Some speakers of English do not wish to align themselves linguistically with binary gendered categories. These speakers may prefer to be acknowledged using third person pronouns other than she or he, such as singular they and pronoun neologisms such as xe and zhe. Despite its controversial reception, this expansion of the third person pronoun paradigm reflects a growing cultural awareness of transgender identities. Pronouns and practices of pronoun sharing (wherein people are encouraged to share the pronouns they wish others to use when referring to them) often exist at the centre of debates around trans legitimacy and practices of inclusion, particularly in university settings.

This paper draws on data from interviews with four gender diverse speakers living in Melbourne, in addition to survey data with Australian respondents. It discusses how pronouns and pronoun sharing can be important tools for speakers to construct nonbinary gender identities depending on the speakers’ engagement with other semiotic indexes of gender and the gendered and racialised assumptions of other speakers in a localised context.

Furthermore, it discusses how trans inclusivity practices around pronouns can be important in encouraging trans-affirming behaviour—embedding trans-affirming ideologies, authorising trans identities, and socialising speakers into linguistic norms around pronouns. However, these practices can also put pressure on trans speakers to misgender or out themselves, with an explicit assertion of gendered pronouns at times highlighting trans people and undermining the nuanced and moment-to-moment input individuals have into gendered performance.

This paper adds to emergent work with nonbinary trans people, challenging assumptions of binary gender that are pervasive in sociolinguistics as well as in society more generally. Additionally, it complicates prominent discourses from socially progressive spaces about the ubiquitous virtue of pronoun circles, giving voice to complex and nuanced perspectives.