Tag Archives: use of pronouns

Happy New Year! My “Top 10” blogs of 2022

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This year, I am updating this New Year’s blog tradition …. since the 2022 top 7 blogs were all published in prior years, I am going to add the top three 2022 published blogs at the end to now make this a “Top 10.”

Yes – my top seven most read blogs were published in earlier years.  I guess as more people read them, they come toward the top on google searches and get even more readers.

The top seven all received over 1,000 hits each; five of the 7 dealt with some general aspect of diversity, and three of the 7 dealt with diversity within sports. 

Here are the seven most read of 2022, starting with number 7 and working up to number one. At the bottom I will add the top 3 read blogs that were actually published this year.

7) This year’s number 7 was last year’s number 6 – a guest blog written in 2018 by my cousin Brandon, who has a masters degree in social work and now works in the Federal Prison System while pursuing his PhD in social work at the University of Kentucky – Five Misconceptions about Atheists from my Experience: A guest blog by Brandon G.

6) This year’s number 6 was last year’s number 4 – “Three Wonderful Recent Examples of Diversity and Sports,” in which I provide short summaries with links about an NFL football player with one hand, an WNBA player who is a new mother with her wife, and a college track star who overcame a harsh abusive upbringing in Africa.

5) First time in the top seven is “Active Listening Skills of Influential Leaders” published in March 2020.

With figure skating now being so much a part of my life, I am pleased my diversity and skating blogs are so well read.

3 and 4) With over 5,000 hits across the two blogs were 2018’s Seven More Fabulous Out Gay Men of Figure Skating (and One Bisexual Woman) and my 2016 personal labor of love which included several personal photos that I took, “Seven Fabulous Out Gay Men of Figure Skating.”  And my 2022 installment was my top blog actually published in 2022 – see below.

2) And another newcomer to this year’s list was a guest blog written at the end of 2020. As diversity, equity and inclusion becomes increasingly important in the workplace, “Five Tips for Highlighting Your Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion in Your Resume: Here’s How” can prove to be a valuable resource for job seekers.

1) With the growing number and visibility of Hispanic Americans, number one for the second year in a row with over 6,000 hits – “Seven Misconceptions or Stereotypes of Hispanic People”, a guest piece written in 2016 by my part-time bilingual consultant on staff, Elsa Maria Jimenez Salgado.

Two of my most popular 2022 published blogs dealt with the increase in nonbinary people and use of pronouns

Since none of the few dozen blogs I wrote in 2022 made it into the top seven, here are the 2022 written top 3:

2022 Number 1 – With 2022 having been an Olympic year, I wrote the 3rd installment of my very popular blog series, “Seven more fabulous out LGBTQ+ athletes of figure skating.” This is the most diverse group ever – includes 3 women and one non-binary athlete from 3 countries and across all 4 figure skating disciplines (women, men, pairs, ice dance.)

2022 Number 2 – A more personal blog – a tribute to one of my Millbrook High School teachers who recently passed away – Vickie Tart Burlington aka Miss Tart.

2022 Number 3 – This blog is about one of the hot emerging areas in diversity, equity and inclusion and one of the most requested topics I got ask to speak on during LGBTQ Pride Month this year: “Nonbinary People and the Use of Pronouns – 6 Points and Resources.”

I wish all of my faithful readers a happy and fulfilling 2023.  To stay in touch and to receive my monthly newsletter in which I summarize all blogs written in the previous month, please do subscribe to my newsletter. Or check out this page to connect to my LinkedIn or business Facebook page.

Diversity’s Latest Frontier – Nonbinary People and the Use of Pronouns – 6 Points and Resources

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One reason I love working in the DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) field is because it continues to grow and evolve. It is exciting to consult and train in an area that does not remain stagnant, but brings new challenges each year.

One topic I have been really enjoying is the growing awareness and presence of nonbinary people and use of pronouns. In fact, last June, I got more LGBTQ Pride Month speaking requests for this topic than any other!

What is this all about? Simply put, all aspects of humanity are on a spectrum and not always one way of the other. Society in general for so long has insisted that someone is either a man or woman, is either male or female. In reality, many people deep in their core feel that are a combination of genders or no gender at all. A few years ago, this concept was referred to as “gender nonbinary,” but now the best terminology is simply “nonbinary.”

Here are some points and resources around nonbinary people:

1) There are different terms that some people use in place of nonbinary. They include Genderqueer and Gender Expansive.

2) Many nonbinary people use the pronoun “they” instead of identifying with he or she. If a nonbinary person lets you know that they use the pronoun “they,” it is respectful to then refer to them as “they” when talking about them.

Two time US pairs figure skating champion and 2022 Olympian Timothy Leduc (tall person in the middle) has recently come out as nonbinary. Link to article.

3) Miriam-Webster’s Dictionary listed “they” used as singular non-gendered pronoun as their “word of the year” in 2019! Read the article here.

4) The leading LGBTQ+ Workplace Advocacy organization Out and Equal Workplace Advocate makes available a comprehensive guide for use of pronouns in the workplace. This resource (link) is focused on practical guidance for  implementing successful practices and norms around pronouns in the workplace.

5) Companies and organizations wanting to attract bright young talent need to make sure the language they use in recruiting and job postings are inclusive of nonbinary people and those who support them. Instead of using “he or she” when writing about job responsibilities, simply use “they.”

6) Even when speaking to an audience, starting off with “ladies and gentlemen” is not inclusive. It is better to address an audience with “Greetings distinguished guests” or “Hello everyone!” In her new book “Inclusive 360 – Proven Solutions for an Equitable Organization” (read my blog about this fantastic book), Bernadette Smith gives lots of advice for interacting with nonbinary employees and customers.

Bottom line – it is all about respect! There should be no difficulty in treating people and addressing people are they want to be treated and addressed.

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Do please be in touch ([email protected]) if I can provide a training session for your team on use of pronouns. I love speaking on this topic. Thanks! Stan Kimer (he / him)