UK: EU Document Calling for Gender-Neutral Language Criticized

Facts

• Conservative members of parliament in the UK are calling out a 2019 document published by the European Institute for Gender Equality that calls for EU legislators to abandon so-called 'gendered language' in favor of gender-neutral alternatives.¹
• The 61-page 'Toolkit on Gender-sensitive Communication' lists a series of commonly used words and phrases that are directly or indirectly associated with gender and provides alternative terms.²
• For example, the document states that words like 'pushy' and 'shrill' are typically associated with women and should be replaced with 'assertive' and 'high-pitched,' respectively. It also lists terms like 'master of ceremonies,' 'best man for the job,' and 'no man’s land' as phrases that should be abandoned for their gendered nature.²
• Tory lawmaker Nick Fletcher slammed the EU’s guidelines as 'nonsense,' arguing that the bloc has 'far more serious issues' to be concerned about. He told The Telegraph, 'We've got wars being waged, an energy crisis and a lot of countries are dealing with the same kind of problems that we are in the UK.'³
• Meanwhile, member of parliament Nigel Mills called the toolkit 'an attack on the English language.' In 2022, the EU sparked outrage after it banned the word 'fishermen,' calling on EU staff to use 'fisherpeople' or 'fishers.'⁴

Sources: ¹Yahoo News, ²The Telegraph, ³Daily Mail and ⁴The US Sun.

Narratives

• Right narrative, as provided by GB News. The EU's radical mantra about gendered language may be laughable, but it's also a dangerous threat to basic speech rights and language itself. Gender connotations are a core part of many languages. Moreover, the EU should be dealing with more crucial matters rather than committing time and resources to policing language.
• Left narrative, as provided by The Pinknews. The headlines make it seem like the EU is calling for a ban on certain words when in fact this document is just asking people to consider more inclusive terms. If there are more important matters for legislators to handle, they should attend to them rather than drumming up controversies about bad-faith culture war topics.