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.

Luckygirl3

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.

It's probably mainly for the benefit of people he works with. But rather than typing name out in full, he probably just does an e-signature with one keystroke, & it works for letters as well as emails.

So it's just a timesaving measure on his part, & I can't see it's offensive even if surplus to requirements.

As his name is male the he/him stuff is totally unnecessary whether he is male from birth or transitioned male

If Joan Smith had been transitioning then he would put he/her etc after their name- and that makes sense.

I do hate all this performative nonsense that helps the self-righteous feel good about themselves, and only causes confusion. Let those affected by these issues make their own decisions about how they wish to tell people in conversations and in print about their status or not. For the rest of us, it is an issue that does not affect us and pretending it does, is I consider an insult to those who are affected.

Whiff

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 .

Love it 😂

It was easier in the days when people were addressed by their title in professional settings (ie Mr, Mrs/Miss/Ms, Dr, Rev etc). That seems to have fallen from fashion these days.

I agree that so-called 'gender' is performative, as nine times out of ten someone's sex is entirely irrelevant to professional correspondence.

I should get a pronoun collar for my big strong lab so that people stop telling her she is a "good boy".

I always wonder about what would happen if butter in Pais decided to identify as feminine. For example if le beurre wanted to be la beurre. What if it was eux beurre ? Then we can say the world's gone mad, non?

I refuse to put my pronouns on my work email. I have zero belief in gender ideology and besides which, my name is classically female. The only times I could see doing it would be if you have a gender-neutral name (e.g. Taylor or Jamie), if you have a name that is not traditionally associated with your sex (I once met a man who is named Lynn; his parents wanted a daughter; he is biologically male and very comfortable in his identity), or if your name is one from a different language and it is not readily apparent what your sex is from it.

That's been going on for ages, sure it was before Covid? I was asked, what I wanted when I worked in the Hospital. I was a bit flippant about it all, and wouldn't wear a label.

On the other hand... My Niece was in a park with her little Dog "Molly" a little femail dog... Molly became "friends" with another cute little dog. When my Niece asks the Dogs name it was something like "Biscuit" she asked the owner " Boy or a Girl"? to be informed it was Gender neutral.

Haha, she should have asked ‘dog or bitch?’ 😁

A gender neutral dog!!! Love it!

I’ve heard it all now 😁

agnurse

I refuse to put my pronouns on my work email. I have zero belief in gender ideology and besides which, my name is classically female. The only times I could see doing it would be if you have a gender-neutral name (e.g. Taylor or Jamie), if you have a name that is not traditionally associated with your sex (I once met a man who is named Lynn; his parents wanted a daughter; he is biologically male and very comfortable in his identity), or if your name is one from a different language and it is not readily apparent what your sex is from it.

Lyn/Lynn/Llyn is actually a boy’s name in Welsh, and isn’t uncommon in the older generation.

Luckygirl3

A gender neutral dog!!! Love it!

Presumably it was a boy, but minus his bits.

Yes, the world has gone mad, especially this country 🤷.

agnurse

I refuse to put my pronouns on my work email. I have zero belief in gender ideology and besides which, my name is classically female. The only times I could see doing it would be if you have a gender-neutral name (e.g. Taylor or Jamie), if you have a name that is not traditionally associated with your sex (I once met a man who is named Lynn; his parents wanted a daughter; he is biologically male and very comfortable in his identity), or if your name is one from a different language and it is not readily apparent what your sex is from it.

But why does it matter? In a professional context people are contacting you for your expertise, which is rarely based on sex. If someone addressing Jamie Smith thinks JS is male but in fact she is female, so what?