Wearing pronouns on our name tags reflects how we treat people
At Crossroads Community NYC, every staff member and volunteer wears a name tag that includes their pronouns alongside their first name. The small addition of "she/her," "he/him," "they/them," or other choices signals something larger about how we approach each person who walks through our doors for a meal, a bed, or a pantry box. Pronouns are how individuals name themselves, and recognising that is a baseline of respectful service rather than an optional gesture.
The choice to display pronouns visibly connects to the lived experience of many people we serve, including those navigating housing instability, recovery, or migration. When someone is already carrying the weight of hardship, being misidentified or questioned about their gender adds an unnecessary burden. A pronoun on a lanyard invites people to share their own pronouns if they wish, and quietly removes the awkward guesswork from the first hello.
How pronouns shape a first impression
Pronouns are the short words used in place of a name, and most people are addressed with "she" or "he" without thinking about it. For transgender, non-binary, and gender-diverse people, however, the pronoun assigned at birth may not match who they are. Asking or assuming can feel like a small erasure, while getting it right can feel like being seen.
The difference between an interaction where pronouns are visible and one where they are not can be summarised in a simple comparison.
| Setting | Without visible pronouns | With pronoun tags |
|---|---|---|
| Pantry intake | Volunteers guess based on appearance | Guests state pronouns freely |
| Shelter sign-in | ID documents may not match identity | Self-identification is recorded first |
| New volunteer shift | Awkward "what should I call you?" | Conversation is already normalised |
| Returning client | Risk of repeated misgendering | Continuity of correct address |
At our food pantry, volunteers who hand out groceries often serve clients they have known for years. Including pronouns on a name tag helps new visitors introduce themselves the way they choose and signals to returning clients that this is a place where identity is respected. It gives long-time clients a gentle model for how they might refer to staff or fellow guests in conversation, especially older guests who grew up in eras when the topic was rarely discussed.
Why this matters for gender-diverse people
Research from the Australian Human Rights Commission and community organisations such as Minus18 shows that transgender and gender-diverse young people experience high rates of discrimination in everyday settings, including when accessing services. A 2022 survey of LGBTIQ+ Australians found that one in three had avoided a service because they feared being mistreated. For people experiencing homelessness, the risk of being misgendered at a shelter intake can be the difference between seeking help and sleeping rough.
Wearing a pronoun on a name tag is a tiny act that carries outsized meaning. It says the organisation has thought about gender, has consulted its own community, and has decided that no guest should have to explain themselves to receive a sandwich, a blanket, or a referral. The same survey of our own food pantry clients underscored how much small gestures of dignity shape trust, and you can read more about what we learned in that earlier piece.
The Australian landscape
Across the Tasman, similar conversations are well advanced. The federal Sex Discrimination Act 1988 has protected people from discrimination on the basis of gender identity since 2013, and every state and territory has followed with its own anti-discrimination framework. Schools in Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane run annual Wear It Purple Day events, and community health centres in Adelaide and Perth routinely include pronouns on staff lanyards, patient forms, and email signatures.
Australian census data from 2021 showed that more than 80,000 people reported being non-binary or using a different term, a number almost certainly undercounted. Community organisations such as ACON in Sydney and Switchboard Victoria in Melbourne have long modelled pronoun visibility in their own teams. The practice is no longer seen as radical in Australian service settings; it is closer to standard hygiene, the way hand sanitiser appeared in every clinic after 2020.
How we roll it out in practice
Introducing pronoun name tags at Crossroads started with a staff conversation and a volunteer survey. We asked everyone which pronouns they used, offered blank tags for those who preferred not to display any, and printed a small batch of lanyards with "she/her," "he/him," "they/them," and "ask me" as options. New volunteers receive a tag on their first shift, alongside a short briefing on why the practice exists.
For guests, we do not require disclosure. Our intake forms allow people to write their own pronouns or leave the field blank, and our kitchen and shelter staff are trained to mirror the language a guest uses for themselves. The rule is simple: the person being named decides how they are named, and the rest of us pay attention.
Lessons other services can borrow
Visitors from Australian community groups who have toured our sites have often asked how they could adapt the idea locally, especially those running neighbourhood kitchens in places like Footscray, Redfern, or Fortitude Valley. Their questions usually come down to a handful of practical steps that any organisation can take.
- Start by asking your own team what pronouns they use and model the behaviour from the top down.
- Print or order name tags with space for pronouns, including an "ask me" option for those who prefer not to list any.
- Update intake forms and signage so clients can share pronouns without being forced to.
- Train front-line staff to mirror the language guests use for themselves and to apologise briefly when they slip up.
- Treat the practice as ongoing work rather than a one-off policy, because language keeps evolving.
If you would like to support this work directly, you can sign up to volunteer with us in New York or apply the same model in your own neighbourhood. The name tag is a starting point, not a finish line.