This year, International Pronouns Day is October 16, 2019 – Why not celebrate?
“International Pronouns Day seeks to make respecting, sharing, and educating about personal pronouns commonplace. Referring to people by the pronouns they determine for themselves is basic to human dignity. Being referred to by the wrong pronouns particularly affects transgender and gender nonconforming people. Together, we can transform society to celebrate people’s multiple, intersecting identities.” https://pronounsday.org
From Wikepedia.org
“International Pronouns Day is an annual event that seeks to make sharing, respecting and educating about personal pronouns commonplace. It takes place each year on the third Wednesday of October. The first observance was held in 2018, and in that year, there were participants from 25 countries in every continent except Antarctica.
“There are a number of different kinds of pronouns in English and in other languages. International Pronouns Day specifically focuses on referring to third person personal pronouns, which are used to describe a person when you are talking about them. Referring to people by the pronouns they determine for themselves is basic to human dignity. Being referred to by the wrong pronouns particularly affects trans and gender nonconforming people.
“Transgender people, especially those whose gender is or is perceived to be outside of the man/woman gender binary, are sometimes harassed and treated with hostility. This is often demonstrated by intentional or repeated use of the wrong pronouns. Anti-transgender violence disproportionately affects transgender women and femmes of color. Using the right pronouns is a critical step in acknowledging the humanity of trans and gender nonconforming people.”
An interesting article on International Pronouns Day can be found at
https://www.ithaca.edu
Contributed by Jean Fowler, Woodinville UU Church, on behalf of the WUUC Welcoming Congregation Team
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