YES! (In Some Cases): Is There a Polite Way to Handle the Pronoun Madness?

Stand to Reason’s Amy K. Hall wrote, “I recently spoke to a Stand to Reason supporter who received a company-wide email saying leaders were expected to display their pronouns.” She went on to include the text of the man’s email reply to his employers.

I appreciate the goal of mutual respect and creating a welcoming environment for everyone. My desire is to be respectful of everyone. The expectation to display my pronouns asks me to accept a premise that I can’t accept—namely, that my pronouns could be different than he/him. It’s an ontological claim about the nature of reality, and I hold a different view. I’m not asking those that are transgender to accept my view of reality, but I’m being asked to accept theirs.

I can live and work with respect toward anyone with differing beliefs than my own, including my transgender coworkers. Can I be respected in my beliefs that differ on the nature of gender and identity while affirming the dignity of every person?

The man’s email resonated with his bosses, and they told him that “the pronouns were not mandatory.”

You’ll learn a lot about who you’re working for if you receive a different response.