Now Scouts bosses outlaw ‘dinner ladies’ and ‘mankind’

SCoUT chiefs have been accused of ‘woke language policing’ after banning terms such as dinner ladies, Christian names and mankind.

The latest style guide on the Scout Association website even forbids the use of the expression Chinese whispers – replacing it with broken telephone.

Intended for writers, the guide also rules out maiden name, political correctness and the phrase ‘to fall on deaf ears’ – on the grounds of it apparently being offensive.

The organisation, which was founded by Robert Baden-Powell in 1907, insists the aim is to avoid upsetting people of all genders, religions, races and those living with a disability. ‘our style guide is an important part of our brand and identity; it builds trust by helping us sound like one, unified organisation,’ says a message on the website.

The Free Speech Union, which was founded by the commentator Toby Young, condemned the policy.

It said: ‘This kind of woke language policing started on the campuses of American liberal arts colleges in the 1980s as one component of a wider neo-Marxist agenda, expanded to the rest of America’s higher education sector, crossed the Atlantic, jumped from universities to the public sector, from there to the private sector, and has now finally reached the Scouts. The Scouts were the last redoubt in the long march through the institutions and now they, too, have been captured. God help us.’

But a spokesman for the association said: ‘We are proud to ensure that everything we do is as inclusive as possible – using the right language is part of that process.

‘Going forward we will continue to make sure the words we use accurately describe what we do and how we do it in ways that make Scouting attractive to those who want to join as youth members and as adult volunteers.’

Scout chiefs have also introduced a transgender badge for those as young as four as part of a collection to celebrate Pride.

Child members are offered a woven trans fun badge alongside a bisexual fun badge and a lesbian fun badge. The motifs feature rainbow designs behind the traditional fleur-de-lis introduced by Baden-Powell. In promotional material for the Scout Store online shop, members are urged to buy a wide variety of LGBT+ clothing and accessories.

The new badges have been launched to coincide with Pride month, which encourages celebration of LGBT+ communities.

A spokesman for the Scout Association said: ‘We are proud that we have produced a range of Pridethemed clothing, scarves and badges that support our LGBT+ members.’

There are almost half a million young people in the Scout Association’s various divisions. Following the pandemic lockdowns, the number has grown at the fastest rate since the Second World War with 90,000 on the waiting list.

‘Neo-Marxist agenda’