Stop saying ‘Hi guys’, warns BBC host – it’s sexist!

WHEN meeting a group of friends, the last thing on most of our minds is the right-on issue of gender neutrality.

But be careful how you greet your nearest and dearest – as a simple ‘Hi guys’ could land you in hot water.

The BBC’s Jane Garvey has claimed the phrase is sexist as it isn’t ‘gender neutral’. The Woman’s Hour presenter said she ‘is not a guy’ and we should instead say ‘hi, people’ when greeting a group informally.

She was supported by fans who criticised the seemingly harmless phrase – the latest to have fallen foul of the politically-correct language police – for not being ‘inclusive’ for women and those who do not identify as a specific gender. But others criticised Miss Garvey as ‘ overboard’ – and warned she risked detracting from more serious issues.

Writing on Twitter, Miss Garvey, 54, said: ‘New rule – “Hi guys!” Never say this.

‘Unless you are the daringly informal guest speaker at the annual meeting of The Society Of People Named Guy.’ She later added: ‘Why shouldn’t we challenge the idea that “guys” means everybody?’

However, Dame Joan Bakewell defended the expression as a ‘happy greeting’ that is the result of an evolving language.

The broadcaster, 85, said: ‘I think it is gender-neutral … There are other things in the world to be offended about.’