State department defends Blinken memo urging staffers to avoid ‘problematic’ language like ‘manpower’

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The State Department defended a memo from Secretary of State Antony Blinken this month that urged staffers to avoid gendered language akin to “mother” and “manpower.” 

“If you look at that memo, as I have done, it’s 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,” State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller stated Tuesday throughout a press briefing. 

Miller was reacting to stories of Blinken sending a memo titled “Modeling DEIA: Gender Identity Best Practices,” that aimed to “increase understanding of gender identity and provide guidance on gender identity language and best practices that support an inclusive work environment.”

“When speaking, avoid using phrases like ‘brave men and women on the front lines,’” Blinken’s Feb. 5 cable, which was first obtained by the National Review, stated. Instead, State staffers ought to “use more specific language such as ‘brave first responders,’ ‘brave soldiers,’ or ‘brave DS agents.’”

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Blinken at press conference

Secretary of State Antony Blinken took warmth on social media after touting the U.S. State Departments work to safe international peace this yr. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Miller stated that although the memo had Blinken’s title on it, it didn’t essentially come immediately from the Secretary of State. 

“When it comes to these types of cables, they all come out with the Secretary’s signature on it. That’s the standard department practice, has been for years. It doesn’t mean that it’s necessarily a memo from the secretary himself,” he stated. 

The steering runs by way of a listing of gendered phrases and phrases that needs to be averted, together with: “manpower,” “you guys,” “ladies and gentlemen,” “mother/father,” “son/daughter” and “husband/wife.” Instead, the memo urged workers to use “labor force,” “everyone,” “folks,” “you all,” “parent,” “child,” “spouse” or accomplice,” in accordance to the report. 

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Use “gender-neutral language each time doable” to “present respect and avoid misunderstandings,” the guidance continued, and encouraged employees to include their preferred pronouns in emails or during meetings. 

Pronouns

Person holds pins about gender pronouns  (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images) ((Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images))

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The cable also cautioned employees against assuming someone’s gender based on how they look or their name, as that “will be problematic” and can send a “dangerous, exclusionary message.”

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 Iranian-backed militants following the deaths of three American service members. 

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Joe Biden and Antony Blinken split image

President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken split image (AP Photo)

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The memo added that staffers should not “strain somebody to state their pronouns,” as it is “a private choice that needs to be revered.” If a staffer uses the wrong pronoun, Blinken’s memo asked they handle the situation with “subtlety and beauty,” while noting identity “could also be fluid, so stay attuned to and supportive of shifts in pronouns.”

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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 “misgendering.”

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