Note: The Lawrence Times runs opinion columns and letters to the Times written by community members with varying perspectives on local issues. These pieces do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Times staff.
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I’m having a hard time pushing the delete key and removing my pronouns from my email signature as mandated by Kansas — in fact, I can’t do it. It feels wrong.
What may appear to some as a small or symbolic change is, in fact, part of a calculated and targeted campaign to marginalize transgender and nonbinary individuals. This is not just about email signatures. This is about civil rights, academic freedom and our shared responsibility to protect vulnerable members of our community.
Related news article:
• In final push to boot DEI initiatives, KU tells employees to remove pronouns from email signatures, July 22, 2025
Compelling individuals to erase their gender identity or refrain from acknowledging the identities of others under threat of state pressure violates core constitutional principles. The First Amendment protects not only freedom of speech but also the right to refrain from speaking. Forcing someone to omit personal pronouns from their communication constitutes compelled silence. When that silence is selectively enforced against a minority group, it becomes state-sponsored discrimination.
This law is not neutral. It disproportionately impacts transgender and nonbinary people by attempting to erase their visibility in public and professional settings. Such targeted legislation is deeply concerning, both ethically and legally. To suppress the expression of identity under the guise of state law is morally indefensible.
To some, removing pronouns might seem insignificant. But these acts are never just about the surface. They are tests of our collective conscience. What starts as a “small” restriction becomes a slippery slope toward larger, more insidious forms of exclusion and censorship.
Including pronouns does no harm. But being complicit in policies that marginalize and silence others can cause profound and lasting damage. We must not allow a group of people to be deleted.
— Marshall Maude (he/him), Lawrence
Co-director, School of the Arts
Chairperson, Department of Visual Art
Associate professor of ceramics
University of Kansas
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