Air Force and Space Force members will be allowed to include their preferred pronouns in their email signature blocks, according to a report from the Air Education and Training Command (AETC).
The AETC announced earlier this week that an official update had been made to the Department of the Air Force’s writing guide, called The Tongue and Quill, that would allow those who chose to include their preferred pronouns in the signature blocks of emails going forward.
Air Force members can use the pronouns he/him, she/her, or they/them in their signatures during military correspondence.
Undersecretary of the Air Force Gina Ortiz Jones applauded the changes, stating that “an inclusive force” is a “mission-ready force.”https://t.co/uqJqzPF4Cz
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) December 22, 2021
According to the report:
“An inclusive force is a mission-ready force, and I’m thankful to the LGBTQ Initiatives Team for helping us realize this opportunity to be a more inclusive force,” said Under Secretary of the Air Force Gina Ortiz Jones.
The LGBTQ Initiatives Team, or LIT, a part of the Department of the Air Force Barrier Analysis Working Group, advocated for this change, one of the latest initiatives the DAF undertook to address barriers to service and promote a more inclusive culture.
“The change request was driven by awareness of a restrictive policy that was being used against transgender Airmen and Guardians who were authentically representing themselves,” said Lt. Col. Bree Fram, a LIT Transgender Policy Team co-lead. “It was also important for many individuals often confused as being a different gender in their communications.”
According to Master Sgt. Jamie Hash, the other LIT Transgender Policy Team co-lead, the move was designed to move the Department of the Air Force “further down the road of explicitly acknowledging the existence and dignity of non-binary military members and civilians.”
She also said that the effort could help eliminate some of the confusion for service members and DAF civilians whose names did not immediately suggest a specific gender.
“The LIT provided an opportunity to streamline the process for this change,” Hash said, adding that the Diversity and Inclusion committee had called for the change. “It is an example of how the DAFBAWG teams are addressing barriers, collaborating, and executing solutions in ways that have not been seen before to help Airmen and Guardians thrive.”
Fram added, “A foundational competency of the DAF is to foster inclusion. The use of correct pronouns is an easy way to show care and respect for Airmen and Guardians as individuals, and can help the DAF retain highly qualified individuals. Allowing pronouns in an individual’s signature block is a quick and simple way to eliminate confusion and promote a more inclusive culture.”
An Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) civilian employee, under condition of anonymity, reached out to the Daily Wire about the change, saying, “This is idiotic. It also doesn’t seem like there is any limit to what we can use as our pronouns. I can see disciplinary action coming next for not using someone’s pronouns. I may take Gina Carano’s lead and make mine Beep/Bop/Boop.”
Fox News host Tucker Carlson took heat recently for suggesting that the priorities of a “woke” military — that was focused on things like providing maternity flight suits for pregnant service members and whether or not female service members were allowed to wear their hair in ponytails — could ultimately take away from force readiness if national security was threatened.