Military base that’s banned ‘mankind’ to avoid offence

MILITARY chiefs are banning words such as ‘mankind’ and ‘sportsmanship’ at a top base in case they upset women and transgender people, it has been claimed.

Gender-neutral terms are being introduced to make everyone feel ‘recognised and valued’. In a two-page guide, written by the Joint Equality Diversity and Inclusion unit – nicknamed ‘Jedi’ – soldiers were asked to say ‘shopper or homemaker’ instead of ‘housewife’, while ‘fairness’ was deemed a suitable replacement for ‘sportsmanship’.

The term ‘best man for the job’ was changed to ‘best person for the job’, and the guide recommended the word ‘ ancestors’ rather than ‘forefathers’.

‘Mankind’ was switched to ‘humanity’, and the phrase ‘man in the street’ was changed to ‘average citizen’.

They also suggested ‘manpower’ was changed to ‘human resources’ and a ‘gentleman’s agreement’ was switched to an ‘unwritten agreement’.

One soldier told The Sun. ‘It’s the daftest thing ever. We’re building leaders not politically correct droids.’

The guidelines have been put up in toilets across the base, which trains soldiers for the Army, Navy and RAF.

An MoD spokesman said: ‘We are continuously promoting a modern, inclusive, working environment to ensure individuals are recognised and feel valued.’

‘Politically correct droids’