Federal employees told to remove pronouns from email signatures

Sign up for our free newsletters, created for the culture by the culture!

• The Block A weekly roundup of Greenwood, Tulsa and Oklahoma news.
• The Daily Holler Local, state and national news in your inbox Monday through Friday.

Sign up

WASHINGTON – During his inauguration speech, President Trump stated that there are only two genders. Two days later, he signed an executive order proclaiming that the only two sexes are male and female. To follow through on his order, he is now requiring federal employees to remove their pronouns from their email signatures by 5 p.m. ET on Friday. 

Chief Information Officer of the CDC Jason Bonander shared the email he received on Thursday. “Pronouns and any other information not permitted in the policy must be removed from CDC/ATSDR employee signatures,” the email read. 

Likewise, the administration sent similar messages to Department of Transportation employees on Thursday. The timing was less than ideal as the agency was dealing with the ramifications of a fatal D.C. plane crash.

Aside from email signatures, the order also required pronouns to be removed from government grant applications. Included in the email notices were instructions for how to remove and edit email signatures. 

Those who work for the Department of Energy were told that the move was to meet requirements set in the executive order dismantling DEI programs and language in federal communications. 

Trump’s order to proclaim there are only two genders was one of his first actions after resuming office on January 20. Furthered attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion came in tandem. The new administration has referred to diversity programs as radical and wasteful. 

Pronouns and gender identity

Adding pronouns to email signatures is a relatively new practice. It has become commonplace to see pronouns on social media profiles and next to participant names on Zoom calls.

For those with gender-expansive identities, it is a way to ensure that they are referred to by their chosen pronouns. Even for those who do not have gender non-conforming identities, it’s a way to normalize the practice on a broad scale. 

Related Stories

• Massacre or Riot? You Decide
• Oklahoma: Far From Diversity
• Stop Cop City organizers accuse Atlanta mayor of “misleading”
• DEI initiatives banned, University of Oklahoma speaks out
• Oklahoma governor signs SB 613, gender-affirming care ban for minors

Gender-expansive refers to people who don’t identify as male or female. Instead of viewing gender as a binary construct, people recognize it as existing on a spectrum. Many people use the pronouns they/them/theirs as opposed to she/her or he/him. 

According to the Human Rights Campaign, “Nothing may be more personal than the way in which people refer to us through our name and pronouns.” Using a person’s self-chosen pronouns and name is a way to foster mutual respect and understanding. This can be especially critical in the workplace. 

As one might imagine, it can be frustrating to be referred to as the incorrect name. This is a fact that is prevalent even outside of gender identity. For instance, if someone prefers to go by their middle name instead of their first, constantly correcting a coworker can be frustrating.

Executive orders regulating the identities of federal employees may continue to increase as we progress further into the second Trump administration.