What are Preferred Gender Pronouns?
Preferred gender pronouns (PGPs) are third-person pronouns that a person chooses to use for themselves.
She, her, hers and he, him, his – Gendered Pronouns
These are the most commonly used pronouns.
Some people label these pronouns “female/feminine” and “male/masculine” respectively, but many avoid these labels because not everyone who uses he feels “masculine” or “male”.
➣Example: ”Xena ate her food because she was hungry.”
They, them, theirs — Gender-neutral pronouns
These pronouns can be used in the singular.
➣Example: ”Xena ate their food because they were hungry.”
Ze, hir, hir — Gender-neutral pronouns
Ze is pronounced like “zee” can also be spelled zie or xe, and replaces she/he/they. Hir is pronounced like “here” and replaces her/hers/him/his/they/theirs.
➣Example: ”Xena ate hir food because ze was hungry.”
Just my name, please!
Some people prefer not to use pronouns at all, and use their name as
a pronoun instead.
➣Example: ”Xena ate Xena’s food because Xena was hungry.”
Please show your PGP on the name tag (if you like) and use others’ PGPs correctly to show your respect for their gender identity.
References
1) “Preferred Gender Pronouns: For Faculty”, Hampshire College
(https://www.ccsu.edu/lgbt/files/PreferredGenderPronounsForFaculty.pdf)
2) “Gender Pronouns”, University of Wisconsin
(https://uwm.edu/lgbtrc/support/gender-pronouns/)