April 8, 2023 at 6:00 am
After two years of work, the University of Windsor has a new campus resource to help its community understand pronoun use.
Communication, Media and Film and Political Science student Fei Qin and Provost Dr. Patti Weir have produced a comprehensive guide for faculty, students, staff and those visiting the university.
“We want to provide our community with the right tools to interact respectfully with each other and understand the power of words to create a safe, welcoming and inclusive environment where everyone can thrive,” Weir said.
Chin approached Will after a friend who was transitioning expressed concern that some professors on campus were not using their preferred pronouns.
“People may not understand the impact of being misidentified,” Qin said.
The resource includes half-hour videos by members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community and is designed to provide users with a better understanding of the challenges faced by individuals who use pronouns other than binary gender.
Dr. Weir said they hope that by sharing these experiences, others will understand the importance of using preferred pronouns.
“Disregarding a person’s gender identity denies them a significant part of themselves,” Weir said.
Chin noted that transgender people have always existed, although they are only now becoming more visible in Western society.
“If you look at different cultures, Chinese or Indian or even indigenous communities, we’ve seen examples of acceptance of transgender bodies,” she added.