He, she, they: Why is it so important to get a person's preferred pronoun right?

Stace Callaghan is transmasculine, non-binary and queer and says being misgendered is "distressing". Key points: Being repeatedly misgendered can be "distressing" for people in the LGBTQIA+ community Acknowleding and accepting a person's identity can help them feel visible, heard, valued and included It can start with accepting and using a person's preferred pronouns "If somebody calls me a lady, I very gently want to rip their face off — I hate it. LGBTIQ+ 2021 mental health snapshot shows that: LGBTIQ+ 16 to 17-year-olds were three times more likely than someone in the general population to have attempted suicide in the past 12 months That age group are five times more likely to have attempted suicide in their lifetime Those aged 16 to 27 years were five times more likely to have attempted suicide in their lifetime People with an intersex variation aged 16 years and over are six times more likely to have attempted suicide in their lifetime Transgender people aged 14 to 25 years were 15 times more likely to have attempted suicide Source: LGBTIQ+ Health Australia Gail Crimmins, from the University of the Sunshine Coast, researches and teaches about gender. Dr Crimmins said that, while "most" LGBTQIA+ Australians lived a happy and healthy life, a "disproportionate number experienced poor mental health" and experienced stigma, prejudice, discrimination and abuse which could lead to suicidal behaviour. Stace agreed: "I think it's much harder in older generations but definitely younger people, they're all over it … in at least a generation's time it will be much, much less of an issue."