Gender Pronouns

  • 21 Feb 2018 4:10 PM
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    Message # 5832371
    Abbey Earich (Administrator)

    Hi all!

    We are redeveloping  our volunteer application and in the process rethinking the options for gender pronoun identification. I am wondering if you know of a standard list of gender pronouns which would be appropriate to include on our application (optional, of course). Currently, we only include male/female. Our new database vendor works with an inclusive organization which uses the following:

    • Gender Fluid
    • Gender Queer
    • Man
    • Non-binary
    • Transgender Man
    • Transgender Woman
    • Woman
    Any insight into what other museums are using or best practices in inclusive pronouns is so appreciated!

    Thanks,

    Abbey Earich
    EarichA@si.edu
    Smithsonian Institution
  • 22 Feb 2018 1:54 PM
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    Reply # 5872147 on 5832371
    Janice Klein

    The Board of the Museum Association of Arizona has started using gender neutral language in our policies and procedures.   It is a challenge since the only gender neutral pronouns are plurals (they, them, etc.) and one of our members felt strongly about using plural pronouns to refer to singular subjects.    We have not found any standards (presumably they will be created/accepted in the coming years) so basically we use collective nouns (like members, participants, individuals).   It takes a bit of work, but perhaps that's the point.
  • 22 Feb 2018 2:37 PM
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    Reply # 5872243 on 5832371
    Samantha Arceneaux (Administrator)

    Hi Abbey,

         I like the options you have provided, and I think it's great that your database offers them! My institution is part of a large university, and our database does not have such options. We've considered not using titles at all unless someone specifies them, but this makes it difficult if an individual values being identified in a certain way. I like the "they, them, theirs" that Janice referred too. You could perhaps just ask a person which pronouns (he/she/they) they prefer rather than listing all the options you have provided. I think it depends on which information your volunteers will be most likely to provide, since you want the information so you can use it. Do you think people are more likely to check a box in a short list, or do they prefer more options? Perhaps your database company could provide some insight on that question specifically.

    I also just like the family inclusive language paper from the Incluseum blog for training volunteers and staff, so I'm including it here!

    https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2mitjKPAu6yMGN1YUxfQ2F5ZVk/view

    Samantha

    Last modified: 22 Feb 2018 2:37 PM | Samantha Arceneaux (Administrator)
  • 22 Feb 2018 2:51 PM
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    Reply # 5872298 on 5832371
    Jenny Woods (Administrator)

    Hi Abbey,

    We don't ask for gender on the volunteer application, but once a volunteer is going through our on-boarding process, we do have an (optional) demographics form they fill out. A few  years ago I changed that form from having just male or female check box options on the gender question to open answer.  When I enter that info from the form into our volunteer database (volgistics), I can add whatever term that volunteer uses to our list of gender options in the database. It is a tiny bit of extra work for me, in that I have to enter the data instead of collecting it directly from them, but worth it to not worry about selecting a list of the gender options someone must conform to, and keeping the list up to date as terms change.

    Best,

    Jenny Woods
    Seattle Art Museum
  • 24 Feb 2018 3:00 PM
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    Reply # 5875651 on 5832371
    Abbey Earich (Administrator)

    Thank you Janice, Samantha, and Jenny for your insights! I agree this is an ever-evolving topic so narrowing down a list at any time is going to be difficult. I like the idea of leaving things open-ended as well. Jenny, have you found any common terms outside of male/female in your open responses? 

    Samantha, I love this article you shared. I may share it on our Facebook page this week as I think others would find it useful.

    I've reached out to our HR and Equal Employment Office to see what other standard terms the Smithsonian uses (or other federal agencies). I'll be sure to keep this group up to date on what we decide!

    Abbey 
  • 05 Mar 2018 4:06 PM
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    Reply # 5890893 on 5832371
    Deirdre Araujo (Administrator)

    Hi Abby, 

    just chiming in now -- we too offer a text box where applicants can type in their preferred gender pronoun, rather than offering a drop-down list.

    All the best,

    Deirdre
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