You might have seen people putting pronouns – she/her, he/him, they/them, etc. in their social media’s bios. You might have even wondered what are these pronouns about? Is it just another passing trend or a mere casual obligation? No, it is not. If anything, it is a part of a much greater revolution. It is a stand for a more prominent matter. IT IS BIGGER THAN IT SEEMS. It is a practice of bringing gender equality into this world. Continue reading ahead and learn about this cause.
Let’s start out with a standard example. Suppose you’re walking in a park, and you see a person walking a really cute dog. You rush to say, “Oh, he’s so cute!” and then the owner immediately corrects you and says “It’s a she.” You then and there fix your mistake and say, “I’m sorry, she’s so cute”, so that you greet the dog accurately.
The owner didn’t interject because he was offended or raged but simply because you misunderstood the gender of his pet, it is solely out of regard of the dog’s being. It is a basic sentiment that he addressed for you to call the dog as per his gender being.
And what would you do here? Correct your honest mistake! BECAUSE IT WAS AN HONEST MISTAKE.
Since the bio in social media platforms are present in order to add some basic or general information about you, it is an important place to put your identity that you choose to be referred to as. There is more to people than how they arise to be. There is no more than just Male or Female, to be noted, She or He as pronouns. The practice of misgendering is a frequent event and could often be hurtful to many.
So, if you can do this for an animal’s pronouns, then you could probably commit the same mistake with a human as well, right? It might not seem a big deal to some, but people who undergo immense misery in accepting their sexuality and gender preference may find it sensitive to quite an extent. In fact, ‘coming out’ is one of the harshest and intricate experiences for people since this world is still lacking the courage in embracing gender reality.
Why Does It Really Matter To Put Pronouns In Bios?
In simpler words, it eases the conversation of gender and also motivates people who are naturally associated with alleged “unconventional genders or sexuality.”
People often make assumptions about somebody’s pronouns based on external appearance, which isn’t always correct (and should not be made either). This also means that one has to look a certain way to be associated (or not be associated) with a certain gender. Highly irritating, right?
By adding pronouns to your social media bios, emails, and all other introductions, you can help normalize this practice, show a willingness to respect other people’s personal pronouns and make it a comfortable experience for others to introduce themselves with theirs, especially the people of the LGBTQ+ community.
Non-binary people or transgender people use they/them to identify themselves (some might choose to go with conventional he/him, she/her, they/them). This is not something that regular personages would usually volunteer to call a random person. Gender identity and expression are deeply personal matters. Hence, respecting people’s pronouns builds safety and inclusion.
Final Words
It might not be something as big as a revolution but it is definitely a vital step in this revolution towards immunizing the world to accepting the concept of ‘love is love.’ You can start with small and fundamental practices. Even if you think “it is obvious,” adding pronouns on your social media accounts would do you no harm. It could only help in bundles. There are more profound and more overwhelming quandaries that the LGBTQIA+ community goes on a daily basis. If this practice could ease the habit of owning their personal pronoun, then why not be part of this sheer mission?
