Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 12, 2023 / 17:16 pm
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services imposed a transgender pronoun mandate on its employees this week with new guidance that instructs employees to affirm any co-worker’s self-proclaimed gender identity and preferred pronouns.
“All employees should be addressed [by] the names and pronouns they use to describe themselves,” an HHS email sent to employees and shared with CNA read. The mandate is part of the department’s new Gender Identity and Non-Discrimination Guidance, which was established to outline “employee rights and protections related to gender identity,” according to the email.
In an unlisted YouTube video linked in the email, HHS Deputy Secretary Andrea Palm said the policy ensures “that our colleagues are able to show up every day as their whole selves.”