June is Pride Month - Let's Commit to Be Better about Pronouns

6/23/22

Good day, Intellis,

This Pride Month, we take time to uplift all the members of the LGBTQIA+ community at Intelli. It's an occasion to not only celebrate but a call to action to commit to allyships for gay, lesbian, transgender, bisexual, pansexual, gender non-conforming, non-binary, intersex, queer, and/or asexual peoples in the fight for political and social equity. One of the things we value at Intelli is diversity in all its forms. We are deeply devoted to taking incremental steps every day towards ensuring Intelli reflects the diversity of the communities we serve and that our people can fully show up, bring their whole selves to work, and feel safe, seen, heard, valued, and respected. One of our Core Values is to forge strong relationships based on mutual respect, and what better way to do that than respecting, sharing, and educating ourselves on pronouns. Ahead of Pride Parade Celebrations in Chicago and New York this weekend, we will distribute pronoun pins for all team members in retail to wear if they choose. It is my greatest hope that the pronoun pins help promote and foster an inclusive, welcoming, and safe environment for LGBTQIA+ identified employees and guests. Let’s first start with some foundational work on pronouns.

What Are Pronouns?

When a person shares their pronouns, they are referring to the pronouns they wish to be referred to by in the singular third person (when referring to that person while speaking with someone else). “I” would be a first-person pronoun, and “you” would be a second-person pronoun.

Different Forms of Third-Person Pronouns:

• She / Her

• He / Him

• They / Them

• Ze / Zir

• Using someone’s preferred name instead of a pronoun

Why Using the Correct Pronouns is Important:

Using the correct pronouns for an individual can ensure a person feels respected, acknowledged, and dignified in their identity. Normalizing gender-inclusive pronouns ensure we aren’t making assumptions about a person’s identity based on their name or appearance and are actively working to understand an individual before jumping to conclusions about how they may or may not identify. Working against the default assumptions about others helps us cultivate an inclusive culture where everyone feels they can define themselves on their terms.

How to Share / Ask About Pronouns:

• When meeting someone new, share your pronouns. Alternatively, ask someone what their preferred pronouns are.

• If you accidentally use the wrong pronouns, correct and acknowledge the mistake.

• When addressing a group, use words like “everyone,” “everybody,” “you all,” and “y’all,” and try to avoid gendered language like “Hey guys.”

• Add your pronouns to your Gmail signature. You can do this by navigating to Settings > General > Signature in your account.

Using the correct pronouns is a show of respect and a step forward in celebrating and acknowledging intersectional identities. Everyone has a pronoun, and everyone has the right to be addressed by the name and pronoun that reflects their gender identity. Please join us in advancing proper pronoun usage at Intelli and help us continue to build a more gender-inclusive workplace today and every day.

Cheers,

Andrew