The U.S. Air Force Academy is reportedly instructing its cadets to avoid using gendered terms such as “mom and dad” or “boyfriend [and] girlfriend” in its diversity and inclusion training.
The training tells cadets they should seek to “include all genders,” use “person centered language,” and “recognize diverse family formation” in the language they use, according to Fox News.
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“Some families are headed by single parents, grandparents, foster parents, two moms, two dads, etc.: consider ‘parent or caregiver’ instead of ‘mom and dad,'” the presentation reportedly states. “Use words that include all genders: ‘Folks’ or ‘Y’all’ instead of ‘guys’; ‘partner’ vs. ‘boyfriend or girlfriend.’”
Another slide from the presentation says diversity and inclusion are “critical to developing warfighters prepared to lead the USAF/USSF with character” and that “diverse teams outperform other teams.”
The Air Force Academy has a minor program in Diversity and Inclusion Studies. The program’s website says the academy “must develop leaders who understand diversity and inclusion and can employ that knowledge to attract, recruit, retain, and leverage the diverse talent needed to enable the success of the United States Air and Space Forces.”
“In order to unleash the full potential of diversity of thought, the Air Force Academy must cultivate leaders who not only understand and recognize the importance of diversity, but who actively create inclusive environments that leverage this diversity toward mission success,” the website says.
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The training comes as all branches of the military are facing a recruiting shortage. Officials have attributed the decline in recruitment to the pandemic and a nationwide labor shortage, among other factors.
