Video transcript: Let’s talk about pronouns

Video length: 4:59 minutes

Two shadowy teal silhouettes of people stand against a dark background. The image changes to two light purple silhouettes. One light purple silhouette turns teal.

Pleasant music plays in the background. A narrator speaks over the images. The video is predominantly shown using a variety of animation techniques.

Narrator: Talking about pronouns, identity or gender may feel challenging. And that’s okay.

Two dark purple silhouettes stand together. Two teal silhouettes stand back to back. The groups of silhouettes flash by rapidly.

Narrator: These topics ask us to rethink what we thought we knew.

One teal silhouette leaves the other standing alone.

An outline of a person is filled in with footage of grey clouds. The cloud-patterned person breathes in and then out.

Narrator: So, let’s talk about it simply.

The clouds in the person’s outline drift away to show a deep blue sky.

Paper cutouts of the moon and sun float in a night sky filled with stars. The cutouts circle each other in the sky. Bits of paper crinkle in the centre of the image.

A black-and-white cutout of a new baby, curled in the fetal position, floats under a cutout of pink balloons.

Narrator: When we’re born, we’re usually assigned a gender based on our bodies.

Black-and-white paper cutouts of babies surround a grey, empty frame. The background is lit by a purple nebula. A smiling baby, with her arms outstretched, appears inside the frame. Her image turns to colour. The baby wears a lilac onesie and a pink hat, and a stuffed unicorn sits beside them. A green checkmark appears at the top right corner of the frame. The frame also turns green.

Narrator: But gender isn’t just a box checked at birth.

A different baby appears in the frame and turns from black-and-white to colour. The baby wears a blue baseball cap turned backwards and a lavender top, and sits next to a red-and-yellow dump truck. The frame again turns green, and a checkmark appears in the top right corner.

The babies and frame disappear, except for the baby in the frame, who moves to the bottom of the image. A rubber duck and toy Tyrannosaurus Rex appear beside them, along with an orange traffic sign with black writing. All are paper cutouts.

Text: Social construct

The duck and dinosaur are at the top of a pile of toys, which surges upward to push the baby higher in the image. The pile includes a pink and purple dollhouse, action figures, a stuffed pig, a unicorn, and several television screens displaying video games and children’s shows. The baby giggles.

In a series of cutouts, the baby passes through the toddler stages as the pile grows, and eventually stands at the top of the pile, wearing blue overalls. The camera zooms out to reveal that the child is in a television screen.

With the same night sky backdrop, an elementary school-aged child sits on the television, reading a book with a red cover. They have short brown hair and wear a black-and-white vest over a white short-sleeved shirt, a black backpack and grey pants. They are sitting in the middle of an empty road, in a desolate landscape.

Several other television screens surround the child, featuring various programs, including a North American football game, a balance scale, a war program and a show with a man in a suit. Paper cutouts of activities are interspersed around the televisions, including a soccer player, a ballet dancer, several cheerleaders in a pyramid and an astronaut. A small mobile device features a vintage still cartoon of a woman cooking. On a billboard in the background, a woman purses her lips in a sensual manner.

Narrator: Gender is a social construct: a set of roles and expectations shaped by the society we live in.

The sky turns black and the nebula disappears. The child and other images move off to the side.

On a bare, rocky landscape, Canadian coins drop from the night sky. They rattle as they land.

Narrator: Other examples include money and borders:

A cutout of a black permanent pen draws a line up the centre of the landscape. A magenta flag pops up on one side of the line and a teal flag on the other.

The image gives way to a black-and-white vintage photo of audience members wearing 3D glasses. The glasses are tinted in magenta and teal.

Narrator: these ideas only hold value and meaning because people collectively agree they do. And these agreements vary across cultures and change over time.

A red carpet appears against the space backdrop, surrounded by velvet ropes strung on poles. A succession of outfits appear in paper cutouts over the carpet, including a plaid pantsuit, a black jacket with a tam and a plaid kilt, a long cream robe with gold embroidery around the neck and chest, an elaborately embroidered jacket with short black breeches and a three-cornered hat, and a blue kimono with pink-and-white flowers and a yellow sash.

A white marble arch appears over the kimono. It surrounds a brown wooden door. On the door is a dark brown sign with white writing.

Text: Gender Identity

Narrator: So, gender identity is not a fixed truth. It’s connected to how we feel inside:

The camera zooms in and the door opens to a swirling circle of torn-up bits of paper, including ads and excerpts from books and newspapers. The papers give way to a cutout of an anatomically correct heart, in deep red, floating in space. Purple, pink and red flowers and green foliage appear around the heart. Orange butterflies rest around the flowers. A faint heartbeat sound plays.

Narrator: Man. Woman. Both. Neither. Or something else entirely. It’s a personal experience of who we are.

A black sign with a white frame appears against the space background. Words appear inside the frame in shades of red, pink, purple and teal.

Text: Gender Expression

Splotches of pink, purple and peach paint appear in the night sky.

Narrator: Gender expression is different:

Nine rectangular photos with white frames come together to form an image of three people. One has long hair and wears a long orange shirt over grey pants. The second has a beard and wears an orange T-shirt and blue jeans. The third person has short, spiky hair and black glasses, and wears a pantsuit in a slightly darker orange. The images flicker quickly to show a wide variety of different people and outfits, mixing and matching clothing and hairstyles.

Narrator: it’s the way we show our gender identity to the world. It has to do with how we dress, talk, move and more.

The photographs disperse. In paper cutouts, a person stands against the night sky, on a paper mesh platform. The person has short hair. Black-and-white cutouts of hands move into the image, dressing the person in orange shorts, a pale yellow T-shirt, purple sunglasses, rainbow socks and white sneakers. A grey towel is on their shoulder.

Narrator: So, here’s the thing:

The hands adjust the person’s clothes, switching to a polo shirt and wide-legged pants, in two tones of pink. Cutouts move over their face, switching their expression to a mischievous pout. Large hoop earrings and a pink purse complete the outfit.

Narrator: it doesn’t always align with what society expects. That’s why we can’t assume someone’s gender just by how they look or sound.

The person is given a bright pink, longer hairstyle, and is dressed in a dramatic dark blue evening gown with feathers. They wear fishnet stockings. One of the hands snatches the person from the image.

Narrator: And that’s where pronouns come in.

Nine boxes with white frames fill the screen with a black background. In white chalk writing, many different pronouns are assembled.

Text: Pers/Any pronoun/Hir/ille/Her/Them/Their/He/Ol

The writing in the boxes flickers rapidly through various pronouns in English and French, and the camera zooms out to reveal many more boxes.

Narrator: They may seem like small, everyday words, but they carry deep meaning. They reflect our identities.

On a plain dark purple background, teal and purple silhouettes of people stand together. They turn to face each other. The image changes to a grey silhouette of a person standing alone. A magenta flower with green leaves appears within the silhouette. The flower blooms. The silhouette turns dark purple.

Narrator: For someone whose gender is often misunderstood, hearing the right ones can mean—“I see you. I respect you.” And that recognition fosters safety and trust.

A series of silhouettes, each filled with colourful flowers, flashes across the screen. The flowers are blooming.

Several faint silhouettes walk across a dark background. One steps forward, with a candle shining within their silhouette.

Narrator: Let’s take a moment to reflect. Imagine going through your day at work and no one calls you by your correct pronouns.

A puff of breath blows the candle out. Smoke curls from the candle.

Narrator: How do you feel? Do you feel respected?

Several silhouettes flash by, each containing a flower. The flowers are all wilting. Somber music plays.

Narrator: Being constantly misgendered feels like your identity isn’t important. Like it doesn’t matter. Over time, that pain adds up. It can lead to stress, isolation, even hopelessness.

A paper cutout of a rose, in varying shades of red, appears against a black background.

Narrator: Intent matters—but so does impact.

The camera zooms out, and the rose is surrounded by a circle of paper thorns. The rose disappears and paper cutouts of white block letters form the word “him” on black and orange squares of paper.

Narrator: If we misgender someone by mistake, we correct it and move forward.

The word “him” disappears, replaced by “them.” The word floats against a black backdrop.

In the same lettering, more text appears.

Text: Mistakes are human

Narrator: Mistakes are human. No one is perfect.

The letters dissolve into scattered pieces of paper. They reassemble to form new letters.

Text: We care

Narrator: When we slip up, here are ways to show that we care:

Brightly-coloured 3D letters, in shades of yellow, orange, green and white, appear in the sky and form phrases. The phrases periodically disappear and new ones appear.

Text: We apologize
We keep it brief
We commit to doing better
We offer space and support

Narrator: We apologize. We keep it brief, not making it about ourselves. We commit to doing better. We offer space and support, allowing recovery.

The letters disappear and are replaced by a black-and-white image of a closed eye. The image is framed in purple. The eye opens and a paper tear appears under it.

Narrator: The person affected should never have to comfort us.

The tear falls through the sky, turning from blue to yellow, and reforms into a sideways triangle. Several other colourful shapes appear in the sky next to it. They move toward the triangle. They arrange themselves in the shape of an intersex-inclusive progress pride flag.

Narrator: It shouldn’t always fall on trans, non-binary or gender-fluid people to be the ones expected to explain everything, to justify themselves, or correct others every time.

The flag disappears. A red megaphone pops up. Yellow paper letters stream out of it.

Text: Explain

A silver gramophone horn appears underneath. More letters appear beside it, as if coming out of the horn.

Text: Justify

Another blue and white megaphone appears. More letters appear beside it, as though projected from the megaphone:

Text: Correct

A pink piece of paper uncrumples, covering the megaphones and the black background, and revealing white letters, underlined in green and blue. A robin lands on the letters.

Text: Kindness

Narrator: Taking responsibility is an act of kindness.

The paper tears apart and disappears. The black background returns.

Narrator: However, refusing to use someone’s correct pronouns is not a mistake.

Paper cutouts of grey pillars rise up from the bottom of the screen. An ancient statue of a man, down on one knee and leaning forward, appears between them. Underneath, three more statues appear. Two have cutout paper images of eyes on their faces and one has the cutout image of a hand in a “facepalm” gesture.

A rusty grey storage locker slams down onto the kneeling statue’s back and outstretched arms.

Text: Disrespect

Narrator: It’s disrespect. And no one should have to carry that burden.

The statues fall through the bottom of the image, disappearing, and a paper heart unfolds from the centre of the night sky. It is made of cut-up newsprint and art in red, blue, yellow and white.

Narrator: Creating a culture of respect may start by making simple choices, like not pressuring someone to share their pronouns. Why?

The camera zooms out and the heart is covered by a cutout of an old brown leather trunk. There is a pink padlock on it.

Paper-cutout arms reach out to the trunk. They are holding tools and they chip away at the lock.

Narrator: Because insisting on it can unintentionally force someone to out themselves. And coming out should always happen on their terms, not someone else’s.

A blue key is inserted into the lock. The lock turns gold and opens. The lid pops off the trunk and the trunk splits in half. Inside is a card, in a sepia tone, with an image of the world and black text. The trunk disappears and the camera zooms in on the card.

Text: My Pronouns

Gold stars twinkle in the night sky. Splotches of white paint dot the background. A rainbow extends from the card.

The card flips over to reveal a black rose and more text.

Text: My Name

Narrator: Some people may not use pronouns at all, and that deserves respect too.

More cards, with images of nature (including dolphins, seahorses, cardinals, flowers, birds and fruit), fly out from behind the first card. They feature various combinations of pronouns. The rainbow from the first card is unfurled behind them.

Text: She/they; They/Them/Theirs; She/Her/Hers; He/Him/His; Ask me my pronouns; He/they

Narrator: Sharing pronouns should always be a personal choice.

The image changes completely, now in live-action footage. Against a white background, a bearded person with a supportive neck brace stands facing the camera. They hold onto a walker. They are wearing a dark blue suit with a yellow pocket square and shirt, a dark blue polka-dotted tie and a small red lapel pin with an emblem. This person is the narrator.

Person 1: By approaching others with openness and avoiding assumptions,

A bearded person in a black T-shirt takes up the narrative.

Person 2: we help to create spaces

A person in a loose black-and-white floral blouse over a long-sleeved grey shirt continues the conversation. They have long, light-coloured hair with long yellow-gold braids extending from near their temples.

Person 3: where people feel safe and seen.

A person with a mustache, a light blue button-down shirt and a tattoo on their arm joins in.

Person 4: When in doubt, just ask yourself:

A fifth person with bobbed hair, dark-rimmed glasses, a teal jacket and a black T-shirt continues the conversation.

Person 5: How would I want to be treated?

Another person is in a red-and-white floral skirt and a black T-shirt. They have long wavy blonde hair and glasses. The text on their shirt is white, except for the final word, which is in rainbow colours.

Text: he/she/they/them/Human

Person 6: If you’re unsure how to help just ask:

The seventh person is in a two-toned blue hoodie with thin horizontal stripes and brown pants.

Person 7: “How can I best support you if you’re misgendered or deadnamed?”

A person with a beard and spiked hair, wearing glasses, a black jacket and a yellow shirt, appears next.

Person 8: There’s no one-size-fits-all answer.

The ninth person has glasses and long hair, and wears a burgundy sweater and black pants.

Person 9: Your best tools are mindfulness,

Person 10 has shoulder-length hair and cat’s eye glasses, and wears a dusty rose jacket over a floral shirt.

Person 10: respect for individuality

Person 1: and a willingness to listen.

Person 1 returns.

Person 8 stands before a light yellow background. Words in grey and yellow swirl

around them.

Text: He/him/il/lui

The narrator is once again off-screen.

Narrator (Person 1): Most importantly, it all comes down to this:

Person 9 stands against a pink background, with purple and yellow letters.

Text: Elle/il/they/she

Narrator (Person 1): We all have a role to play.

Person 2 smiles and stands against a dark blue background with blue and grey letters.

Text: Him/il/lui/they/them/iel/he/him

Narrator (Person 1): Each of us can help create a culture where no one feels invisible.

Person 10 smiles and stands against a yellow background with letters in shades of pink and purple.

Text: She/her/elle/la

Person 4 smiles and stands against a blue background with brown and red letters.

Text: Him/il/lui/he/him

Person 5 stands against a light purple background with red and pink lettering.

Text: Elle/she

Narrator (Person 1): So let’s keep listening. Let’s keep learning.

Person 7 stands against a light green background with purple, peach and blue lettering.

Text: He/him/il

Person 6 smiles and adjusts their glasses. They stand in front of a pink background with burgundy and yellow lettering.

Text: Elle/her/she/la

Narrator (Person 1): Using the right pronouns is a simple, powerful act.

Person 3 stands against a white background with blue, yellow and red letters.

Text: They/them/theirs/lui/iel/ellui

A heartbeat sound plays. A plain black background appears.

Narrator (Person 1): At its heart, it’s about respect.

White text appears next to a small emblem of the Canadian flag.

Text: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
Immigration, Réfugiés et Citoyenneté Canada

This is replaced by more text, with an animation of the Canadian flag waving over the final “a.”

Text: Canada