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US Marine Corps urged to stop using 'sir' and 'ma'am' titles to avoid ‘misgendering’ senior officers

The woke recommendation came in a recently completed academic report from the University of Pittsburgh, which was commissioned by the Corps in 2020

PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA: In order to avoid "misgendering" and upsetting senior members, the US Marines may forbid recruits from calling them by the titles "sir" or "ma'am." The woke recommendation came in a recently completed academic report from the University of Pittsburgh, which was commissioned by the Corps in 2020

Traditional methods of addressing superiors are preventing gender integration, according to the extensive 738-page research that the Marines first commissioned in 2020. “Employing gender-neutral identifiers eliminates the possibility of misgendering drill instructors, which can unintentionally offend or cause discord,” the study said. “By teaching recruits to use gender-neutral identifiers for their drill instructors, Services underscore the importance of respecting authoritative figures regardless of gender," as per the New York Post.

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"The Army, Navy, and Coast Guard" effectively de-emphasize gender in an integrated environment," the two-year study by the Warrior Human Performance Research Center at the University of Pittsburgh added. “Instead of saying ‘ma’am’ or ‘sir,’ recruits in these Services refer to their drill instructors using their ranks or roles followed by their last names,” it said. “Gendered identifiers prime recruits to think about or visually search for a drill instructor’s gender first, before their rank or role.”

The Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services heard from Col Howard Hall, chief of staff for the Marine Corps Training and Education Command, this month that the leadership was considering the dramatic change, despite some resistance, according to the Marine Corps Times. The entry-level training advisory board for the Marines is reportedly considering six recommendations, including this one. When the service will choose which ones to pursue is unclear. It would not be "a quick fix," Hall cautioned the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services meeting in December, reported the New York Times.

“That’s going to take some effort,” Hall told the committee of the switch to gender-neutral identifiers. “We want to avoid any quick-fix solutions that introduce perturbations down the line.” Hall later told the outlet that “it’s not something we would change overnight. We’ve got a history of ‘sir, ma’am, sir, ma’am. If we change something at the root level, how do we make the corresponding change at the Fleet Marine Force? So it’s not ours to implement alone,” he said.

People were quick to respond to this news on social media, with one commenting, "Considering that Enlisted Marines are the Drill instructors it makes sense to not call them ma'am or sir, that's specifically meant to be used when addressing officers. Enlisted Marines are acknowledged by their Rank which is Gender neutral." Another tweeted, "Who is actually concerned about this? I bet the recruits and staff aren't concerned, save a select few "desk jockeys". When I started waitressing many moons ago, management told us one day that we were now "servers". No one ever asked us our opinion and none of us liked the term." A third chimed in, "If captured by the enemy, at least we know our troops will be prepared to use the right pronouns." One more user added, "Back in my fathers day it was either... "YES DRILL SERGEANT" or "SIR YES SIR" - which is basically respect rather than calling someone a gender."

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