On Wednesday, Oct. 16, members of the Syracuse University community will celebrate International Pronouns Day, which “seeks to make respecting, sharing and educating about personal pronouns commonplace.” The day falls within the University’s celebration of LGBTQ+ History Month, a month-long celebration and honoring of the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots (June 1969).
The celebration of International Pronouns Day is led by the University’s Pronoun, Gender, Preferred Name Advisory Council (PGPNAC) and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LBGT) Resource Center.
This is the second year of International Pronouns Day. After Syracuse University celebrated the day in its first year in 2018, the University was invited to have representation on the International Pronouns Day steering committee. Consequently, khristian kemp-delisser ’01, co-chair of the PGPNAC and director of the LGBT Resource Center, sits on the steering committee, representing Syracuse University. “This allows the work of the PGPNAC to be grounded in the knowledge that is steering best practices for trans and nonbinary inclusion,” says kemp-delisser.
“Somewhat like Pride is, International Pronouns Day is a time for rededication to a cause important to queer people,” says Aley O’Mara, a member of the PGPNAC. “Having our personal pronouns recognized in public is hugely important for the well-being of trans people, so having a day dedicated to education on and celebration of language and its inclusive evolution helps to recognize that importance.”
O’Mara tabled with the council in celebration of last year’s International Pronouns Day. The council will be tabling across campus again this year.
A doctoral student in English in the College of Arts and Sciences, O’Mara adds, “To me [International Pronouns Day is] also wonderfully nerdy and cool.”
O’Mara has advocated for systemic change for years regarding how the campus community recognizes every person’s personal pronouns. To them, integrating International Pronoun Day into University culture provides an important opportunity to progress toward a more pronoun competent campus that recognizes the lived experiences of its trans students and employees.
As part of the day, the council is hosting an International Pronoun Day Workshop on asking for, respecting and practicing using pronouns as a part of LGBTQ inclusion. Also, the PGPNAC and Information Technology Services (ITS) launched a new MySlice experience: My Profile. What was previously known as Personal Services, My Profile brings a more user-friendly, customizable experience to students, faculty and staff.
“By creating such a diverse council in many ways, including professionally, we have been able to create sweeping, systemic change that will spark cultural shift on campus,” says Jenny Gluck, associate chief information officer and co-chair of the PGPNAC. “By developing the opportunities for people to select their pronouns, preferred names and more within the University systems, we hope to increase inclusion of all people on campus.”
To change your pronouns on MySlice:
Information regarding both the usage of pronouns and names, as well as My Profile, will be given out during tabling sessions on International Pronouns Day. Access the pronouns poster and preferred names poster for personal usage and distribution.
For more information, please visit answers.syr.edu/PronounFAQ. If you have specific questions or need help getting started, please email pgpnac@syr.edu.
