Blinken’s mother of all State Dept. memos

Secretary of State Antony Blinken instructed State Department employees to refrain from using gendered terms such as “mother, “father” and “manpower” in a recent internal memo, according to a report.

The Biden administration official said in the memo that gender is a social construct and that a person’s gender identity “may or may not correspond with one’s sex assigned at birth,” according to the Feb. 5 missive.

The note was obtained by National Review and titled: “Modeling DEIA: Gender Identity Best Practices.”

Blinken encouraged his colleagues to use “gender-neutral language whenever possible” to “show respect and avoid misunderstandings.” He also suggested that employees give their preferred pronouns in emails and when introducing themselves in meetings.

Assuming an individual’s gender identity simply based on their appearance or name “can be problematic” and conveys a “harmful, exclusionary message,” Blinken states. However, he asks staffers not to “pressure someone to state their pronouns.”

“Commonly used pronouns could include she/her, he/him, they/them, and ze/zir,” he said.

“This is a personal decision that should be respected.”

Last year, in a Veterans Day X post, Blinken himself appeared to err on his guidance, writing, “We stand united in honoring the brave men and women who served our country.”