Pennsylvania University Students Can Get Into Trouble For Disrespecting Classmates’ Preferred Pronouns

Earlier this month, students of a university in Pennsylvania were told to respect their classmates’ preferred pronouns, and that action could be taken against those who didn't do so.

The student body of Point Park University (PPU) were informed about the new policy by the Office of Equity and Inclusion on Sept.13 via email.

According to Campus Reform, the university's Misgendering, Pronoun Misuse, and Deadnaming Policy states that “any individual who has been informed of another person’s gender identity, pronouns, or chosen name is expected to respect that individual.”

The email served to notify students on the university's anti-discrimination policy for the 2021-2022 academic year, read that “action could be taken" if a complaint is filed in connection with this policy.

A former student had made a Pronouns and Inclusive Language Guide, which explains the importance of using “gender inclusive language” to avoid causing trans people to feel isolated, and this guide was also part of the email. The guide also suggests changing terms like “ladies and gentlemen” to “students and guests,” “he or she” to “they" and “boyfriend/girlfriend” to “partner.”

Louis Corsaro, Point Park University’s managing director of university marketing and public relations, said that the university expects every member of its community, including faculty, staff and students to show respect to each other.

The exact details of the policy or the kind of action that could be taken are not known to Point Park University’s Student Government President Dennis McDermott, but he said that he would imagine any violation would result in a "similar action to any act of discrimination against students on campus."

Not everyone at the university is happy about it. Caitlin Wiscombe, a student, said that she understands that the university is trying to be more inclusive, but by asking her to do this instead of just allowing students to do it themselves is making her feel uncomfortable and making her feel like her choice isn’t being respected.

Logan Dubil, also a student, told Fox News that he believes in the science and that there are two genders -- male and female, and the policy forces him to go against his beliefs.