ASDA have announced they are introducing pronoun badges for staff to help avoid the “distress of misgendering colleagues”.
According to an advert for the scheme posted on Twitter yesterday [Tue], the pins will be available for staff to order from mid-June.
The badges advertised feature rainbow-coloured designs and come in a range of pronouns, including male, female or non-binary “they” pronouns.
A fourth option available reads: “Ask me my pronouns.”
The flyer also states that a pack on the impact of misgendering will also be available.
The advert reads: “We’re passionate about supporting the gender identity of our colleagues and know that misgendering can be distressing for all, so we’ve created pronoun badges for colleagues who wish to wear them.
The decision has divided opinion among social media users, with some calling the gesture “mad”.
The photo was also circulated on Mumsnet on Monday [8 Jun] with the caption: “My Brother in law, who works at our local store, has just received this information, he thinks Asda’s gone mad.
“Asda are also funding Diversity Role Models with £100,000 over the next year.
“Looks as though they’re jumping in with both feet.”
@CalumRobson wrote on Twitter: “This is one reason I’m glad I went freelance before the ‘diversity workshops’ trend gripped employers.
“The idea of attending training courses where straight colleagues were instructed how to be ‘sensitive’ around me and around other ‘LGBT’ people, cringe.”
However, others were more supportive.
One user on mumsnet wrote: “Seems reasonable to me.
“I have a friend who is a very masculine looking and sounding woman (born female, not trans or anything) who gets sick of people assuming that she’s male (they do so even when she dresses in a more feminine way, it’s quite astounding).”
“There are always going to be people who are outliers, for whom asking is better than assuming.”
@JanuaryMovie commented on Twitter: “ My principal is transgender.
“It is honestly no big deal. Employers have all kinds of training for new employees—harassment, blood-borne pathogens—this seems like a good thing to add.”
“Transgender people are part of our community. Why not be a leader in fostering inclusivity?”
A source close to ASDA said the badges were “fully optional” and had been requested by staff.
The retailer also recently created a charity partnership with Diversity Role Models (DRM) and gave a £100,000 donation to the charity tackles bullying against the LGBTQ+ community.
The pronoun badges come during UK Pride month, an annual observance of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender history.
Today [Wed] a spokesman for ASDA said: “We are proud to be an inclusive company that recognises the different needs of colleagues.”
“These badges are optional and have been introduced for those colleagues who would feel happier or more comfortable wearing them.”
“We will continue to look for ways to support all our colleagues to make sure they can be themselves when they come to work.”
