This following text was borrowed from the Ecological Society of America annual meeting and authored by Sam Davis (they/them) from the Inclusive Ecology Section at ESA.
Why should I put my pronouns on my name tag?
This question is really common for folks who identify with the gender that they were assigned at birth (“raised a girl/boy”). However the reasons why are surprising and compelling. We hope you’ll read and understand better.
- Friendly Faces
When gender-nonconforming, questioning, non-binary, and transgender folks see pronouns on name tags, it lets us know that you’re more likely to respect our pronouns.
- Professional Spaces
By putting your pronouns on your name tag, you’re signaling how you want to be addressed. You’re also signaling that you will respect folks with pronouns different than your own.
- Freedom to Express or Not
Please not that some folks may choose not to put their pronouns on their name tag. Please don’t shame folks for non including pronouns on their name tags.
- Make it Mundane
If we normalize the use of pronouns in name tags, email signatures, and the like, then we’ll be able to immediately identify how people want to be addressed. We’ll make a better culture for future generations of ecologists.