Johns Hopkins Medicine staff given roadmap to navigate dozens of pronouns: ‘faerself, ve, xe”
By Patrick ReillyMay 30, 2023 | 1:06pm
Johns Hopkins Medicine employees have been issued a new guidebook with a list of 50 different pronouns — including “aerself” and “faerself” — that staff can use after a new ID badge policy was implemented, according to a report.
Other pronouns listed in the guide include xe, ve, per and ae, as well as directions on how to use the pronouns in everyday sentences, such as “I gave faer the key,” Fox News reported.
The guide also details how employees can correctly use titles: “Mr.” for men, “Miss” for women, or “Mx.” for “nonbinary or gender diverse people.”
In March 2022, Johns Hopkins Medicine updated its ID badge policy to allow staffers to choose the name displayed on their badges as it matches their gender identity, John’s Hopkin’s program director for LGBTQ+ Equity and Education Paula Neira said on a podcast earlier this year.
“Maryland law has changed, which allows that to happen,” she said on the podcast Fundamentals for LGBTQ+ Cultural Awareness, which was published by Johns Hopkins Medicine’s Learning Technology & Innovation.
The hospital system also allows patients to use their chosen names on wristbands.
In 2015, Neira became the first transgender Navy veteran to have her new name on her discharge papers, Fox News reported. She is also the former clinical program director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Transgender and Gender Expansive Health.
There are two exceptions to allowing employees to choose their badge name, according to Neira: those licensed by the Washington, DC, government, which requires ID badges to match the name on an employee’s certification; and for Maryland State Police officers, whose ID must match their legal names, per agency requirements.
Dr. Stanley Goldfarb, the former associate dean for curriculum at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, expressed concern that the new policy could muddle vital communication between patients and staffers.
He also said chosen names could suggest political bias.
“The most important component of the physician-patient relationship is the ability to have clear and appropriate communication,” Goldfarb told Fox News. “To use pronouns associated with one’s identification badge suggests that an individual has a particular ideological and political perspective.”
“Also, using a name that suggests a different gender from what the patient can clearly identify also could damage the physician-patient relationship, and should be avoided,” he added.
A Johns Hopkins Medicine spokesperson told Fox News the company that its policy is in compliance with federal and state regulations.
There are many reasons individuals may choose how they are identified, for example, some people may prefer to use a middle name, have cultural distinctions or preferences, or have gender-ambiguous names,” the spokesperson added.
“JHM will continue to provide options to our community to ensure a respectful and inclusive environment.”
Source:https://nypost.com/2023/05/30/johns...vigate-dozens-of-pronouns-faerself-ve-xe/amp/
