Gender-equitable form of address
In 2017, the Federal Constitutional Court ruled that the general right of personality also protects the gender identity of people who are neither male nor female. In 2018, the Bundestag subsequently created the possibility for these people to have the option "diverse" entered in the civil status register. The right to a correct form of address can also be derived from general personal rights. It is also an important expression of acceptance and respect to address people correctly according to their gender identity and sex.
However, it is not always possible to deduce from the first name which form of address is the correct one, because a person's gender or gender identity is not recognizable from their first name. In addition, there are also first names in German-speaking countries from which the gender cannot be clearly deduced (e.g. Toni or Jill). In addition, there are names that are not common in German, where the gender is not recognized.
Recommendations for action
Self-disclosure in the e-mail signature
In order to choose the correct form of address, it is important to be transparent about how you would like to be addressed. For example, you can state your preferred pronoun in your signature:
Maro Musterperson (they/them)
TU Dortmund University
Department XX
Muster Str. 4a
44227 Dortmund
Tel.: +49 231-755 xxxx
Mail: maro.musterperson@tu-dortmund.de
Active request to state your own pronouns
In addition to the self-disclosure of how you would like to be addressed, you can actively motivate others in the postscript to tell you how they would like to be addressed.
Example formulations are:
- People's gender identity cannot be reliably deduced from their appearance or name. My pronouns are they/them. You are welcome to tell me how you would like to be addressed.
- People's gender identity cannot be reliably deduced from either their appearance or their name. My pronouns are she/her. You are welcome to let me know how you would like to be addressed.
- The introduction of gender-inclusive language is a sensible way to promote gender equality, avoid gender stereotypes and combat gender bias. My pronoun is 'they/their'. By sharing your preferred pronoun, you can help me and others to address you accordingly.
- Adopting gender-inclusive language is a meaningful way to promote gender equality, avoid gender stereotypes and fight gender bias. My pronoun is 'she/her'. By sharing your preferred pronoun, you can help me and others to address you accordingly.
Tips for the speech
If the gender or gender identity of a person is known, there is no reason not to address them as "Dear Ms. Sample Person" or "Dear Mr. Sample Person". If the form of address desired by the addressee is not known, a gender-neutral form such as "Hello Mr. Sample Person" is suitable. In the further course of the correspondence, female/male pronouns can be used side by side or a neopronoun (e.g. sier, sie*er, si_er, xier) can also be used. Neopronouns are often used by non-binary persons to avoid the binary pronouns "she" and "he".
Self-disclosure, motivation to communicate the desired form of address and the use of a neutral form of address when the correct form is not known create visibility and promote awareness that the correct form of address is important and respectful in mutual interaction.
Dealing with titles, degrees and job titles
Academic degrees, official titles and job titles should be used in a gender-neutral manner. There are two rules for the declension of abbreviations:
1. if the abbreviation ends in a small letter, an "in" or an "a" is added after the period (superscript).
Examples:
Professor = Prof.in/Prof.in
Doktorin = Dr.in/Dr.in
Bakkalaurea = Bakk.a/ Bakk.a
Magistra = Mag.a/ Mag.a
2. if the abbreviation ends in a capital letter, the period is omitted and an in or an a (superscript) is also added.
Examples:
Diplomingenieurin = DIin/ DIin
Amtsrätin = ARin/ ARin