Vermont Dept. of Health advises schools avoid using terms like “son” and “daughter"
A cheerful social media post urged schools to opt for “gender-neutral” language to be “inclusive”
The Vermont Department of Health kicked off the school year with a helpful Facebook post directing administrators to be mindful of “inclusive language,” particularly gendered words like “daughter” and “son.”
Under the heading “Inclusive Language for Families,” the Department of Health advises to “Use ‘child’ or ‘kid’ instead of ‘daughter’ or ‘son,’” explaining that “This is gender-neutral and can describe a child who may not be someone’s legal daughter or son.”
The Facebook post also noted that the term “family members” is preferable to “household members” and “family” rather than “extended family” to respect families who do not all live in the same home or where grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins may be part of the “core family unit.”
Naturally, it was the advice to avoid the terms “daughter” and “son” that captured the most attention, however.
“When talking about family,” the post caption reads, “it’s important to use terms that cover the many versions of what family can look like.”
CBN notes that this is not the first time Vermont’s education system has received attention for promoting “gender-neutral” language for children.
Last year, the Essex Westford School District in Essex Junction, Vermont reportedly sent a letter home to parents informing them it would be using “gender inclusive language” in lessons on the “puberty and the human reproductive systems.”
This was reflective of the district’s “equity” policy, which was meant to “inform curriculum decisions, including anti-racist education and LGBTQIA+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual, +) affirming education, and disability, cultural, ethnic, religious, multi-linguistic, and socioeconomic diversity awareness and representation for educators and their students beginning in Pre-Kindergarten,” as the school’s principle explained in the letter.
We are certainly not shocked at this point that schools are not-so-subtly weaponizing the idea of “inclusivity” to normalize radical gender theory, but we should be no less outraged.
Language is a powerful tool of intellectual and thus, spiritual warfare, make no mistake.