Tipsheet

'Is This a Joke?': What the State Department Is Focused on Today Amid Multiple Crises

There are a lot of problems on the international stage these days and what the State Department decided to highlight today does not exactly inspire confidence they are up to the challenge.

Since today is allegedly International Pronouns Day and the State Department tweeted, "we share why many people list pronouns on their email and social media profiles" with a link from the agency's "platform for communicating compelling stories that spark discussion & debate on important topics about U.S. policy and culture."

"Third-person personal pronouns are used to describe a person or people, in American English grammar, as the subject, as the object or in the possessive.

"These pronouns include the gender-neutral they/them/theirs — words that traditionally refer to a plural number but that today are used by some individuals who identify as gender nonbinary or who prefer not to share gender information. Other pronouns include the feminine she/her/hers and the masculine he/him/his. Some people are pioneering gender-neutral pronouns such as ze/zir/zirs.

"Many Americans are including their pronouns on social media profiles or name tags or as part of email signatures. They state them in meetings, whether online or in person, and at other venues."

The State Department's tweet sparked some backlash due to more pressing matters they should be directing their attention to: