attraction to another person and the behavior and/or social affiliation that may result from this attraction.
Sexual Orientation Examples: Straight, Gay, Pansexual, Asexual
(American Psychological Association, 2015)
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(Trans Student Educational Resources, 2015)
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Common Pronouns ● ● ● ● ●
He/Him/His She/Her/Hers They/Them/Their Ze/Zir/Hir/Hirself No pronouns
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Pronoun Chart
(Trans Student Educational Resources, n.d.)
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Singular They APA 7th edition recognizes “they” as a singular pronoun They as a singular pronoun has been used long before APA 7th In English, we do this on a regular basis I usually do it when I’m angry at another driver (ex. “What are they doing!?”) If you don’t know someone’s pronouns, and you’re not sure how to refer to them, it’s best to use the pronouns they use to refer to themself. Ask! This can and will take practice for some folks, but we owe it to our students to do our best. (American Psychological Association, 2020)
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Why using pronouns is important Using correct pronouns shows improvements in individuals self-esteem and reduce depression. Affirming pronouns works as a method of reducing trans erasure. Assuming pronouns can send unintended messages that offend, divise, or harm individuals.
(Glynn et al., 2017; Zambon, 2021) 11
Ideas to Utilize Pronouns Important to acknowledge mistakes and work to do better “I’m so sorry, Alex. Your pronoun is they, I will do better” Introduce yourself with your pronouns “Hi! My name is Jacob, my pronouns are he/him/his, and I will be working with your today!” Include them in your email signature Jacob Simon (he, him, his what's this?) Dean of Students More information? mypronouns.org
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Tips in the Classroom ● ● ● ● ●
Include your pronouns in your syllabi Introduce yourself on the first day with your pronouns Have students introduce themselves with their pronouns If you have students complete an info sheet, include a space for them to include their pronouns Correct mistakes as they come up, both your own mistakes and other students
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Practicing Pronouns Pair up Practice introducing yourself with your pronouns Practice using pronouns with your partner using the pronouns here ->
(Trans Student Educational Resources, n.d.)
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Quick tool to practice
https://pronouns.minus18.org.au/ 15
Reflection 1. 2. 3.
What is one thing you plan to add to your classes after spring break as a result of this training? What is one thing you plan to change for your courses in the fall? How are you going to stay accountable to these changes? Who are you going to check in with?
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Thank you!
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References American Psychological Association. (2015). Guidelines for Psychological Practice with Transgender and Gender Nonconforming People. American Psychologist, 70(9), 832-864. doi.org/10.1037/a0039906 American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association 2020: the official guide to APA style (7th ed.). American Psychological Association. Glynn, T. R., Gamarel, K. E., Kahler, C. W., Iwamoto, M., Operario, D., & Nemoto, T. (2016). The role of gender affirmation in psychological well-being among transgender women. Psychology of sexual orientation and gender diversity, 3(3), 336–344. https://doi.org/10.1037/sgd0000171 Trans Student Educational Resources. (2015). The Gender Unicorn. http://www.transstudent.org/gender. Trans Student Educational Resources. (n.d.). Gender Pronouns. https://transstudent.org/graphics/pronouns101/ Zambon, V. (2021, February 11). What to know about gender pronouns. Medical News Today. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/gender-pronouns 18