by Katherine Lawton, Daily Mail
NHS staff have been told they can use the pronouns ‘Xey/Xem’ at work as part of a plan to boost ‘inclusion in the workplace’.
The gender-neutral pronouns – often used within nonbinary and trans communities – can be used as alternatives to I/me, She/her, He/him, They/them, Ze/Zir or It/Its depending on the colleague’s preference.
King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in south London also told staff they should apologise if they accidentally use the ‘wrong’ pronouns.
The trust said it was each person’s responsibility to ‘identify what their pronouns are’, explaining the aim was to ‘create an inclusive environment and demonstrate inclusion in the workplace’.
And if pronouns ‘aren’t important to you’, the trust added, it is ‘even more important to use them’.
The training presentation, from February last year, also encouraged employees to correct others if they hear them using the wrong pronouns to address someone.
The trust also urged workers to use gender-neutral language – including sibling instead of brother or sister, and team or folks instead of ladies and gentleman.
Women’s rights groups have condemned the presentation, branding it ‘virtue-signalling which could affect patients’.