|
|
We’re celebrating National Coming Out Day! Whether you identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community or just know someone who does, we hope you take time today to celebrate the LGBTQ+ people in your life and learn more about the significance of coming out.
|
|
We’d like to take a moment to highlight the work being done to make WSU’s campuses more inclusive and welcoming spaces. One of our key efforts is encouraging the use of pronouns throughout our communications with one another. This is a great example of how small changes can have huge impacts on the lives of others.
|
|
Using your pronouns helps people feel welcome and affirms their identity. Using the correct pronouns for others is important to respecting your fellow Cougs, and it’s a simple way to be an ally to and within the LGBTQ+ community.
|
|
In honor of National Coming Out Day and International Pronouns Day on October 20, check out the list below for some easy ways you can be a pronoun ally.
|
- Introduce yourself with your pronouns (for example, “Hi, I’m Butch T. Cougar and I use he/him/his pronouns”). This normalizes that we cannot guess a person’s pronouns by how they express their gender.
- Mistakes are bound to happen—apologize when they do and move on! Nobody is perfect, and people tend to be forgiving if they see we are doing our best.
- Practice, practice, practice! If you are worried about making mistakes, practice using a website such as Practice with Pronouns.
- Add your pronouns to your Zoom name and email signature.
- Add or update your pronouns in myWSU. You can do this by going to your profile in myWSU, then selecting the Biographic tab when in Personal Details. Select Pronouns and choose your pronouns from the list, then hit Save. Pronouns from myWSU will be pulled into class rosters, which will help faculty ensure they’re using the correct pronouns for students in their classes. They will also be printed on CougarCards in the future.
|
|
These are just a few easy things you can do to make WSU an affirming and welcoming place for LGBTQ+ Cougs. We encourage you to learn more about pronouns, the LGBTQ+ community, and how you can be an ally by visiting mypronouns.org, the GIESORC website, or the Trevor Project
|
|
Go Cougs!
|
