International Pronouns Day: October 15, 2025
Posted October 1, 2024 in JMU Libraries News
Happy International Pronouns Day!
What is International Pronouns Day? Celebrated on the 3rd Wednesday of each October, International Pronouns Day seeks to make respecting, sharing, and educating about personal pronouns commonplace.
Why are personal pronouns important? Referring to people by the pronouns they determine for themselves is basic to human dignity. Using a person’s correct pronouns and proactively sharing yours are two ways to show respect and promote an inclusive environment.
Want to display your personal pronouns in Canvas and Zoom? Simply follow these instructions:
- Canvas: How to select personal pronouns in a user account as a student
- Zoom: How to add and share pronouns (Note: Zoom shows separate “name” and “display name” fields. Both can be edited and saved while logged in, but JMU resets the “name” field when you log out. Only changes to the “display name” field will stick.)
Learn more about personal pronouns and gender identity:
- What are Personal Pronouns and Why Do They Matter? from MyPronouns.org
- A Guide to Gender Identity Terms from NPR
- Inclusive Environments and Pronouns presentation (log in with your JMU credentials to view or save the PowerPoint file) from the Libraries’ Online Learning team
- LGBTQ+ Inclusion Guide for Faculty and Staff from JMU’s SOGIE
- JMU and Community LGBTQIPA Resources from JMU’s Safe Zone