What is a preferred pronoun?
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Preferred pronoun refers to the pronoun that a person prefers to be associated with. For example, a trans woman might prefer the pronouns “she / her / hers”, and a cisgender man might prefer “he / him / his”. There are also people who prefer gender neutral pronouns like “they / them / theirs”.
Increasingly, people refer to “preferred pronouns” just as “pronouns” (i.e. dropping the word “preferred”), because they believe that a person’s pronouns aren’t just preferred, but are the ones that must be used.
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The sharing or display of pronouns in the workplace, or on social media profiles, has also became increasingly common. Pronouns are not indicative of a person’s sexual orientation, so naturally, not everyone who shares or displays their pronouns identify as LGBTQ+. The reason straight, cisgender people share or display their pronouns is simple: they want to show others that they will respect everyone’s pronouns; in other words, displaying their pronouns is a way to let others know (especially LGBTQ+ folks) that they will create a safe space for any LGBTQ+ folks around them.
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Check out these related LGBT terms:
We've created a massive LGBTQ+ Glossary (69+ words)
The world is increasingly accepting of the LGBTQ+ community, but it isn't always easy to understand the different sub-communities and nuances. In part due to the censorship in sex education and the mainstream media (hello from Singapore), many find themselves stumped by some of the terms relating to the LGBTQ+ community.
Fret not, we're here to help! 🦄
We've created a massive glossary of 69+ LGBT-related terms, built on multiple sources and expanded upon with easy-to-understand examples so that you can get a grasp on all of these terms.
We make punny LGBTQ-themed products
Heckin’ Unicorn is a Singapore-based queer brand that’s made by queer people, for queer people. We’re here to provide you with ways to express your identity, and we have a bunch of amazingly punny products. 🦄
Our enamel pins range from the super-subtle to super in-your-face, and covers identities from ace to trans. Each of our notebooks contain an LGBTQ+ Glossary at the end, which makes them a great gift for those who want to learn more about the community (and also those who need to learn more about the community).
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