The difficult decision
Fran Itkoff, an elderly disabled woman in California, was dismissed from her volunteer work at the National Multiple Sclerosis Society because she asked about the use of pronouns in an email signature. “I was confused. I didn’t know what it was and what it meant,” she said.
When Itkoff was allegedly asked by an unnamed worker at the nonprofit group to use her pronouns, the 90-year-old woman said that she did not understand the request.
Probably because there’s no such thing as “my pronouns.” There is such a thing as “my name”; there is not such thing as “my pronouns” or “my verbs” or “my adjectives.” Language is public property.
Following the conversation, she received an email a few days later explaining that she had violated the MS Society’s diversity, equity, and inclusion guidelines.
“We appreciate your dedication and contribution as a Self-Help Group Leader with our organization. As we discussed earlier during a phone conversation, after a thorough review of our guidelines and standards, it has come to our attention that there has been a failure to abide by Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion guidelines during your time as a volunteer,” the email to Itkoff read.
The email continued, “Unfortunately, based on the situation, we have made the difficult decision to have you step down from your volunteer position, effective immediately.”
Itkoff had been volunteering for 60 years at the MS Society and previously, her husband, who had MS before he died 20 years ago, had run the Long Beach Lakewood MS support group, which she took over to honor him.
Blah blah blah; never mind all that; she committed PRONOUN CRIME!
Her daughter Elle Hamilton said volunteering for the support group has been her mother’s whole life with the goal of helping other patients get through their situations.
Never mind; PRONOUNS.
I didn’t know that the MS Society was run by the same management team as the Vancouver Transit Police.
Wow, one strike and you’re out. (I’m sure they must have been looking for some excuse to get rid of her.)
Man, that’s cold. Pronouns aside it’s a shitty way to treat such a dedicated volunteer. Even if they were getting to the point where they weren’t really meeting your needs anymore. I’ve had to manage that situation before in a safety critical setting. We made the time to go and visit the person, discuss and explain our concerns, offer them a range of alternative roles with the organisation, and adapted based on their desires. You don’t cast aside a lifetime of dedication.