{"id":15844,"date":"2024-02-21T07:47:11","date_gmt":"2024-02-21T07:47:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/2024\/02\/21\/state-department-defends-blinken-memo-urging-staffers-to-avoid-problematic-language-like-manpower\/"},"modified":"2024-02-21T07:47:11","modified_gmt":"2024-02-21T07:47:11","slug":"state-department-defends-blinken-memo-urging-staffers-to-avoid-problematic-language-like-manpower","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/2024\/02\/21\/state-department-defends-blinken-memo-urging-staffers-to-avoid-problematic-language-like-manpower\/","title":{"rendered":"State department defends Blinken memo urging staffers to avoid \u2018problematic\u2019 language like \u2018manpower\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

The State Department defended a memo from Secretary of State Antony Blinken this month that urged staffers to steer clear of gendered language such as \u2018mother\u2019 and \u2018manpower.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2018If you look at that memo, as I have done, it\u2019s a standard government practice to try to encourage people to just to be respectful of others, and use the terms with which others are comfortable, and talk to people the way that they would like to be addressed. And nothing more than that,\u2019 State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said Tuesday during a press briefing.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Miller was reacting to reports of Blinken sending a memo titled \u2018Modeling DEIA: Gender Identity Best Practices,\u2019 that aimed to \u2018increase understanding of gender identity and provide guidance on gender identity language and best practices that support an inclusive work environment.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018When speaking, avoid using phrases like \u2018brave men and women on the front lines,\u2019\u2019 Blinken\u2019s Feb. 5 cable, which was first obtained by the National Review, said. Instead, State staffers should \u2018use more specific language such as \u2018brave first responders,\u2019 \u2018brave soldiers,\u2019 or \u2018brave DS agents.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

Miller said that though the memo had Blinken\u2019s name on it, it did not necessarily come directly from the Secretary of State.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2018When it comes to these types of cables, they all come out with the Secretary\u2019s signature on it. That\u2019s the standard department practice, has been for years. It doesn\u2019t mean that it\u2019s necessarily a memo from the secretary himself,\u2019 he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The guidance runs through a list of gendered phrases and words that should be avoided, including: \u2018manpower,\u2019 \u2018you guys,\u2019 \u2018ladies and gentlemen,\u2019 \u2018mother\/father,\u2019 \u2018son\/daughter\u2019 and \u2018husband\/wife.\u2019 Instead, the memo urged staff to use \u2018labor force,\u2019 \u2018everyone,\u2019 \u2018folks,\u2019 \u2018you all,\u2019 \u2018parent,\u2019 \u2018child,\u2019 \u2018spouse\u2019 or partner,\u2019 according to the report.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Use \u2018gender-neutral language whenever possible\u2019 to \u2018show respect and avoid misunderstandings,\u2019 the guidance continued, and encouraged employees to include their preferred pronouns in emails or during meetings.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The cable also cautioned employees against assuming someone\u2019s gender based on how they look or their name, as that \u2018can be problematic\u2019 and can send a \u2018harmful, exclusionary message.\u2019<\/p>\n

The State Department is charged with advising the president on foreign policy, as well as negotiating agreements with other nations. The memo was published as the U.S. grapples with ongoing wars raging between Ukraine and Russia, as well as the war in Israel, and just days after the U.S. launched strikes on\u00a0Iranian-backed militants following the deaths of three American service members.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The memo added that staffers should not \u2018pressure someone to state their pronouns,\u2019 as it is \u2018a personal decision that should be respected.\u2019 If a staffer uses the wrong pronoun, Blinken\u2019s memo asked that they handle the situation with \u2018subtlety and grace,\u2019 while noting identity \u2018may be fluid, so remain attuned to and supportive of shifts in pronouns.\u2019<\/p>\n

Other agencies under the Biden administration have rolled out guidance on inclusive and non-gendered language, including pronoun guidance for the Department of Health and Human Services that was slammed by an expert last year as violating employee rights and speculating it would lead to firings for \u2018misgendering.\u2019<\/p>\n\n

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The State Department defended a memo from Secretary of State Antony Blinken this month that urged staffers to steer clear of gendered language such as \u2018mother\u2019 and \u2018manpower.\u2019\u00a0 \u2018If you look at that memo, as I have done, it\u2019s a standard government practice to try to encourage people to just to be respectful of others, <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":15845,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-15844","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-politics"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15844","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15844"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15844\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15845"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15844"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15844"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15844"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}