Syndicated with permission via Valiant News| Jack Hadfield|
Staff at the British Homeland Security Group have been told to change their language, and not call people “mate,” or “homosexual,” and help support their non-binary colleagues by respecting their pronouns.
The Homeland Security Group, the leading counter-terrorism department under the British Home Office, has been training their staff over lunchtime “Lunch and Learn” sessions about the importance of diversity and inclusion, with Westminster blog Guido Fawkes gaining access to a copy of the latest briefing on gender identities.
The briefing instructed staff to “use the right language” when it came to LGBT identities, and start challenging “inappropriate” language use among their colleagues. “The Civil Service aims to be the most diverse and inclusive employer in the UK,” the briefing noted. “That means not just attracting LGBT+ staff but ensuring they stay and thrive within the Civil Service.”
A number of words and phrases were recommended not be used by civil servants, including:
-“Butch – this is used to describe someone who expresses themselves in a typically masculine way. You shouldn’t use this term about someone unless you know they identify with it.”
-have “Femme – this is used to describe someone who expresses themselves in a typically feminine way. As above.”
-“Homosexual/homosexuality – generally considered a medical term now. People tend to use gay instead. Can reduce the person to purely sexual terms.”
-“Anything that implies being LGBT+ is a choice e.g. sexual preference or gay lifestyle.”
-“Anything that implies that bi people are ‘greedy,’ ‘undecided,’ or ‘going through a phase.’”
-“Transsexual – this was used in the past as a medical term. Some people still use it, but many prefer the term trans or transgender.”
-“Transgendered – suggests a condition of some kind.”
-“Transgenderism – suggests an ‘ideology’ that could be argued against.”
Along with also being told not to “deadname” or “misgender” transgender people, a sample email included in the presentation for Homeland Security staff included somebody apologising for calling a colleague “mate.” It is unclear why the common term was offensive, with the briefing not specifying a reason.
Nigel Farage, the former leader of the Brexit Party, suggested on his GB News show on Tuesday evening that the reticence to use the term “mate” could be as it implies a type of “lad culture” that would be unacceptable in the office.
'Frankly, I would close the whole civil service down and start again.'@Nigel_Farage reacts to Home Office staff being warned against saying 'mate' in new guidance.#FarageOnGBNews
📺 Freeview 236, Sky 512, Virgin 604
💻 GB News YouTube: https://t.co/Wa58gYGZwF pic.twitter.com/TUagsgs7S1
— GB News (@GBNEWS) January 17, 2023
A number of recommendations focused on the treatment of “non-binary” people, which the briefing claimed was “not a modern invention,” adding that it didn’t matter whether someone non-binary identified as being a mix of male or female, neither, or no gender at all, as “each identity is valid and deserves respect.”
Neopronouns, such as “zie” or “ey” were discussed as being perfectly normal, including the idea that people may use “mixed” pronouns, like he/they or she/they. “People use mixed pronouns for different reasons – there’s no ‘one size fits all for NB people or people that use mixed pronouns, just as there isn’t for men or women,” it wrote.
Given that such usage would be bizarre and unusual to most people, the briefing recommended that people “actively work” to get used to non-binary identities and new ways pronouns.
In a statement, the Home Office confirmed that while this was not offical department guidance, it was an internal department event.
“I think the whole culture that is deeply embedded within our civil service is so rotten, gives such poor return for public money, frankly, I would close the whole lot down and start again,” Farage concluded.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login