Language police: BBC urges staff to declare personal pronouns to support transgender staff

Ewan Somerville
The Evening Standard
Fri, 10 Jul 2020 00:00 UTC

© (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

BBC staff have been urged to state their pronouns in email signatures in a drive to be more inclusive to transgender employees.

The corporation asked staff to declare their preferred pronouns, such as "she/her", "he/him" or "they/them" - the preferred address for many trans people.

Guidance posted on the BBC intranet calls it a "small, proactive step that we can all take to help create a more inclusive workplace", the Times reports.

"It lets colleagues know your pronouns and shows that you respect other people's too. It's really simple," the document states.

Bosses at the broadcaster said adding pronouns to emails would "help to create a culture where everyone feels comfortable introducing themselves with pronouns".

More than 400 BBC employees, 2 per cent of the 22,000 total, identify as transgender, according to internal surveys.

Pronouns on email signatures have grown in popularity in recent years, with many employees voluntarily adding them.

Stonewall, the LGBT charity, recommends the gesture for those wishing to be an "ally to non-binary people".

Some workplaces have also phased out gendered language for gender-neutral terms, such as ditching "Mr and Ms" titles for "Mx" or dropping phrases like "ladies and gentlemen".

A BBC spokeswoman said: "The BBC isn't requiring anyone to do anything; there is simply a staff article on our intranet that talks about gender identity at work and the use of pronouns.

"This topic is a live issue in many workplaces."

Comment: How trans ideology took over

But the actions taken by a small number of transgender activists, no matter how shrewd or calculating, are not sufficient to explain the widespread reshaping of social institutions and cultural conventions that has taken place in recent years. None of this could have happened without a readiness from people outside of the transgender community and in positions of authority not only to accept having their language and policies policed but to go further and play a role in affirming the gender ideology promoted by campaigners and, in the process, enforcing speech and behaviour codes.

The reasons for this acquiescence lie in our broader political climate, in particular the rise of identity politics and the emergence of a culture of victimhood. Transgender people are exploited as the living embodiment of challenge to a seemingly outdated, binary, heteronormative order. Advocating on behalf of the 'transgender community' allows others to be associated with this identity-driven challenge to convention. It provides institutions with a sense of purpose and legitimacy for action that comes with the ready-made moral authority of protecting the oppressed.

See also:
The trans ideology of less than 1% of the UK population is bullying the other 99%
The rich, white men institutionalizing transgender ideology