"This guidance provides approval for the use of pronouns in electronic signature blocks and expands on written communication by providing official templates posted on e-publishing websites available for download," the December 9th Air Force correspondence states.
"The use of pronouns (he/him, she/her, or they/them) in an email signature block is authorized but not required," the memo adds. The Air Force did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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This follows the Defense Department's Personnel and Readiness directorate heavily weighted decision of whether or not to strip names and gender pronouns from promotion boards, according to Defense Secretary Mark Esper.
During a remote town hall-style forum from the Pentagon back in 2020, Esper said he has directed his team to consider whether to strike identifying information such as names and gender from evaluations and promotion packets to prevent unconscious bias from tainting the decision-making process.
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"We are trying to root these practices out that might enable unconscious bias. ... I've asked [the] directorate to go out and come back within 45 to 60 days to present a plan by which we could strike references to names, references to gender that may trigger unconscious bias. It's to make sure it's a merit-based system and solely a merit-based system," Esper said at the time.
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"These actions identified today will better ensure a diverse workforce at all levels, an inclusive environment, and equal opportunity for all who serve. But hard work remains as efforts to shift our culture require steadfast attention," Esper concluded.
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Esper promised more changes to ensure that the DoD is a workplace that promotes equal opportunity -- something he vowed would bolster effectiveness and morale.
He established a DoD Board on Diversity and Inclusion, which is responsible for developing steps to address those issues, and kicked off the process of establishing a Defense Advisory Committee on Diversity and Inclusion in the Armed Services, similar to the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services, to provide long-term guidance on diversity issues and equality.
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College campuses and workplaces across the country have also been adopting the "gender neutral" pronouns in an effort to be more politically correct when addressing people who don't identify as a single gender or wish to be identified by a gender different from the biological sex they were born as. The State Department was condemned earlier this year for openly celebrating International Pronouns Day, given the challenges it faces around the world.
"Today on International Pronouns Day, we share why many people list pronouns on their email and social media profiles," the department wrote in a tweet.
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