“Pronouns in Motion: Pronoun variability among Swiss non-binary individuals”, Justyna King and Elijah King, Universität Bern, Switzerland

Variability in gendered language choices (including pronouns) can extend beyond alignment with one's gender identification, as evidenced by the construction of a "true transexual" (Borba, 2019), the adoption of "closet pronouns" (Conrod, 2019) or shifting pronoun preferences during transition (Zimman, 2019). Pronoun flexibility can be even more intricate for non-binary individuals who do not always place themselves within the binary pronoun system. These practices may not be understood or respected by their interactants, and a failure to use chosen terms can have a strong impact on their mental health (e.g. Testa et al., 2017; Ott et al., 2017). Our paper aims to explore pronoun practices and flexibility among Swiss non-binary individuals, by elucidating the factors influencing the pronoun usage of Swiss non-binary people, discerning the implications of this flexibility for our understanding of hegemonic pressures, and exploring the real-life impacts of modern pronoun-sharing practices on the lives of non-binary individuals. To address these objectives, we designed an online survey, gathering responses from 55 Swiss non-binary people. This allowed for the collection of quantifiable data on pronoun variability while also serving as a participant recruitment tool for subsequent focus groups. Three focus groups were conducted to facilitate in-depth discussions regarding pronouns. Survey responses and focus group discussions were coded into three overarching categories: (1) factors influencing pronoun usage, (2) the perceived (non-)inherent nature of pronouns and (3) the impact of modern pronoun-sharing practices. Unlike previous literature that shows that pronoun variability only occurs in unsafe situations, our data shows that another prominent reason for pronoun variability is the amount of effort non-binary people have to put into coming out. This focus on effort shows that the limited societal understanding of the existence of non-binary people is a form of hegemonic pressure that forces non-binary people to be more flexible with their pronoun choices. Due to this need for pronoun variability, modern pronoun-sharing practices that are seen as more permanent and conspicuous (e.g., pronoun rounds) are generally evaluated negatively while practices with less permanent outcomes (e.g., adding pronouns on Zoom) generate more positive feedback. These insights contribute to a nuanced understanding of experiences related to pronoun use and sharing practices, offering valuable perspectives for enhancing inclusivity, particularly beyond English-speaking realms.