Civil servants told to state if they're male, female or non-binary in emails
A ROW has erupted after government workers were ordered to declare if they are male, female or non-binary in email signatures.
Free speech campaigners accused the Home Office of breaking the law with the diktat and demanded it be ripped up.
Staff in the Visa, Status and Information Services department received an email ordering them to include their pronouns at the end of all messages they send.
They must put “he/him” if they are a man, “she/her” if they are a woman or “they/them” if they don’t identify as either.
But the Free Speech Union warned the order could breach equalities law.
It has written to the Home Office’s top civil servant Matthew Rycroft to complain.
It suspects the order was from an “over zealous” manager but demanded reassurance that no worker has been “penalised” for refusing to follow the order.
Tory MP Tom Hunt said: “The Home Office has far bigger things to worry about than how their staff decide to sign off an email.”
The Home Office was approached for comment.
Staff in the Visa, Status and Information Services department received an email ordering them to include their pronouns at the end of all messages they send.
They must put “he/him” if they are a man, “she/her” if they are a woman or “they/them” if they don’t identify as either.
But the Free Speech Union warned the order could breach equalities law.
It has written to the Home Office’s top civil servant Matthew Rycroft to complain.
It suspects the order was from an “over zealous” manager but demanded reassurance that no worker has been “penalised” for refusing to follow the order.
Tory MP Tom Hunt said: “The Home Office has far bigger things to worry about than how their staff decide to sign off an email.”
The Home Office was approached for comment.
