Federal employees across multiple departments were instructed on Friday to remove personal pronouns from their email signatures by 5 p.m., as agencies rushed to comply with President Donald Trump’s executive order against promoting gender ideology.
An internal email reviewed by USA TODAY directed U.S. Department of Agriculture staff to “recreate their signatures” in line with an updated style guide that excludes pronouns. Similar directives were issued to employees at the Centers for Disease Control, the Transportation Department, the State Department, the Labor Department, and the Department of Veterans Affairs, according to ABC News and The New York Times.
A memo from the Office of Personnel Management on Wednesday also ordered federal agencies to remove regulations, forms, communications, and webpages promoting gender ideology by Friday evening. Employees involved in such initiatives were to be placed on paid leave, while agency policies and documents were instructed to use the term “sex” instead of gender.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has already begun removing content related to health disparities among LGBTQ youth from its website. Meanwhile, the State Department altered its travel advisory webpage, replacing “LGBTQ” with “LGB” to refer only to lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals.
Trump has also signed executive orders prohibiting federal assistance for gender transitions for individuals under 19 and reinstating a ban on transgender service members in the military.
