To acknowledge different gender identities in 2014, Facebook added more than 50 custom gender options for users who don’t identify simply as “male” or “female.” In September 2019, Grammy-award winning singer-songwriter Sam Smith announced on Instagram that they’ve decided to start using gender-neutral pronouns. Sam posted an image that said “My pronouns are they/them.” Sam received a lot of pushback from fans and members of the media who are either unable or unwilling to accept the change. There has been a lot of focus on personal pronouns recently. We are even seeing senators like Kamala Harris introducing herself by stating that her pronouns are “she, her and hers.”
I know a lot of listeners might be wondering why pronouns matter. Why is it important to let people know what your pronouns are? I have had people ask me all these questions. The good news is today, with the help of Inclusion expert and Netflix Inclusion Program Manager Julia Stern, we are going to answer all these questions and more. On this episode, we will unpack everything you need to know about personal pronouns, why they matter, and what action each of us can take to be more inclusive when it comes to personal pronouns.