Learn how five organizations use pronoun pins to show support and help educate the public.
A pronoun is as much a part of a person's identity as their name. And since pronouns should not be assumed based on appearance, many organizations have begun offering pronoun buttons at their events to help people identify themselves. These pins help guests feel comfortable while normalizing the conversation around pronoun usage.
"You can ask people what pronouns they use, you can practice to build your fluency with pronouns that might be less familiar to you, and you can help normalize the concept and practice of using correct pronouns by wearing a pronoun pin or button," says Worner Leland, the Director of Development and Promotion at Upswing Advocates.
Upswing Advocates
Upswing Advocates sells pronoun buttons as a way to “provide the funds to keep giving more away through education-based Pronoun Pop-Ups," says Leland. Besides the standard pronoun buttons, they created fill-in-the-blank buttons for less common, but equally valid, pronouns. They also opted for a cosmic finish, because, as Lelend adds, “Who doesn’t love a shiny button?"
Center on Halsted
The main purpose of the Center on Halsted’s pronoun buttons is "to serve our community with a functional piece of communication," says COH's Art Director Vivian Gonzalez. "Many LGBTQIA+ community members we serve face a daily struggle of being misgendered. Gender pronouns he/him, she/her, they/them, and 'ask for my pronouns' [buttons] are a helpful tool in their day-to-day lives." The Center on Halsted uses their Pronoun buttons to help create a welcoming and safe place for anyone looking to be their authentic self.
The Mass Trans Political Coalition
Fundraising is always a main goal for nonprofit groups; the Mass Trans Political Coalition, an organization dedicated to ending discrimination and oppression on the basis of gender identity and gender expression, sells pronoun pins to help raise money. MassTPC sells cosmic finish buttons for $1/each during Boston's Pride celebrations. donation of $1. Available designs are: a they them pronoun pin, a he him pronoun pin, a she her hers pin, as well as a button stating, "Please ask me about my pronouns."
The Awesome Foundation
The Awesome Foundation is a community whose local chapters support “awesome projects” through micro-grants. At their yearly event, they bring together people from around the world to share success stories, discuss challenges, and discover ways to collaborate further. To make the event as inclusive as possible, the foundation also provides pronoun buttons for attendees.
Planned Parenthood
Displaying pronoun buttons on a lapel is a great way to show you’re a part of, or an ally to, the LGBTQ+ community. “We hope the pins will be a small statement of support for Pride month and beyond," says Emma Corbett of Planned Parenthood Mohawk Hudson. Corbett continues, "Our staff are excited to wear them long-term. If they can help someone feel positive and/or start a conversation about advocacy or services, then we’re very happy to have made them." PPMH's gender pronoun pins also feature Planned Parenthood’s motto, "Care no matter what" on the rim text of the button.
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Wearing pronouns buttons is an easy way to open up the conversation about pronouns. Support inclusivity by placing a pronoun pins bulk order.
