Interior Department tells employees to stop using gendered terms such as 'husband' and 'son'

The 24-page guide said bureaucrats should also replace terms like "husband" and "wife" and replace them with "spouse," and to use "they/them" pronouns when referring to someone, instead of assuming a specific gender.

Published: June 27, 2024 12:14pm

The Interior Department has updated its "inclusive language guide" to include instructions for employees to stop using such gender-specific terms as "son" and "daughter," and replace them with more generalized terms such as "kid" or "child."

The 24-page guide said agency employees should also replace terms such as "husband" and "wife" with "spouse," The Daily Wire reported Thursday.

It also instructs employees to use "they/them" pronouns when referring to someone, instead of assuming a specific gender.

“When referring to individuals whose identified pronouns are not known or when the gender of a generic or hypothetical person is irrelevant within the context, use their name or a singular ‘they’ to avoid making assumptions about an individual’s gender,” the document reads. 

It also encouraged staffers to avoid terms that imply that gender is binary, such as "opposite sex" because some people do not identify as either gender. It also said people should refrain from using the phrase "preferred pronouns" because it implies that people get to choose what pronoun they identify with.

The document comes as the Biden administration focuses on making the federal government more inclusive to minorities, such as the LGBTQ community. It also comes at the end of Pride month, which occurs every June. Other agencies, including the National Security Agency have embraced the "woke" diversity, equity, and inclusion ideologies. 

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