Irish civil servants in all departments have been urged to use their “preferred pronouns” in their email signatures, even if they don’t identify as transgender, in order to be an “ally” to LGBTQ+ colleagues.
Staff have also been asked to “display pride colours” on their person “all year round,” even after Pride Month has ended, and been told that lesbians can have penises.
The recommendations come from a document entitled “LGBTQ+ Terminology Explained” from Ireland’s Civil Service Employee Assistance Service, which tells staff to “play their part” in making workplaces more “inclusive.”
“Here are some ways that you can act as an ally,” the document reads, going on to list several ways staff can “support” the LGBTQ+ community. These include “making ally-ship visible” by “displaying pride colours in your office space or on your e-mail signature, on your person and/or using your preferred pronouns in your e-mail signature.”
“Practice ally-ship all year round! Not just during Pride Month!” the text reads.
It also encourages staff to “use inclusive language by employing terms that are gender neutral and using a person’s preferred pronouns (he/she/they),” and goes on to explain what “non-binary” identities mean.
“Non-binary: Someone who doesn’t identify exclusively as a man or a woman,” the document says.
“They may identify as being both, somewhere in between or completely outside these categories.”
The guide also adds that some lesbians may have penises.
“Labels are not mutually exclusive,” the text says. “E.g., a person can be a transgender woman and a lesbian i.e. a woman who was assigned male at birth and is attracted to other women.”
“Educate yourself,” the document urges staff, adding that employees must “take responsibility” to improve their “knowledge” and “awareness” of these issues. “Keep up to date with news, articles and legislation.”
As previously revealed by Gript, the Gardaí had a plan in March to “discipline” Gardaí for “misgendering” individuals by using the wrong gender pronouns.
Garda Commissioner Drew Harris tells Gript that if Garda officers use the wrong gender pronouns, it could "escalate" to disciplinary action. pic.twitter.com/EXElEEISx1
— gript (@griptmedia) March 28, 2023
Following backlash from serving Garda officers and representative organisations, however, this plan was dropped just a week later.
BREAKING: Garda Commissioner Drew Harris has reversed a plan to force Gardaí to use a person’s preferred gender pronouns, following significant backlash.#gripthttps://t.co/4uMvGQ6y4Y
— gript (@griptmedia) April 4, 2023