Pronouns and Name Changes
November 14, 2021
Pronouns relate closely to gender orientation because normally pronouns coordinate with the gender you identify as. For example, Neisius identifies as non-binary which means they don’t always choose a specific gender, so they use they/them pronouns. However, this may not always be based on gender, sometimes pronouns can be based on how an individual feels in a certain environment.
“I don’t feel like a female or a male, I feel like I am in just between. That’s why there are multiple genders,” Neisius said.
Because non-binary or gender-fluid people do not identify within a rigid definition of gender, some days they may feel more like a male, and others they may feel like a female, or they may feel anywhere in between.
On the other hand, sophomore and co-leader of GSA Club Caitlyn Allendorph is cis-gendered and uses she/her pronouns. Some people in the LGBTQ+ community identify as cis-gendered, which means they identify the same gender as their birth gender, they can use varying pronouns.
Junior Quinn Gillies (he/they) wears a mask to school that has his pronouns as the design, they do this to help ease communication about his pronouns, and help others know which pronouns he wants people to refer to him by.
“I definitely get stares because of it,” Gillies said. “But on the other hand, it is an easy way to come out to people or make people aware of your pronouns, without having to constantly tell or remind people, the mask does it for me.”
When someone changes their name, their previous name is now called a dead name. It is important to know the correct names to use and when to use them. If someone shares a new name with you and they aren’t fully out to a specific group of people, they may want their dead names used, and other times they may not. So when someone tells you they have had a name change, you should ask them when they want that name used and when to use their dead name.
A survey mentioned in an article by Center of American Progress reported that 70.4 percent of LGBTQ+ members experienced some sort of discrimination in the last year that originated from their gender or sexual identification.
“It’s upsetting to see the discrimination, but it happens anyway. It’s hard to stop one person from doing it when it ends up spiraling down a long, long, trail of talking back and forth about the same issues over and over again with someone,” Neisius said.