Has the world gone mad?

Well you certainly got that off your chest, Luckygirl. I have seen the he/him/his on the signature lines of medical communication for years now and I understand it to be a signal that the workplace is respectful to hims that prefer to be called she or shes that want to be hes. In my thoughts, it's a butchery to the English language because I cant imagine trying to read literature with this 21st century grammer but my thoughts are quiet since I am elderly and I will watch with amusement what the next generation decides. I really dont care if they call me a he she or them as long as they take care of my there/them/its ailments.

*butchery OF the English language (Oh my ! It's contagious)

I'm afraid it is people like your beloved family member, who have led to employees being asked to publically declare their preferred pronouns.

Perhaps "John" is on a genderfluid journey other people find confusing because he still has prominent breasts or is visibly pregnant.

I am absolutely happy for people to live the life they want to as long as they do so without harming others, but on a professional communication the writer's gender preferences are totally irrelevant to the matter in hand and have no place on these letters.

It might as well say: John Smith, likes jazz - it is nothing to do with the professional approach.

My DGC knows that their preferences are their own and they never get on a bandwagon forcing these into people's faces. They just quietly get on with their life. They have my support to be themself.

I really don't care if they call me a he, she or them as long as they take care of my their/them/its ailments. - exactly. I simply do not need to know this entirely irrelevant piece of information about the writer.

I had an email and the woman had put she/ her after here name . So when I replied I put WOMAN after my name when she replied to the email she just put her name . I think she got the point .

It is declaring a political belief and as such not something that should be done at work.

Galaxy

It is declaring a political belief and as such not something that should be done at work.

Indeed.

A friend experienced this at work. Staff were told to amend their email/letter templates to read as 'they' and also to not start any correspondence to 'Dear Mr, Mrs, Miss etc. That that was to be cut out completely. Also within the body of any correspondence staff were told to use 'they' eg your complaint has been forwarded to the manager and they will .....(Not he/she) Being old school my friend refused point blank to change her signature so when told it was not up for discussion, she said it was affecting her human rights to address herself under the gender she was born and lived by and it should be the individual staffs choice to follow this or not. They didn't pursue it any further with her.

In a social setting where it might be relevant I have no problem with someone saying that they prefer to be addressed as they or whatever, but it has no place in professional communications.

As I said above, I am sure a great deal of time was wasted in meetings about all this before a decision was made. I would prefer them to be just getting on with their jobs.