NSW Premier Chris Minns has ditched the pronouns ‘his’ and ‘he’ in his social media bio with his office claiming he was unaware they had been added.
Staff working for the state leader confirmed to Sydney radio station 2GB last week that the pronouns had been removed from his Instagram page.
The Premier’s Office told Mark Levy’s morning show the pronouns were not necessary, The Daily Telegraph reported.
‘Pretty clear that he is a male,’ Levy’s show was reportedly told.
Mr Minns had been unaware the pronouns had been added to the Instagram which has 30,500 followers, according to his office.
The clarification was made after Levy discussed Mr Minns’ use of pronouns with state Liberal MP Damien Tudehope.
Mr Minns has previously championed gender and sexual diversity and inclusion, including marching in Sydney’s famous Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade.
While the state appears to have no policy on whether pronouns should be included in an official description, a NSW parliamentary guide on ‘inclusive language’ states it’s ‘important to show respect for how people describe their own genders’.
NSW Premier Chris Minns (pictured) has scrapped the ‘his’ and ‘he’ the pronouns in his Instagram bio
The guide recommends that politicians ‘cue gender’ by using ‘words and actions to send a cue about someone’s gender’.
‘Respectful pronoun cueing helps make our communities and services more inclusive, it says.
A year ago, the NSW government’s ‘Diversity and Inclusion’ team issued a two-page calendar of ‘Days of Significance’ to public sector employees across the state, which encouraged them to mark International Pronouns Day.
Other days deemed significant were International Transgender Day of Visibility; Lesbian Visibility Day; Global Accessibility Awareness Day; International Non-Binary People’s Day; Celebrate Bisexuality Day and Intersex Awareness Day.
At federal level, bureaucrats are urged to use ‘gender-neutral’ language where appropriate.
The latest Australian Government Style Manual notes a rising use of the title Mx by those who did not wish to be referred to by their gender.
‘Take care in areas where language is changing,’ the manual states.
‘Follow the rule that people have the right to identify their sexual orientation and gender identity as they choose.
According to the NSW Premier’s knowledge the pronouns were added to his social media pages without his knowledge
Chris Minns (pictured left with wife Anna) has previously championed sexual diversity and inclusion
‘The discussion is still evolving about words for other aspects of gender and sexual diversity.’
In America, US President Donald Trump has ordered federal employees to remove their pronouns from the email signatures as he continues his widespread purge of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives from the government.
Federal employees were sent memos ordering them to scrub pronouns from official government communications by the end of the week.
Mr Trump moved to stamp out ‘gender inclusive’ practices after taking office.
His executive orders required government agencies to remove DEI language from all communications and publications.
A memo from the Office of Personnel and Management acting director Charles Ezell ordered agencies to close all DEI offices and place employees on administrative leave.
‘These programs divided Americans by race, wasted taxpayer dollars, and resulted in shameful discrimination,’ the memo read.
Trump signed an executive order on his first day as president ordering all DEI and DEIA and environmental justice offices and positions be terminated within 60 days.
