How to Email Professors or Teachers about Pronouns

Dear Professor Shah,I hope you’ve had a good week. I’m a student in your chemistry lab section on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 3 in the afternoon. I’ve really enjoyed learning chemistry with you these past few weeks, and I wanted to send you this e-mail with some information. I’ve recently come out as nonbinary, and now go by the name Rowan, instead of my previous name, Jane. My last name, Wu, remains the same, although I use they/them pronouns. I’m open about my identity, and I’m okay if other people in the lab are aware of this.If you have any questions at all, please feel free to reach out via e-mail. I’m grateful for all your mentorship this term.Thank you, Rowan

Dear Mr. Samuels,I hope you’re doing well. I’m a student in your 3rd hour English class. I’m writing to let you know that although my name on school documents is Jennifer Garcia, the name I go by is Rafael Garcia. I’m transgender, and I use he/him pronouns. I’d prefer not to disclose that I’m transgender in our classroom, since I like to keep this part of my life private. Since I’m not out to my family, I’d also prefer if you continued to use my previous name, Jennifer, if you end up getting in touch with them at any point. I’ll be submitting all of my assignments as Rafael. I’m really excited for our class. If you have any questions about this e-mail, feel free to reach out. This e-mail address that I’m using now is a good way to contact me. Thank you!Yours, Rafael

Introduce your own pronouns first. At the start of a new term, introduce yourself by saying something like, “I’m Ms. Kim, and I go by she/her pronouns.” By sharing your pronouns, you’re signaling to your students that you’re someone they can feel comfortable with if their gender identity doesn’t match with their gender assigned at birth. It’s also an indication that you won’t be assuming pronouns.^[3]

• If you’re already several weeks into a term, it’s not too late to introduce your pronouns. You can say something like, “I realize I never said this earlier, but my pronouns are he/him.”
• You can also write your pronouns down on the board or in an e-mail signature to your students.

Invite your students to reach out to you with their pronouns. Either through e-mail or in person, tell your class something like, “If you have any questions about our course, please reach out to me. Also, if you’d like to inform me of a name that’s different from the one you’re registered under or your pronouns, feel free to send me a message.”^[4]

• This approach can work better than asking everyone to introduce themselves with their pronouns at the start of class. Some students might not feel comfortable doing so in front of their peers.
• You can also send a survey to your students at the beginning of a term or mid-way through. Have them respond to a prompt like, “Please write your preferred name and correct pronouns here, if you feel comfortable doing so.”