Britain’s Royal Navy has reportedly told its sailors that they should introduce themselves with gender pronouns before meetings in order to be more “inclusive”.
A “Trans and Non-Binary Awareness” guide, seen by The Telegraph newspaper, reportedly published on the Royal Navy’s internal intranet has told staff: “Introducing yourself with your pronouns at the start of meetings and interactions is a good way to be inclusive.”
It goes on to state: “Some people do not associate with gender binary and may use different pronouns like they/them hers or neo-pronouns like ze/hir/hirs. You should use the pronoun that a person shares with you.”
The Navy’s guide on gender also featured a “trans umbrella” to illustrate the different forms of gender expression, including “pangender”, “gender neutral”, and “two-spirit”, a phrase that has been used to describe the gender of some Native Americans.
Former First Sea Lord of the British Royal Navy, Admiral Lord West said of the guidance: “I am surprised that the Navy wishes to try and divide ship’s companies by focusing on people’s gender rather than seeing them as all of one company.
“This initiative seems to me confusing and doesn’t help the cohesion and fighting ability of the navy I love.”