Never once in my life has someone misgendered me.
I've never been referred to with "she" or "her" or "hers."
People always – every single time – correctly refer to me with "he," "him," and "his."
This is not the case for many people who are transgender, gender nonconforming, nonbinary, or otherwise don't align with gender norms and expectations.
Just the other night at a networking event, a person in the small group I was in declared their they/them pronouns proactively, presumably before any of us inadvertently misgendered them during the conversation.
But what if they didn't have to do that? What if we all were upfront with our gender pronouns, even if – especially if – we've never been misgendered or had to think about it before?
It's an easy and free (economically and socially) way to show support, awareness, and cultural agility.
You can start by putting your pronouns on your LinkedIn profile, email signatures, etc.
Another way to show support and create an inclusive environment is to ask people to wear pronoun pins, name tags, or lanyards at your next event.
Here is one option that I've found. You can easily go the DIY route too.
I'd love to hear your thoughts, experiences, suggestions on this topic. Please share.