Massachusetts College Tells Students to Avoid Using “Gender Specific” Words Like Mother and Father
Springfield College in Massachusetts has created pronoun guidelines encouraging students to avoid using “gender specific” words including the grave sin of saying mother and father.
The guidelines state, “Springfield College is committed to valuing and validating the gender identity and expression of members of the campus community. Gender identity refers to an individual’s internal sense of gender, regardless of the sex assigned to them at birth or the sex designation on their legal documents.”
“One way that Springfield College seeks to create gender-inclusive academic, living, and work environments is by encouraging all members of the campus community to indicate the pronouns they use for themselves, if desired, in classes, residence halls, workplaces, and other settings, and by encouraging members of the campus community to respect these pronouns.”
“Gendered” nouns to avoid include: “mother/father,” “sister/brother,” “mankind,” “man-made,” “boyfriend/girlfriend,” “husband/wife,” “son/daughter,” “freshman,” and “congressman.”
Image: Springfield College Guidelines
The guidelines further state that pronouns are “important” because “It is a privilege to not have to worry about which pronoun someone is going to use for you based on how they perceive your gender.
