State Department restricts LGBT-related terms, others

[Lori Dee]

State Department restricts LGBT-related terms, others
Link to Full Article
Semafor - Mathias Hammer
May 16, 2025, 3:36am MDT

A State Department liaison office is instructing employees to restrict the use of identity- and gender-related terms, including common abbreviations like LGBT.

In a new style guide seen by Semafor, the State Department's Executive Secretariat directs employees to avoid using "they/them" as a singular pronoun, bars the use of "gender" to refer to people, and discourages the use of words like "bias," "equity," "ally," "discrimination," "diversity," and "marginalized," except in specific contexts.

The guide also flags the phrase "Global South" for creating "unhelpful narratives" about development, and says staff should use "gay and lesbian" instead of "LGBTQI+," "LGB," or other acronyms.

While many parts of the State Department have their own, more specific style guides, the Executive Secretariat's sets the overarching tone for the department's cables, memos, and other official documents.

As part of the Trump administration's crackdown on language, multiple government agencies have ordered the removal of gender pronouns from email signatures, and the White House has said it won't respond to journalists with pronouns in their bios.

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[Devlyn]

No more Enola Gay, no more Flintstones (they were, after all, having a gay old time) no more M*A*S*H (we see you, Klinger!).

[Lori Dee]

No more Enola Gay, no more Flintstones (they were, after all, having a gay old time) no more M*A*S*H (we see you, Klinger!).

They did remove the website that told the story of Enola Gay. Idiots.

What I don't understand is that if they ban certain words, how do they explain why they denied a passport or visa application?

Passport denied due to < redacted > and < redacted > as stated in Department Memo covering < redacted >. Not like we have never seen that before. 

[KathyLauren]

They did remove the website that told the story of Enola Gay. Idiots.

What I don't understand is that if they ban certain words, how do they explain why they denied a passport or visa application?

Passport denied due to < redacted > and < redacted > as stated in Department Memo covering < redacted >. Not like we have never seen that before. 

They are masters of bureaucratic babble.
"Your passport application was denied because it did not meet the application requirements."
Why would they tell you any more than the absolute minimum?  It's not like they want to help you, especially if you are LGBTQ+ one of them.