Preferred gender pronouns (also calledpersonal gender pronouns, often abbreviated asPGP[1]) are the set ofpronouns (in English,third-person pronouns) that an individual wants others to use to reflect that person's owngender identity. In English, when declaring one's chosen pronouns, a person will often state thesubject andobject pronouns (e.g.,he/him,she/her,they/them), although sometimes, thepossessive pronouns are also stated (e.g.,she/her/hers,he/him/his,they/them/their/theirs). The pronouns chosen may includeneopronouns such asze andzir.[2][3][4]
Preferred personal pronouns were recognized as theword of the year 2019 by theAmerican Dialect Society.[5]
In English, when declaring one's pronouns, a person will often state thesubject andobject pronouns, for examplehe/him,she/her, orthey/them; sometimes, thepossessive pronouns are also stated (she/her/hers,he/him/his, orthey/them/their/theirs). A person who uses multiple pronouns (either interchangeably or in different contexts) may list both subject pronouns, for exampleshe/they orthey/he.[6][7]
PGPs have come into use as a way of promotingequity andinclusion fortransgender,non-binary and genderqueer people.[8][9] Their use has been identified by social workers,[10] educators,[11] and medical professionals[12][13][14] as both a practical and ethical consideration.Style guides and associations of journalists and health professionals advise use of the pronoun chosen or considered appropriate by the person in question.[15][16][17] When dealing with clients or patients, health practitioners are advised to take note of the pronouns used by the individuals themselves,[18] which may involve using different pronouns at different times.[19][20] This is also extended to the name chosen by the person concerned.[21][22]LGBTQ advocacy groups also advise using the pronouns and names chosen or considered appropriate by the person concerned.[23] They further recommend avoiding gender confusion when referring to the background of transgender people, such as using a title or rank to avoid a gendered pronoun or name.[24]
The practice of sharing personal gender pronouns has been observed in the LGBT community at least since the early 2000s. By the 2020s, it had become a common practice in social settings and on social media.[25] Social media websites includingTwitter,Instagram andLinkedIn have added dedicated pronoun fields for their users' profile pages.[26][27]
In July 2021, thePew Research Center reported that 26% of Americans knew someone who preferred pronouns such asthey instead ofhe orshe, a rise from 18% in 2018.[28][29][30] Some useneopronouns such asxe,ze,ve,tey, andhir.[2][31][3][4]
Some people use more than one set of pronouns, either interchangeably or depending on the situation, and may indicate their personal pronouns ashe/they orthey/she.[6]
Thedean of women atPomona College, Rachel N. Levin, advised against professors asking students to reveal their PGPs during class introductions, since this could upset those whom the PGP use is supposed to support. The two examples Levin gives include one student who has to confront notpassing (in other words, that theirgender presentation is not clear to people around them), and another student who does not know which pronouns to request others to use.[32] Christina M. Xiao, aHarvard University student who favored use of PGPs, opposed PGPs being mandatory, saying that making use of PGPs can force people into an uncomfortable situation where theyout themselves or feel "incredibly dysphoric".[33]
Steven Taylor, Inclusion and Diversity Consultant for Inclusive Employers, an organization focused on improving workplace inclusion, wrote that while adding pronouns is a way for cisgender people to make non-binary and transgender people more recognized, it should not "be mandated" as an organization might have "trans colleagues who do not feel able to share their pronouns yet".[34] The draft guidance of NIH Sexual & Gender Minority Research Office and the Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion said that disclosing personal pronouns when beginning a conversation might make others "more comfortable to disclose their own and prevent misgendering in the workplace." However, it warned that intentionally refusing to use the correct pronouns of someone is "equivalent to harassment and a violation of one's civil rights" and that pronoun disclosure should be "an individual choice and not a mandate".[4] Analysts Louis Choporis, Gemma Martin, andBali White, argued that using the incorrect pronouns can be "hurtful, angering, and even distracting".[3] Additionally, Meredith Boe of Inhersight said that companies should not require pronouns in email signatures because it can "make many gender-expansive people uncomfortable".[35]
There exists some disagreement on whether or not to refer to PGPs as "preferred". Some people omit the wordpreferred, calling them "gender pronouns" or simply "pronouns" to emphasize that correct use of pronouns is asocial obligation rather than an individual preference. There is concern that includingpreferred in the name may cause the perception that using an individual's PGPs is optional.[36] Levin states that "pronouns aren't 'preferred' but simply correct or incorrect for someone's identity."[32]
Some organizations have introduced policies facilitating the specifying of PGPs, particularly in email signatures.[37][35][38][39] These includeWorkday,[40]Virgin Group,[41]TIAA,[40]Marks & Spencer[42]IBM,[43] theU.S. Air Force,[44]U.S. Marine Corps,[44][45]BBC,[46][47] and United KingdomMinistry of Defence.[48]
Some companies change policies to encourage sharing of PGPs to be more attractive and inclusive totransgender andnon-binary staff and customers.[41]Out & Equal recommended that employers make providing pronouns something that is voluntary rather than required and said that using the right pronouns makes a difference, especially for those who aregender non-confirming andtransgender.[37][49]Blackboard, the online learning tool, outlined the importance of preferred gender pronouns and how to set them within the program.[50] TheTe Kawa Mataaho Public Service Commission provided guidance on using PGPs in email signatures[51] and theAustralian Government's Style Manual has a sub-section about "pronoun choice".[52]
In July 2021, theScottish Government proposed its 8,000 civil servants should pledge to include their PGPs in their emails, but an internal poll revealed that more than half were unwilling to do so.[53][54][47] Permanent Secretary to the Scottish GovernmentLeslie Evans dismissed the poll results as "disappointing", and a trans woman and political campaignerDebbie Hayton warned of possible consequences of the proposal for trans people, while the campaign groupFor Women Scotland opposed the proposal, calling it "frightening" and "undemocratic".[47]
In August 2021, a letter signed by the LeedsUniversity and College Union andUniversity of Leeds LGBTQ staff and student groups, to Vice ChancellorSimone Buitendijk, called on the University to implement policies to confronttransphobia and a hostile environment on campus, including not asking trans people forGender Recognition Certificates. Toward the end of the letter, the groups suggested an "effective and fit-for-purpose pronouns policy" which included Buitendjik using pronouns in her email signature, and fostering an environment "which encourages the sharing of pronouns" in order to show support for transgender people.[55][56][57] In October 2021, the LeedsUniversity and College Union reported that "some limited progress" had been made in response to their letter, but did not mention PGPs.[58]
In August 2021, Scotland's government recommended that schools allow trans students to use their chosen bathrooms, names, and pronouns.[59][60]
In 2018, medical doctor David Mackereth was not hired by the United KingdomDepartment for Work and Pensions (DWP) because he refused to use PGPs for transgender individuals, saying they went against his Christian faith. An employment panel in 2019 ruled that his views were "incompatible with human dignity" and that the DWP had not violated theEquality Act.[61][62] Mackereth opposed the ruling, as did theChristian Legal Centre (a project ofChristian Concern), while the DWP welcomed the ruling.[61][62] Andrea Williams, of the Christian Legal Centre, claimed that the decision was "the first time in the history of English law that a judge has ruled that free citizens must engage incompelled speech".[61] In response to the decision,Piers Morgan called Mackereth a "bigot" who was "self-righteous" in his beliefs.[63]
In November 2018, theEuropean Commission recommended guidelines emphasizing the "desirability" of using PGPs and gender pronouns that individuals prefer, including by teachers and students in accordance withnon-discrimination policies. The report also noted that only schools inGreece,Malta, andNorway were required to respect people's name and PGPs, and stated this appears to be the case inFinland and some regions ofSpain.[64]
In March 2021, U.S. federal appeals court judgeAmul Thapar ruled that Nicholas Meriwether could sueShawnee State University for violating "his constitutional rights" after the University disciplined him for failing to use the right pronouns for one of his students, who was transgender, and for violating campus anti-discrimination policies.[65][66] Asaf Orr, the director of the Transgender Youth Project for theNational Center for Lesbian Rights, which represented the student in the case, said that the decision "opens the door to discrimination generally".Andrew M. Koppelman, aNorthwestern University Professor of Law, had a similar opinion. John K. Wilson, an editor of the blog of theAmerican Association of University Professors, called the ruling good "for protecting faculty rights" but stated that the religious beliefs of a professor "should not give them special rights to mistreat students" and that professors do not have "full latitude" to determine which students get "respectful pronouns and which will not".[67]
In May 2021, in a written court statement appealing a decision in the case ofForstater v Center for Global Development Europe,Maya Forstater wrote: "I reserve the right to use he and him pronouns for male people. No one has the right to compel others to make statements they don't believe."[68][69][70]PinkNews described Forstater as "gender-critical" and as claiming a "right to misgender trans women".[68] In 2019, the judge in the initial case before theemployment tribunal, James Tayler, had ruled against her. He had stated that her belief that "sex is immutable and not to be conflated with gender identity" was something "not worthy of respect in a democratic society", called her beliefs "absolutist" and argued that there is "enormous pain that can be caused by misgendering."[71][72] TheEmployment Appeal Tribunal judgeAkhlaq Choudhury overturned Tayler's judgement, finding that the gender-critical belief that biological sex is real, important and immutable is indeed protected under theEquality Act; still, Choudhury made clear that the ruling did not mean "that those with gender-critical beliefs can 'misgender' trans persons with impunity".[71][73]
In October 2021, theBritish Columbia Human Rights Tribunal judge Devyn Cousineau ruled that for those who are non-binary, trans, and notcisgender, "using the correct pronouns validates and affirms they are a person equally deserving of respect and dignity."[74]
The December 2021 update of theEqual Treatment Bench Book advised judges that the use of preferred gender pronouns is "common courtesy".[75][64][76] The guidance states that there might be situations in which a witness might refer to a transgender person with "pronouns matching their gender assigned at birth" and that judges should be alert to "how someone prefers to be addressed".[64] It also states that those who are victims of sexual violence or domestic violence should be allowed to use pronouns according to gender assigned at birth "because that is in accordance with the victim's experience and perception of the events".[75][64]
As of April 2021,U.S. Department of Labor policies ongender identity encourage managers and supervisors to refer to people by the pronouns and names they want to use, stating that continued misuse of pronouns and name may "breach the person's privacy...put them at risk of harm" and in certain circumstances "may be considered harassment". It also advised such people to usegender-neutral language in order to "avoid assumptions about employees' sexual orientation or gender identity" and stated that someone's gender "should not be assumed based on their pronouns".[77] TheU.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission also suggested that even though misusing the PGPs and name of a transgender employee does not violateTitle VII, doing so intentionally and repeatedly "could contribute to an unlawfulhostile work environment."[78][79] EEOC decisions inLusardi v. Dep't of the Army (2013),Jameson v. U.S. Postal Serv. (2015), andJamal v. Saks & Co. (2015) concluded that intentional misuse of PGPs created a hostile work environment.[80][81] The commission also said gender identity harassment may include repeated, and intentional, misuse of PGPs.[79]
In May 2022, theconservative think tankPolicy Exchange reported that UK police and courts were referring to suspects by preferred pronoun becausegender self-identification had been adopted as policy despite no basis in law.[82] The practice was revealed byFreedom of Information requests made by campaign group Fair Play for Women.[82] The report recommended the ending of "compelled use" of preferred pronouns by police.[82]
In April 2024, the U.S. EEOC issued guidance on gender ID pronouns. Employers refusing to use transgender workers' preferred pronouns or bar them from using bathrooms that match their known gender identity commit unlawful sex-based harassment acts.[83]
In October 2024, a Virginia school board settled with Peter Vlaming, a former high school French teacher who was fired for refusing to use a transgender student's preferred pronouns.[84] Vlaming had used the student's preferred name but avoided third-person pronouns, citing religious reasons.[84] The West Point School Board settled the lawsuit after theVirginia Supreme Court ruled that Vlaming could pursue claims based on theVirginia Constitution's rights to free exercise of religion, free speech, and due process.[85][86]
In January 2025, the U.S. EEOC filed with courts to withdraw six of its own cases on behalf of workers alleging gender identity discrimination,[87] after President Trump'sExecutive Order 14168 which states that it is the policy of the United States to recognize two sexes, male and female.[88][89] The executive order specifically mentioned the April 2024 EEOC guidance on pronouns as one of the documents that should be taken down for promoting "gender ideology".[88] On January 28, Acting ChairAndrea Lucas released a statement saying that this document was one of several that she could not revoke or modify because the majority of the Commission voted to keep the guidance as-is, and Lucas does not have the authority to override that decision.[90] In the same statement, the EEOC noted that they removed an internal app that displayed the user's pronouns to others.[90]
In May 2025, theU.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas struck down the April 2024 EEOC guidance onLGBTQ+ workplace protections, including gender ID pronouns. The court ruled that the EEOC guidance is inconsistent withTitle VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and exceededU.S. Supreme Courtprecedent.[91]
InGender Hurts (2014),Sheila Jeffreys argues that usingpronouns reflectingbiological sex is important for feminists, as the feminine pronoun represents respect for cisgender women's historicalsubordination. She believes trans women can't hold this status, as they haven't experienced the same oppression, and using feminine pronouns for them masks their retainedmasculine privilege.[92] In April 2015,radical feminist legal theoristCatharine A. MacKinnon responded, stating that Jeffreys' stance on pronouns is based on anature-based moral view, which contradicts feminist achievements, especially from the political analysis ofgender politics.[93]
Some groups and individuals have been critical of the application of PGPs.North Carolina CongressmanGreg Murphy opposed theU.S. Air Force allowing PGPs in email signature blocks, calling it "unbelievable", and arguing it detracted frommilitary preparedness.[94] In a dissent inBostock v. Clayton County,U.S. Supreme Court JusticeSamuel Alito said that the majority decision, in which the Court held thatTitle VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects employees against discrimination because they aregay ortransgender,[95] may lead some to claim that not using their PGP "violates one of the federal laws prohibiting sex discrimination" and believed that the decision would affect how employers "address their employees" and how school officials and teachers talk to students.[96]
In April 2025, White House press secretaryKaroline Leavitt stated, "As a matter of policy, we do not respond to reporters with pronouns in their bios" in response to a journalist who queried her for unrelated information. She later stated, "Any reporter who chooses to put their preferred pronouns in their bio clearly does not care about biological reality or truth and therefore cannot be trusted to write an honest story."[97]
Use the pronoun preferred by the individuals who have acquired the physical characteristics of the opposite sex or present themselves in a way that does not correspond with their sex at birth.
Use the pronoun preferred by the individuals who have acquired the physical characteristics of the opposite sex or present themselves in a way that does not correspond with their sex at birth. If that preference is not expressed, use the pronoun consistent with the way the individuals live publicly.
Use the pronoun that matches the person's gender identity
If you are not sure which pronoun to use, you can ask the patient
listen to your clients – what terms do they use to describe themselves... Pronoun preference typically varies, including alternately using male or female pronouns using the pronoun that matches the gender presentation at that time.
honor the set of pronouns that clients select and use them throughout the counseling process
Use the correct name and pronoun- Most names and pronouns are gendered. It's important to be considerate of one's gender identity by using the pronouns of the respective gender pronouns [sic] , or gender-‐neutral pronouns, they use
Use whatever name and gender pronoun the person prefers
should be identified with their preferred pronoun
It is usually best to report on transgender people's stories from the present day instead of narrating them from some point or multiple points in the past, thus avoiding confusion and potentially disrespectful use of incorrect pronouns.
This is a personal process, rather than a medical process, for example the young person may propose to change their name and pronouns.
She describes herself as being 'a mother and a feminist' who thinks 'that sexist stereotypes about women and girls, and about men and boys, are damaging for children and adults'.
Ms Forstater is a tax expert and a feminist and is the protagonist in a bitter legal battle about sex, gender and free speech.
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