American university fires two people for using pronouns in email signatures

New York: Houghton University in New York fired two of its employees in April for using their pronouns - "she/her" and "he/him" - in their email signatures.

According to a report in The Independent, residence hall directors Raegan Zelaya and Shua Wilmot were asked to remove the pronouns. The University told Zelaya that she had been fired "as a result of your refusal to remove pronouns in your email signature." She was told the decision just before the semester ended. She also criticised the decision in the student newspaper and the letter of termination was widely circulated.

Wilmot said he was charged with making a "threat" against the general superintendent of the Wesleyan Church. He had expressed concerns about the church's old-fashioned and problematic ideas on gender identity and expression. He did this in a "constructive letter" to Superintendent Wayne Schmidt. He said they were "outdated and problematic".

The former directors explained their decision to include pronouns in emails via video. Their bottom line was that many recipients of emails cannot tell someone's gender from their name alone.

"Calling people by the name they like to be called, using the pronouns that they use, that's just a way to dignify them and humanise them. By normalising the visibility of pronouns in an email signature, I can play a small role ... in empowering others to also share their pronouns in an email signature, thus it normalises a less emotional labourious way for gender-expansive people to out themselves," said Wilmot.

"It is pretty standard industry practice to include your pronouns in your email signature. They further explained that the pronouns are often shared during conferences, interviews, and other professional events. It’s a professional courtesy I can offer, and it’s a way I can show care and dignity for others," said Zelaya.

Neither of them are transgender.

"I would just like to express how profoundly grateful I am to have enough privilege to stand up for truth and justice at the expense of a job. If any of you are ever in a position where you believe your employer is asking you to do something unjust or unethical, please reach out to me and others for encouragement and empowerment," wrote Wilmot in a Facebook post.

A spokesperson for the university claimed that the decision to terminate Wilmot and Zelaya was not based on the "use of pronouns" alone. "The university has never terminated an employment relationship based solely on the use of pronouns in staff email signatures. Over the past years, we've required anything extraneous be removed from email signatures, including Scripture quotes," reported The New York Times.

Two years ago, Houghton University closed its multicultural student centre. A student LGBTQ+ club was no longer recognised by the institute because it refused to promote more conservative language on gender and sex.

Houghton University is affiliated with the Wesleyan Church which teaches that "gender confusion and dysphoria are ultimately the biological, psychological, social and spiritual consequences of the human race’s fallen condition". It also views "adult gender nonconformity as a violation of the sanctity of human life."

The decision of the university was criticised by alumni who wrote an open letter with nearly 600 signatures. They called the firing of Zelaya and Wilmot part of a "seemingly broader turn against multiculturalism at the school."

"Our overall concern is that these recent changes demonstrate a concerning pattern of failure on the part of the current administration to respect that faithful and active Christians reasonably hold a range of theological and ethical views, and in turn, failure to allow for genuine dialogue about these differing views. In this way, Houghton is not living up to its own ideals," they said.

The closure of the student club was also mentioned in the letter. The university claimed that it was due to budgetary reasons and did not respond to the firings.