Anyone who hasn’t been living under a rock is aware of the tumultuous tensions and terror attacks around the globe; nonetheless, the Biden White House holds the fear of “misgendering” people at the top of its priorities list. In a February 5 cable, Secretary of State Antony Blinken instructed State Department employees to avoid using terms like “mother/father,” “son/daughter,” and “husband/wife.”
The subject of the cable is “Modeling DEIA: Gender Identity Best Practices,” and its aim is to “increase understanding of gender identity and provide guidance on gender identity language and best practices that support an inclusive work environment.” In the cable, Blinken asserted that using such terms is making assumptions about another person’s gender identity based on their appearance or name, which “can be problematic” and send a “harmful, exclusionary message” Blinken wrote.
National Review recently obtained the text of the cable and was able to verify its authenticity. The outlet also notes that when Blinken provided the State Department with this cable was in early February, just days after the United States launched dozens of strikes against Iranian-backed militants in retaliation for the killing of three American soldiers. Blinken felt it was the right time to highlight the threat of “misgendering.”
The cable goes on to say that gender is a social construct and that gender identity is a person’s “innermost concept of self as masculine, feminine, a blend of both, or neither,” which “may or may not correspond with one’s sex assigned at birth.”
It suggests that State Department employees identify their pronouns in their email signatures and when introducing themselves in meetings “to show respect and avoid misunderstandings.”
“Commonly used pronouns could include she/her, he/him, they/them, and ze/zir,” the cable says, adding that some people use more than one set of pronouns and some people may accept all pronouns. “This is a personal decision that should be respected.”
The cable also instructs staffers to use “gender-neutral language whenever possible.” Problematic terms like “manpower,” “you guys,” “ladies and gentlemen” and even “mother/father,” “son/daughter,” and “husband/wife” should be avoided. Better to use terms like “labor force,” “everyone,” “folks,” “you all,” and “parent,” “child,” and “spouse” or partner” instead, the cable says.
“When speaking, avoid using phrases like ‘brave men and women on the front lines,’” the cable adds, suggesting that staffers “use more specific language such as ‘brave first responders,’ ‘brave soldiers,’ or ‘brave DS agents.’”
The cable also instructs State Department employees not to “pressure someone to state their pronouns,” to handle mistakes with “subtlety and grace,” and to remember that gender identity “may be fluid, so remain attuned to and supportive of shifts in pronouns.”