Respect through pronouns

Getting pronouns and names right.

We consider it important for colleagues, managers and others to get pronouns and names right and believe that this helps create a real sense of belonging and respect in the workplace.

Pronouns are words used to refer to people (for example, she/her, he/him, or they/them). An easy way to normalise the use of pronouns is to include them in your email signature.

There are a few reasons why this is beneficial:

• when cisgender people include pronouns, it normalises it for everyone and protects trans and gender diverse people when they include their pronouns; and
• having pronouns in an email signature signals you as an LGBTQIA+ ally.

Our commitment

One of HERA’s values is respect.
Not only are we seekers of diverse perspectives, we believe that different perspectives provide a more holistic understanding of any problem and potential solution. To live that value, we have to be inclusive of all voices and experiences. It’s why we’ve made it a company commitment to include pronouns in email signatures as a quick and easy way to have a powerful and positive impact.

We must remember that it is harder and riskier for transgender and gender diverse people to do so, because it leads to longer conversations and asks them to educate people. Making this small change, means we help alleviate that onus.

How we include our pronouns:

• in our email signature, by adding our pronouns (she/he/they/ze/etc) after our name; and
• using a hyperlink to this webpage on the pronouns so people can learn more by clicking on them.

In addition, we’ve also taken a step to include ‘wahine’ or ‘tane’ as part of our pronoun approach. We have had backlash in the past for referring to women in the industry as wahine, and so we want to work towards normalising the use of this te reo Māori identifier for gender as well.

Some definitions

Agender – someone who feels neutral towards their gender and rejects the influence of gender on their person.

Cisgender – those who identify with the sex/gender they were assigned at birth.

Fa’afafine – (Samoa, American Samoa, and Tokelau), Fakaleiti or Leiti (Tonga), Fakafifine (Niue), Akava’ine (Cook Islands), Māhū (Tahiti and Hawaii), Vakasalewalewa (Fiji), and Paloma (Papa New Guinea) Fa’afafine and others listed above are some Pasifika terms used to describe cultural and gender identities. They are more or just as much about familial, genealogical, social, and cultural selfhood.

Gender diverse – a person whose gender identity or gender expression differs from a given society’s dominant gender roles. Gender diverse can refer to those who are transgender, nonbinary, genderqueer, or have other identities outside the gender binary.

Hijra – a word used in the Indian subcontinent to describe intersex people, and transgender people. This community also use the words Kinnar or Kinner to describe themselves.

Intersex – a term used to describe a person who may have the biological attributes of both sexes or whose biological attributes do not fit with societal assumptions about what constitutes male or female. Intersex people may identify as male, female or non-binary.

Non-binary – an umbrella term for people whose gender identity doesn’t sit comfortably with ‘man’ or ‘woman’. Non-binary identities are varied and can include people who identify with some aspects of binary identities, while others reject them entirely.

Taahine – is similar to mixed gender, sometimes non-binary, or transgender not-otherwise specified. This speaks to the intersection of Māori and non-cisgender identities.

Takatāpui – refers to Māori who are not heterosexual and/or not cisgender. It is used both as a gender identity (similar to transgender), as an attraction or sexual orientation (similar to lesbian, gay, bi, or pansexual). It is also used as an umbrella term for all non-heterosexual and/or non-cisgender Māori people (similar to ‘Rainbow Community’).

Tane – man in te reo Māori

Tangata ira tane/whakatāne – roughly translates as trans man. This speaks to the intersection of both Māori and trans man identities.

Trans/transgender – those who identify with a different sex/gender than the one they were assigned at birth.

Two-Spirit – a term used in Native American communities which refers to a person who identifies as having both a masculine and a feminine spirit.

Wahine – woman in te reo Māori

Whakawahine – roughly translates as trans woman. More literally, it translates as being or becoming, in the manner or spirit of a woman. Many Māori trans women are whakawahine, and love this term, and prefer it over transgender, transsexual, or other terms. Some Māori trans women feel that ‘whaka’ or ‘to create or become’ holds an implication that they are not women, and reject this term on that basis, often preferring Taahine or Takatāpui.

Mā te whakaute i ngā kupu tika, ka tū tātou i runga i te aroha, te manaaki, me te kotahitanga i roto i te wāhi mahi.

By respecting the correct words, we can stand in love, care, and unity in the workplace.