Letter from the Editor: New Pronoun Policy

Sofia Arthurs-Schoppe — Fri, 27 Apr 2018 13:00:19 +0000

Journalism is both the process of communicating information and the responsibility of representing audiences and individuals alike. It is a practice best used as a resource for the masses, a means to hold people accountable and present multiple perspectives. As stated by the American Press Institute, the paramount obligation of journalism is to the truth while its paramount loyalty is to its citizens.

To meet these obligations, journalists must invest time and energy, as well as exert great discipline in maintaining the highest standards of efficacy and accuracy in news reporting. All the while, publications must adopt policies ensuring that these practices remain current and relevant. This requires constant evolution and the adaptation of publications to reflect social processes.

As such, a new policy will be adopted by the Hilltop Monitor in regards to pronoun use and gendered language within our articles.

The new pronoun policy is as follows: the Monitor’s journalists will now ask all individuals interviewed what pronouns they use; they/them pronouns will be used in all cases in which the actor’s/speaker’s gender is unknown and the Monitor will strive to use non-gendered language in cases in which journalists cannot interview people directly. Additionally in other non-specific cases, gender neutral language will be used whenever possible, for example: “first-years” as opposed to “freshmen.”

Adopting this new policy reflects several changes in the world of news media, such as the inclusion of the singular they/them pronoun in the AP and Chicago style guide books in 2017.

Similar policies have been adopted by several major publications. In 2012, The Baltimore Sun catalyzed the evolution of journalistic language by using the singular gender-neutral pronoun “they” in an article. In 2015, The New York Times followed suit, by using the title “Mx.” in an article. Later that year, The Washington Post announced that singular they/them pronouns had been added to their official stylebook. In 2016, The San Francisco Examiner announced a new policy to use singular they/them pronouns to refer to non-specific individuals and those identifying as gender-neutral. Since that time publications such as The Business Insider have used singular they/them pronouns in articles despite not implementing official policy changes.

Usage of the singular they/them pronoun yields multiple benefits and significantly improves the accuracy of news media.

First, using gender-neutral pronouns reduces incidents of gender bias. The English language traditionally exhibits a bias toward the masculine, as demonstrated through gendered terms such as “mankind,” “firemen” and “man-made.” Research has shown that this language bias has contributed to reproducing asymmetrical power and status structures in favor of men.

These gender biases are reinforced through the propagation of gendered language through several channels of communication, including pop-culture and college textbooks. Language tools such as Google Translate have been proven to demonstrate a gender bias, associating the masculine gender with more dominant—and connotatively positive—qualities and professions.

The Monitor’s new policy aims to combat and reduce the prevalence of such biases.

Second, gender-neutral pronouns are more accurate. Several academic disciplines have traditionally defined gender as a social construct, developed and maintained by society rather than nature, and research articles verifying this have been published. Though this assertion is still a part of public debate, it is unfactual for news media to refuse to acknowledge the presence and relevance of gender-neutral, genderqueer and gender non-binary individuals.

In the same regard, imposing a pronoun or gender onto any individual is not reporting facts; it is reporting opinion. Journalism’s biggest commitments are to the truth and to its readership, and misrepresenting a person’s gender is a violation of both of these responsibilities.

The offense that some might take to change in policy—be it to grammar, tradition or propriety—is secondary to the opportunity we have to present truth and affirm individual identities. It is far more important for us at the Monitor to accurately inform our readership than for us to uphold conventions that no longer bear relevance to who we are, or our shared human experience.

A new transgender policy is currently being drafted by William Jewell College’s by Student Senate. Members of Senate and the Office of Student Life are working to create a policy that provides a foundation for services and accommodations for transgender students and/or students who are transitioning.

Annie Murphey, senior, is a representative in Senate who has had an active role in pushing for a transgender policy to be put in place by the College. Murphey studied abroad at the University of Oxford last year and was involved in the University’s campaign to introduce a transgender policy. The project there was large and required sensitivity.

“The University already had a policy, but all of the Oxford colleges work on different systems and none of them had anything to address the protocols for students that transition. When a student changes their name and/or pronouns, you can imagine it requires a collective effort by the college to make those changes sensitively and with respect towards the student,” said Murphey.

After working on the project at Oxford, Murphey decided that students at Jewell would benefit from a similar policy. The College does not currently have a policy to help support transgender and transitioning students. Murphey joined Student Senate in order to help enact this change on campus.

“Although student government is not something I’m normally interested in, I thought it could be a good way for me to learn how to make changes at Jewell, especially in the LGBTQ sphere,” said Murphey.

Now Senate is working on creating a transgender policy to set up the basic standards that the College will have for students who are transgender and/or transitioning. The policy is still in the drafting stages but aims to facilitate diversity and inclusion on campus. This includes creating gender-neutral bathrooms, gender-neutral accommodations and a channel of communication for students who are transitioning.

“The new policy will cover a huge array of things. It will have a major focus on communication amongst staff members and database changes. We will identify a point of contact for students to go to when they wish to make changes, such as their email address or name on file,” Murphey said.

Office of Student Life and Student Senate members on the walk through campus housing.

Student Life is working with Senate to help get policies approved. A walk around campus was promoted to help brainstorm locations for gender-neutral bathrooms and living accommodations. Students, Murphey, Shelley King, Ernie Stufflebean and Stephany Guest attended this walk through. Student Life is collaborating to help create a comprehensive policy.

“What is most important for us right now is making sure the facilities we have, such as restrooms, are safe and welcoming to our transgender population,” said Shelly King, dean of students.

The project is still in the planning stages, and a lot is undecided. Murphey discussed the potential for two separate policies on campus, which would help create a cohesive approach to developing a more inclusive environment.

“We have thrown around the idea of making two policies: one more focused on the administrative responsibilities to students and the other about developing the campus to be more conscious and inclusive towards trans and gender non-conforming people. The goal will be to educate the whole campus about the challenges they face in our community. This second policy would focus on changing how we live, from the way we talk to the curriculum in classes,” said Murphey.

Students who wish to get involved in the decision-making process have some options. Student Senate hosts free coffee Sunday nights in the Pryor Learning Commons where students can come and discuss projects on campus, including the new transgender policy. Senate also plans to send out a campus-wide survey on gender-neutral accommodations. Student Life plans to hold a focus group discussing gender-neutral bathrooms on campus.

Photo by Elizabeth Messina

gender neutral – The Hilltop Monitor

Letter from the Editor: New Pronoun Policy

Jewell works on transgender policy