LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – The pronoun wars have entered their next phase, and this time, the battlefield is federal email signatures. Because of a new Trump administration directive, government employees were told to scrub all gender identity references from official materials, including those ever-controversial “he/him” and “she/her” sign-offs.

While federal employees scrambled to comply with Trump’s order by last Friday, the question remains: Are pronoun declarations on the way out nationwide? In Michigan, pronoun tags seem to be relegated to places like Planned Parenthood, advocacy groups and colleges and universities where they still think people care what gender they identify with.

Michigan’s Top Women have no pronouns.

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Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Attorney General Dana Nessel, and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson – arguably the most high-profile Democratic women in Michigan – do not currently display their pronouns on their X accounts. For all the talk about inclusivity and gender identity, Michigan’s most powerful female officials aren’t currently leading by example on this issue. Even top Whitmer administration officials have left their pronouns in the dust, with their gender identities not appearing on the profiles of their social media accounts.

Although Governor Whitmer’s administration has promoted inclusivity efforts, and some departments have encouraged employees to list pronouns to foster a more inclusive workplace, not all employees participate, and there is no statewide mandate forcing workers to use pronouns in emails.

Timing is everything. Pete Buttigieg gives up pronouns.

Rumored to be eyeing a run for Gary Peters’ Michigan’s Senate seat or the governorship, Biden’s former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has interestingly quietly removed his “he/him” pronouns from his social media profiles. According to Libs of TikTok, the change reportedly happened in late January. This shift raises questions about whether Buttigieg’s quiet removal of his pronouns signals a broader political recalibration. While pronouns remain a staple in DEI-driven institutions and liberal circles, their prominence may be waning in the political mainstream.

Pronouns Still Reign in DEI-land and among liberals, but a political shift looms.

In academia, the inclusion of pronouns like “she/her” in email signatures varies across institutions and is often guided by organizational policies. For instance, Michigan State University (MSU) encourages the sharing of pronouns to foster a more inclusive environment. The Gender and Sexuality Campus Center at MSU suggests that individuals can share their pronouns in email signatures, on business cards, name tags, and other platforms to promote respect and inclusivity.

Similarly, MSU Extension provides guidelines for email signatures, stating that while pronouns are encouraged, their inclusion is optional. They emphasize maintaining professionalism and consistency in email communications.

The University of Michigan encourages the use of pronouns “wherever possible throughout the university” and their website states “Under university policy, student, staff, or faculty members may use chosen names (in addition to their legal name) and pronouns in the university’s information systems to be used in most communication and reporting except where the legal name is required by law or university requirements.”

Judges in Michigan must use preferred pronouns.

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Because of a new rule that took effect in January of last year, judges and other court personnel in the state of Michigan must address attorneys, litigants, defendants and others who have business before the bench with their preferred pronouns according to a court order signed by the Michigan Supreme Court.

Democrat-nominated Justice Elizabeth Welch had said at the time, “Our courts and court staff must conduct business in a way that is cognizant of changes in language and societal norms.” The majority on the court agreed and decided that calling people her, hers, he, him, his, she, they or theirs would make the courts more inclusive and welcoming.

From pronouns to pink slips: Trump’s crackdown on DEI.

Trump’s move to purge pronouns is just one piece of his broader crackdown on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies across federal agencies. The latest executive order instructed government heads to remove references to gender ideology and even place certain DEI officials on administrative leave. While the Biden era ushered in a culture of mandated pronoun affirmations, the shift under Trump signals a reverse course in both thinking and action.

Michigan’s progressive bubble: how long can it hold?

While Michigan remains a progressive stronghold under Whitmer, her lack of overt pronoun signaling suggests a growing awareness of how these policies play outside left-leaning circles. Colleges and activist groups may cling to their pronoun traditions, but if the state’s biggest progressive figures don’t want them appearing on their public profiles, one has to wonder if we are witnessing the slow fade- out of pronoun announcements in government and public life?