Pronouns in Online Platforms
Using a person’s correct pronouns is a way to respect their existence and affirm their identity, both of which are basic human rights and not privileges to be granted by others. While many communication platforms such as Instagram and Zoom have finally begun to acknowledge this by adding a pronouns function to their interfaces, this feature has not been normalized to the degree it should be. For many transgender, gender nonconforming and/or nonbinary individuals, being misgendered can also trigger feelings of anxiety and gender dysphoria, the feeling of extreme disassociation between a person’s gender identity and the sex they were assigned at birth. These are often symptoms of depression, a condition experienced at a much higher rate amongst transgender teens than their cisgender peers (Endocrine Society). A 2018 study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health showed that transgender youth who felt safe to use their chosen names and pronouns in multiple contexts encountered 71 percent fewer symptoms of severe depression.
When it comes to the role of communication platforms, it has become much more common for everyone to display their pronouns online regardless of their gender identity. From the perspective of cisgender people, sharing pronouns exposes them to much less danger than it does for transgender, gender nonconforming and/or nonbinary individuals. As the practice of sharing pronouns develops into a cultural norm, communal environments become safer and more inclusive. During a time when the pandemic has increased reliance on digital communication, social media and workplace platforms have the responsibility of protecting their LGBTQ+ users online.
“[Microsoft] Teams has a tag system that administrators can use to categorize people in order for them to be able to send a notification to a specific group,” senior Zaria Ackermann said. “An easy way to add pronouns to Teams is by making it possible for an [administrator] to set the tags to display to everyone so that when someone hovers over a name, their pronouns pop up.”
The tagging system mentioned by Ackermann would be an effective way for Microsoft to tweak their software in a minor way to allow people to display their pronouns. Unfortunately, while platforms such as Slack and LinkedIn have now implemented a pronouns field in users’ biographies, Microsoft does not seem to have any immediate plans to follow suit. Users have been actively petitioning Microsoft for change on a product feedback network called UserVoice since October of this year, and one request for a pronouns function now has almost four thousand votes. Many schools currently use Teams as their primary tool for direct teacher-to-student communication, and as it does not currently provide an option for displaying pronouns, the responsibility shifts solely on a student to convey their gender identity to teachers.
“In a perfect world, [people] would educate themselves on the importance of pronoun display, but we do not live in a perfect world and a lot of people do not care,” senior Maya Locano said. “[Teachers] should ask [for students’ pronouns] periodically; some people are still figuring out their identity. Of course, I do not expect most teachers to do this, but [it] could really make a difference.”
Schools are often hostile environments for transgender, gender nonconforming and/or nonbinary students, especially when they are faced with unsupportive teachers. A 2017 survey done by GLSEN found that 87.3 percent of LGBTQ+ students have experienced some form of harassment at school (New York Times). As authority figures, teachers have the power to significantly influence how students are treated at school. Teachers at Peninsula should make a greater effort in respecting students’ identities by simply asking for their pronouns and therefore fostering safe classroom spaces.
“I would love for [platforms like Teams and Aeries to incorporate a pronouns feature],” English 1, Reading/Writing Skills and Literary Publications teacher Betsy Okamoto said. “No matter what it is in life, there is always room for improvement for protecting kids.”
