Gender Identity
What is Gender Identity?
One's innermost concept of self as male, female, a blend of both or neither – how individuals perceive themselves and what they call themselves. One's gender identity can be the same or different from their sex assigned at birth. A person expresses their gender identity through behavior, clothing, haircut or voice, and which may or may not conform to socially defined behaviors and characteristics typically associated with being either masculine or feminine.
A person that identifies as masculine or feminine is considered binary. A person that identifies themselves as a blend of both or not of either is known as non-binary.
Using Gender-Neutral Language in Groups
When addressing groups of people or people whose pronouns you haven’t been told, use gender-neutral language such as, “friends,” “folks,” “all,” or “y’all,” rather than “guys,” “ladies,” “ma’am,” or “sir.” It can be hard to switch to gender-neutral, especially as words such as "guys" are commonly used by New Englanders, so the best thing to do is practice, practice, practice. It's also okay to correct yourself in the moment as that's part of the process.
Pronouns
What is a pronoun?
A pronoun is a word that is used instead of a noun or a noun phrase to refer to individuals. Pronouns can be in the first person singular (I, me) or plural (we, us); second person singular or plural (you); and the third person singular (e.g., she/ her, he/him, they/them, ze/hir) or plural (they/them). Gendered pronouns reference someone’s gender: he/him/his or she/her/hers. Non-gendered or nonbinary pronouns are not gender specific and are often used by people who identify outside of a gender binary. The most common set of nonbinary pronouns is they/them/their used to refer to a single person (e.g., Jadzia identifies as genderqueer; they do not see themselves as either female or male). Other nonbinary pronouns include ze (pronounced “zee”) in place of she/ he, and hir (pronounced “here”) or zir (pronounced “zer”) in place of his/him/her (e.g., Jadzia runs hir own business, but ze is more well-known as an author).
Why are pronouns important?
As a society, we commonly assume the gender of others by their appearance and indicate these assumptions by using gendered language, such as she/he, ma’am/sir, Ms./Mr., and ladies/gentlemen. This practice results in many individuals, especially trans and gender-nonconforming individuals, being misgendered, which makes them feel marginalized and invisible. As an institution committed to the inclusion of historically underrepresented groups and ensuring respectful, safe, and inclusive campuses for all members of the community, UMass is working to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to indicate their pronouns and have their pronouns respected.
What is the best way to ask someone which pronouns they use?
You can ask, “What pronouns do you use for yourself ?” or “What pronouns should I be using for you?” It is always better to be direct! It is essential to ask for pronouns because you cannot assume how someone identifies their gender based on appearance. Using the wrong pronouns for someone may lead them to feel disrespected, invalidated, and marginalized.
Commonly Used Pronouns
- Any pronoun
- Choose not to disclose
- He/any (he/him or any pronoun)
- He/him
- He/she (he/him & she/her)
- He/they (he/him & they/them)
- He/xe (he/him & xe/xem)
- He/ze (he/him & ze/zir)
- Name only
- She/any (she/her or any pronoun)
- She/her
- She/they (she/her & they/them)
- She/xe (she/her & xe/xem)
- She/ze (she/her & ze/zir)
- They/any (they/them or any pronoun)
- They/them
- They/xe (they/them & xe/xem)
- They/ze (they/them & ze/zir)
- Xe/any (xe/xem or any pronoun)
- Xe/xem
- Xe/ze (xe/xem & ze/zir)
- Ze/any (ze/zir or any pronoun)
- Ze/zir
President's Office Products with Pronoun Support
Indicating pronouns is something anyone can do and helps reinforce that pronouns aren't something we can just assume. Remember that pronouns are optional - not everyone will want to identify a pronoun and that's okay. We also ask that everyone who completes the pronoun field does so in a professional and respectful manner that aligns with the University's Principles of Employee Conduct.
| System | Who can set pronouns? | Who can view pronouns? | How do I update my pronouns? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slack | All users can update their individual profile with their pronouns. | All users can view pronouns on another user's profile if the user has added them. | Edit Your Slack Profile |
| Zoom | All users can update their individual profile with their pronouns. | Dependent on whether the user sets their pronouns to be shared. | Add and Share Your Pronouns on Zoom |
Chosen Name
What is a Chosen Name?
A chosen name is simply a name that a person uses in their daily life that is different than the name appearing on their legal records. The most common reason for using a chosen name is to reflect a person's gender identity, though someone may also provide a chosen name if they prefer a nickname, their middle name, or even a way to distinguish themselves from someone with a similar name.
Additional Resources
- Human Rights Campaign Glossary of Terms. This glossary was written to help give people the words and meanings to help make conversations easier and more comfortable. LGBTQ people use a variety of terms to identify themselves, not all of which are included in this glossary. Always listen for and respect a person’s self identified terminology.
- National Center for Transgender Equality. The National Center for Transgender Equality advocates to change policies and society to increase understanding and acceptance of transgender people. In the nation’s capital and throughout the country, NCTE works to replace disrespect, discrimination, and violence with empathy, opportunity, and justice.
- Trans Student Educational Resources. Trans Student Educational Resources (TSER) is a youth-led organization dedicated to transforming the educational environment for trans and gender nonconforming students through advocacy and empowerment.