A change in Maryland law allowed this to happen
A new pronoun usage guide for employees at Maryland’s Johns Hopkins Medicine offers up 50 options, according to Fox Digital News.
The listed pronouns include ve, xe, per and ae, with one example provided: ” Ae cleaned the office all by aerself.”
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Paula Neira — John Hopkins’ program director for LGBTQ+ equity and education, said earlier on a podcast, professionals who work for the hospital system can also use a chosen name on their ID badges.
“On the workforce side, for our people, we updated the ID badge policy this March of 2022 to allow us to use a chosen name on our ID badge,” said Neira, a transgender military veteran.
“Maryland law had changed, which allows that to happen.”
Dr. Stanley Goldfarb, a retired professor and the former associate dean for curriculum at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, said changes to names and pronouns could be confusing for patients.
“The most important component of the physician patient relationship is the ability to have clear and appropriate communication,” Goldfarb said.
“To use pronouns associated with one’s identification badge suggests that an individual has a particular ideological and political perspective. For some patients, this may be off-putting and actually damage the physician, patient relationship.”
A Johns Hopkins Medicine spokesperson said it’s committed to “fostering a supportive, diverse and inclusive community.”
