Air Force lifts restrictions on sharing pronouns at work

The U.S.A. Air Force has lifted its restriction on employees sharing pronouns in emails and professional communications, according to The Hill. This policy change stems from a 2023 law, but it remains uncertain if other military branches will follow suit and lift their own similar restrictions.

On February 4, Air Force officials instructed personnel to eliminate pronouns in accordance with an executive order from the president, which ended federal recognition of gender identity. This order required all federal departments and agencies to “remove all statements, policies, regulations, forms, communications, or other messages that promote gender ideology.”

The Air Force’s decision to reverse the pronoun ban was informed by the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act. This congressional law specifies the operational budgets of the armed forces and includes a provision stating that the U.S.A. defence secretary “may not require or prohibit a member of the armed forces or a civilian employee of the Department of Defense to identify gender or personal pronouns in any official correspondence of the Department.”

According to ‘LGBTQ Nation’, on April 2, the Air Force issued a memo lifting the ban, allowing military personnel and civilian workers to include personal pronouns in email signatures, memoranda, letters, documents, social media, and official websites, as reported by The Hill.

The memo also points out that due to legal challenges to the president’s order, those in the military and civilians who have changed their gender markers are not required to wear uniforms or use facilities designated for the opposite gender.

To adhere to the president’s order, the Air Force directed its personnel to terminate any programs, trainings, and public-facing materials that “promote” gender identity. Additionally, it mandated the removal of the term “gender” from all application forms.