Harris County Public Health denies mandating personal gender pronouns amid employee report
HARRIS COUNTY, Texas - Harris County Public Health has denied reports it is pressuring employees to employ personal gender pronouns on correspondence.
A HCPH employee requesting anonymity reached out to FOX 26 to complain about an alleged directive.
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"Harris County Public Health's HR director mandates that employees have to write pronouns on their email signature. Some employees are uncomfortable," said the employee.
Personal gender pronouns include HE/HIM for those identifying as "male", SHE/HER for those identifying as "female", and THEY/THEM for folks who identify as "Trans or non-binary".
The personal designations have been pushed by some organizations as a means of promoting so called, "gender equity and acceptance".
Fox 26 asked Harris Health for clarification.
"This practice is encouraged to foster inclusivity in all forms, but is not a mandate or an official policy," said an agency spokesperson in an e-mailed response.
Mandated or not, Harris County Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey believes "pro-noun pushing" ultimately does more harm than good.
"It's almost like you can't be a part of the team unless you answer this question. I would say that is a very slippery slope bringing their politics to the workplace, creating an uncomfortable work environment. I would even term it a toxic work environment, and that needs not to be the case at Harris County. People just want to make a living. They don't want to participate in your political agenda," said Ramsey, who intends to seek a review from the Human Resources Director.
According to the Pew Research Center, roughly half of Americans are receptive to use of gender neutral pronouns while nearly half are uncomfortable with or opposed to their use.