In a criminal or civil court, lying tends to be severely punishable; in criminal or civil court going against a judge’s will and committing contempt of court also tends to be severely punishable. In British Columbia courts, people will be expected to proffer their “pronouns” with the expectation that these “pronouns” as well as preferred titles be used to avoid having to make “corrections”.
“In an effort to be more inclusive of transgender people, the Provincial Court of B.C. has created a new policy asking lawyers to provide pronouns when introducing themselves and their clients in court.
“While some lawyers have already started including pronouns in their introductions, the court will now expect everyone to share how they wish to be referred to.
“In a press release, the provincial court provided an example of such an introduction: ‘My name is Ms. Jane Lee, spelled L-E-E. I use she/her pronouns. I am the lawyer for Mx. Joe Carter who uses they/them pronouns.’ (Mx. is a gender-neutral title.)
“The policy was announced by Chief Judge Melissa Gillespie in a notice to lawyers and the public on Wednesday.
“The court said the policy change will improve the experiences of gender diverse people in the legal system and would help avoid confusion and the need for corrections when someone is misgendered.”
Lawyers, their clients and others addressing B.C. Provincial Court will now be expected to provide their pronouns when introducing themselves, says Chief Judge Melissa Gillespie. #bcpoli pic.twitter.com/pjIkAvLakn
— 𝕂𝕖𝕝𝕧𝕚𝕟🦥𝔾𝕒𝕨𝕝𝕖𝕪 (@byGawley) December 16, 2020
How do you even pronounce “Mx.”?
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