Respect for Your Pronouns

Respect for Your Pronouns

Temple Avodat Shalom is committed to ensuring that all people are seen and respected, and we do not assume anyone’s gender identity or pronouns based on appearance. One way we show our respect is by learning and using each other’s pronouns.  In particular,

• We recognize that there are more than two pronouns because we recognize there are more than two genders.
• We know there are pronouns like she, he, ze, they, etc. and we are open to learning new pronouns, including using a person’s name as a pronoun.
• We may ask for names and pronouns during opening events.
• We accept and will use the pronoun a person identifies at all times.
• We ask all people for their names and pronouns. We do not single someone out and ask only them.
• When we make a mistake, we say sorry and work to fix it. 
• When we hear others using the wrong pronoun we gently remind them of the person’s correct pronoun without making the person feel guilty or ashamed.
• We do not tolerate repeatedly and intentionally using the wrong pronoun in the same way we do not stand for sexist or racial slurs.