International Pronouns Day Date in the current year: October 16, 2024

Being addressed by the pronouns that match their assigned sex instead of the pronouns that match the gender they identify with is a common problem that many transgender people have to face. And the situation becomes even more complicated when it comes to non-binary and gender nonconforming people because many languages are gender binary. You’re supposed to pick either female or male pronouns, but what should you do if you identify as neither?

According to the team behind International Pronouns Day, referring to people by the third person pronouns they’ve chosen for themselves is basic to human dignity. Being misgendered hurts, even when it stems from ignorance rather than intent, so the main goal of International Pronouns Day is to educate people about personal pronouns, including gender-neutral pronouns used by non-binary and gender nonconforming people.

For example, in English, there’s the singular they. Originally used in situations where a person’s gender was unknown or irrelevant, it has been adopted into gender-inclusive language. Other gender-neutral pronouns used in the LGBTQ+ community include e/es/emself, xe/xyrs/xemself, ze/hir/hirself, ze/zers/zemself, zhe/zhers/zhimself, and others.

The originators of the International Pronouns Day are U.S. based, so the campaign website focuses on the English language. However, people from non-English-speaking countries whose languages are gendered like English are welcome to organize their version of the campaign, focusing on their language context and the specific needs of their transgender, non-binary and gender nonconforming communities. The first International Pronouns Day was observed in 2018 by people from 25 countries in every inhabited continent.