Council hands out ‘gender ID badges’ for staff to choose if they are called he, she, they – or any title they want
Brighton and Hove City Council launched the scheme to help workers and the public let other people know their gender identity
A LOCAL authority has unveiled plans to give staff "gender ID badges" to display their preferred pronoun.
Brighton and Hove council launched the scheme to offer workers and the public an easy way to let other people know their gender identity.
The badges read "My Pronouns are" and allow the wearer to choose options such as they/their/theirs, she/her/hers and he/him/his.
Other badges leave a white space for users to fill in another gender neutral pronoun such as ze and xe. Others say "please use my name".
The scheme, which aims to improve awareness of non-binary and gender-fluid people, will be available to all council run organisations and the public from March 26.
Emma Daniel, chair of the council's neighbourhoods, communities and equality committee, said it will give staff "more freedom and safety to be ourselves".
She said: "We define our own gender and we should respect other people's identities and rights.
"Now there is more freedom and safety to be ourselves. But there's still more to do.
"Who a person is may not match what you expect and may not be defined easily.
"If someone's pronouns differ from what you assume, it's for you to adapt and it's OK to ask."
Paul Twocock of LGBT rights group Stonewall said: "Offering people a voluntary way to share their preferred gender pronoun is a really positive way to mark Transgender Day of Visibility."
Brighton and Hove City Council launched the campaign with support from groups including the Trans Alliance, the University of Brighton, Sussex Police and the council's LGBT Workers Forum, to mark Trans Day of Visibility on March 30.
Cllr Daniel said: "We're proud of being a diverse city, and the council is committed to equality and inclusion for all people including our trans and non-binary residents.
"Read the badge, respect people, it's that easy."
MOST READ IN NEWS
Metro Bank made history in 2016 by asking customers to choose titles including Mx instead of Mr and Miss.
Earlier this week Coca Cola unveiled plans to make fizzy drink cans more "gender neutral".
And airline Qantas said it will start using gender neutral language on flights, with words such as "guys" and "honey" banned in favour of "folks".
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368 . We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.