Pronoun Practices

At Cummings School, we welcome people of all genders to learn and work with us. As part of our commitment to values such as respect and belonging within this community, we believe it is important to use inclusive pronoun practices in our everyday interactions. One easy way to do this is to share our personal pronouns with each other for use in conversations. While someone’s pronouns may seem “obvious” based on their appearance, this isn’t true for everyone, as gender identity may not be demonstrated by an external presentation.

To support the safety and wellness of trans and gender non-conforming people, we encourage everyone to wear a pronoun button. These buttons make our pronouns clear, and they help normalize asking and talking about them, rather than guessing. To uplift those whose pronouns aren’t so obvious, we wear these buttons to make our community more inclusive and supportive for everyone.

Want to learn more about pronouns? Wondering how to be a better ally to your peers? How can you go about implementing inclusive pronoun practices in your community? Check out the resources below!

Web Resources:

• Forbes - “Talking About Your Pronouns Is One Easy Way To Be A Transgender Ally”
• Boston Children’s Hospital - “Gender identity & pronoun use: A guide for pediatric health care professionals”
• MyPronouns.org
• Medium - “Why I Put Pronouns on my Email Signature (and LinkedIn profile) and You Should Too” https://medium.com/gender-inclusivit/why-i-put-pronouns-on-my-email-signature-and-linkedin-profile-and-you-should-too-d3dc942c8743
• TransStudent
• “Decolonizing Gender: A Curriculum”
• “Teen Vogue” - All Your Questions About Gender-Neutral Pronouns Answered 
• Michigan State University Gender and Sexuality Resource Center
• “Pronouns 101” - Contains useful infographics we can embed directly on the webpage
• Everyday Feminism
• International Pronouns Day

Video/Podcasts Resources:

• AAVMC's Diversity & Inclusion on Air
  “The Use of Pronouns”
• Onlea
  “Gender Identity and Pronouns - What Will You Teach The World?”
• Seventeen Magazine
  “Why Gender Pronouns Matter”
• PinkNews
  “What are gender pronouns? Ze, Zir, They/Them | Jackson Bird explains”