US University tells staff not use terms like ‘straight’ and ‘male’ because they may be OFFENSIVE to students
A UNIVERSITY in the US has told staff not use terms like "straight" and "male" because they may be OFFENSIVE to students.
Colorado State University has written an "Inclusive Language Guide" stating the word "straight" - to describe heterosexuals - “implies that anyone LGBT is 'crooked' or not normal”.
Calling a man a "male" is also off limits because it “refers to biological sex and not gender”.
Alternatives include “gender non-binary/gender non-conforming”.
The document, a draft version of which has been available online, recommended people avoid “male”, “female,” “Mr” and “Mrs”.
It reads: “Using titles can be problematic when you are not aware of a person’s gender identity and try to guess or when the use of the title is against a person’s personal preference.
“These terms also exclude folks outside of the man/woman binary.
“When possible, and when it is not a personal preference to use one of these titles, refer to folks by first or last name.
“Mx is a gender-neutral title that can also be used.”
The phrase “no can do” is also flagged because it was originally a way to mock people from China.
An earlier version advised against the word “American” or “America”.
It said it should be avoided because “the Americas encompass a lot more than the United States” and that the term “Americas” incorporates North, Central, and South America.
It reads: “Yet, when we talk about “Americans” in the United States, we’re usually just referring to people from the United States.
"This erases other cultures and depicts the United States as the dominant American country.”
It was suggested the replacement term is “US citizen” or “person from the US”.
The draft began to gain attention on social media amid claims it was the latest example of a “liberal bias” across America's college campuses.
One twitter user said: “After reading your ridiculous ‘inclusive language guide’ CSU won’t get one more $ from me.”
Another said: “The new ‘speech code’ at CSU is a joke.
“You’re no longer supposed to say ‘America’ or ‘American’ or ‘Ladies’ or ‘Gentlemen,’ ‘Male’ or ‘female’ on campus."
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The guide is not binding and is said to help "communicators practice inclusive language and helping everyone on our campus feel welcomed, respected and valued".
reports Tony Frank, the system chancellor at Colorado State, claiming the draft document is “outdated” and does not reflect official policy on the term American.
He said: “The group of people working on a preliminary draft considered encouraging people to use ‘US citizen’ instead of American when referring to people from the US, as there are several geographic regions in the Americas.
“They decided against this on their own and deleted it before it was finalised or circulated to campus.
“The facts are that an informal group of CSU staff people who work with students created an internal guide on inclusive language because other staff members asked for it.
“It was designed as a free resource for people who were asking for help to avoid saying something unintentionally that might needlessly offend someone with whom they were working.”
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