In the space of the first two weeks of the Trump regime, they have managed to eliminate DEI not only across government agencies, but also on corporations. Any mention of the existence of trans and non-binary people have been removed from official documents, and everyone was surprised to see LGBTQI+ suddenly was truncated to LGB (hint: some wealthy donors are gay). We ceased to exist.

I’m not too worried… They’re wrecking so much that they are going to provoke much bigger crises. I’m actually relieved that they’re erasing us, it won’t be on the minds of tourists improvising as gender police.

It was thanks to DEI trainings that I started using They/Them or She/Her pronouns (this regime also put an end to all DEI efforts and even blame DEI for causing plane collisions – it’s code for saying they only want white men everywhere, preferably the ones without a fully developed frontal lobe, but I digress).

I don’t say “She/Her” alone, because in reality I am afraid of a backlash. I concede that I make no effort in “passing” and I want to spare myself the microaggressions. At least I’m telling you I’m not “He/Him”.

It’s been difficult in dance class, because my body in tights isn’t enough to say “She/Her” and we rarely have an opportunity to introduce ourselves properly stating our pronouns. But today I did. I was with a new person whom I heard refer to me as “He”, so I introduced myself stating my pronouns. A third person did the same, forcing the new person to do it (with the usual hint that they are being obvious).

So I’m asking it of you, dear reader: please state your pronouns when you introduce yourself, and put it in your e-mail signature. It’s one of your passive ways to oppose the regime. Think of it as code that you don’t agree with discrimination and the culture of insults. Don’t roll your eyes when saying it.

Bibiane Tiphane (They/Them; She/Her)

Here’s a site you can consult: pronouns.org
See also: “Why We Ask Each Other Our Pronouns” https://www.hrc.org/resources/why-we-ask-each-other-our-pronouns

Or get the book!

A Quick & Easy Guide to They/Them Pronouns