At Food & Water Action, we’re fighting some of the biggest fights of our time — to protect our food, water, and climate — and we’re up against powerful opponents. To win these fights, we need a massive, people-powered movement.

We strive to build an inclusive, respectful, and impactful community so that everyone who wants to be in this fight with us feels welcome here — because working towards a better future takes all of us.

One small thing that we can all do to build a welcoming, inclusive movement is to use each other’s correct pronouns — just as pronouncing each other’s names correctly can be a way to show respect and care. Many of our staff members choose to share their pronouns in their email signature so that others can know how to refer to them. Plus, many of us don’t get to see each other often in person, and it’s nice to know a little more about the folks we organize with!

Why do pronouns matter?

In the English language, we use pronouns all the time to address or refer to people in place of their names. “You” and “I” are pronouns, and so are “he,” “hers,” “them,” and “it.” When referring to people in the third person, the pronouns in our language often have a gender implied — “he” refers to a man or boy, and “she” to a woman or girl.

For those who fall outside the gender binary — this is, people who don’t identify as male or female — pronouns that are gendered as masculine or feminine may not feel right or accurate. Additionally, people often make assumptions about other people’s genders based on appearances or names, and these assumptions are not always correct.

Using the wrong pronoun for someone can send a hurtful message that a person has to look or act a certain way for their gender identity to be respected. Continuing to use incorrect pronouns for a person even after they have shared their pronouns can imply the discriminatory belief that transgender, nonbinary, intersex, and gender-nonconforming people don’t — or shouldn’t — exist. At Food & Water Action, we value justice and human dignity for all people, including people of all genders and the LGBTQ+ community.

Examples of common pronouns:

• She/her: “She made her protest sign herself. It is hers. Clean water is important to her.”
  
• He/him: “He wrote his rally speech himself. The speech was his. Clean energy is important to him.”
  
• They/them: “They painted their banner themself. It is theirs. Safe food is important to them.”
  
• Ze/zir: “Ze circulated zir petition zirself. It is zirs. Climate action is important to zir.”
  
• No pronouns – use my name: “Alex called Alex’s representatives. The call was Alex’s. A livable future is important to Alex.”

The singular “they” has been used in English for over 600 years, while other sets of third-person pronouns have been created more recently. There are many sets of neopronouns, including ze/zir, ze/hir, ey/em, per/pers, fae/faer, and others.

What do I do if I make a mistake?

Mistakes happen! We’re all human — sometimes we forget or mispronounce names, or slip up and use the wrong pronouns. If you use the wrong pronouns for someone and realize your mistake, it’s best to briefly apologize, correct yourself, and move on. For example:

Person A: “She brought up a great idea. Sorry, I mean they brought up a great idea.”

The same goes for if you make a mistake and someone else corrects you:

Person A: “I told Lee that I loved her rally sign!”

Person B: “Actually, Lee uses he/him pronouns.”

Person A: “Thanks for letting me know! I loved his rally sign.”

Sometimes, someone may offer you a gentle correction by reiterating a person’s correct pronouns in a sentence. You can affirm that you heard their correction by repeating the correct pronouns back:

Person A: “He did such a great job at the birddog!”

Person B: “Yes, ze did such a great job!”

Person A: “Thank you – yes, ze did great!”

If you realize that you have been using the wrong pronouns for someone for some time, you could go up to them or send them a brief note apologizing and recognizing your mistake.

Person A: “I realize that I’ve been using the wrong pronouns for you. I’m really sorry about that – I know now that you use she/her and I’ll make sure I get it right going forward.”

The best way to make amends for slipping up on pronouns is to keep practicing and do better the next time.

We all have a role to play in building a respectful, inclusive, people-powered movement. Thank you for being a part of it!

MORE RESOURCES:
Pronouns.org