A grumpy perspective from an older gay guy. Those who prefer alternative pronouns are generally a little easier to identify as they don’t tend to conform with stereotypes, which is fine. “Gender bending” as it was referred to years ago, for better or worse. I get it - you don’t fit societal norms. So the proper thing to do is ask politely and respect their choice.
But for many, this new generation of asking about pronouns is a ludicrous irritant. The notion that there are 50+ genders out there is just beyond farce. Utter drivel. From a medical perspective, it can be downright irresponsible. I don’t care what you “wanna be”. But if you were born with ovaries or testicles, better damn well let me know ahead of a medical intervention, lest we accidentally cause harm. And as for your sexual preferences, totally your own business.
And straight colleagues who have to have their pronouns in an email signature drives me insane. It’s like people with different pronouns are suddenly in the vast majority. No… you have boobs or use a urinal. Sometimes even both. I’m gonna put my neck on the line and take a wild guess. 99/100 times, I’ll be on the money.
We are putting waaay too much emphasis upon this. It’s now creating a divide by categorising people like species. Best compliment for an LGBTQ+ person is not to give a damn, because it’s no more interesting than the colour of their eyes. Treat others as you wish to be treated and if you make an error, they’ll correct you, so just apologise and move on.