Taskmaster viewers are opening up about how Mae Martin helped them to use they/them pronouns
Mae Martin helped Taskmaster fans to understand they/them pronouns. (Getty/Steve Granitz)
Mae Martin has sent a sweet message to a fan who tweeted about how the comedian’s appearance on Channel 4 gameshow Taskmaster helped them understand they/them pronouns.
Canadian actor and comedian Martin, who is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns, is appearing on series 15 of the hit show alongside other celebrity contestants.
The aim of the show is to impress taskmaster and comedian Greg Davies and his sidekick Alex Horn, by completing a series of challenges.
Throughout Martin’s appearance on the show, Davies, Horne and the other contestants have used they/them pronouns when talking about the Feel Good star, and it’s clearly having an impact on viewers.
“I’d like to say thank you to Mae Martin, Alex Horne and Greg Davies for showing me how to use the ‘they/them’ pronouns properly,” a fan wrote on Twitter after the latest episode. “I’ve always wanted to know but really had no one to ask. So, for anyone else in my age group who may have not known, Boomers, we say thank you.”
Martin, 35, responded with a heartfelt message, explaining that as long as you try to use the right pronouns, making mistakes is fine.
“This is so lovely,” Martin said. “It’s OK to mess up sometimes and not get it right, it’s just nice and respectful to give it a shot, and not that hard once you start.”
Other people have responded to the thread with their own tales of how Martin is helping to normalise non-binary pronouns.
“I was so confused before and often did a double take at first,” one person said, reflecting on the Taskmaster host’s use of they/them pronouns. “It was hard to get my head around it but I completely get it now. Awareness is a wonderful thing.”
Another person added: “I have a non-binary child and it took me a while to switch but I now do get them right. It is great to see everyone using them on Taskmaster with such ease.”
It’s not the first time that Taskmaster viewers have reflected on the power of seeing straight, cis male comedians respecting non-binary people.
“Stepdad turning and correctly using ‘they’ pronouns for Mae because Greg used ‘their’ earlier in the episode. This is how we educate people, get big scary Greg Davies to do it first,” one viewer wrote in a now-viral tweet.
Martin came out as non-binary in 2021, and has used their platform to speak out against the attacks against trans people.
In their new Netflix stand-up special, SAP, they took aim at fellow comedians Ricky Gervais and David Chappelle, calling them out for “punching down” against the trans community.
Taskmaster airs on Dave at 6pm on Fridays.
