BY: Jasmine Franklin
Published 6 days ago
The disrespect continues. The Trump administration now targets journalists whose email signatures include pronouns, enforcing a policy that cements Trump’s executive order on so-called “gender ideology,” which forces federal recognition of only two biological sexes. This move aligns with efforts to erase inclusive language and shut out voices that embrace gender diversity.
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Refusal to Engage with Journalists Who Share Pronouns
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt explained that The Trump Administration would cease responding to any inquiries from journalists who include pronouns in their email signatures or bios.
On April 8, The New York Times reported that two of its journalists, along with a journalist from another outlet, received replies from administration officials refusing to engage with them because their emails included pronouns. One reporter inquiring about the closure of a research observatory received an email from Leavitt stating, “As a matter of policy, we do not respond to reporters with pronouns in their bios.”
What is more concerning is outlets are unsure if this new move is a formal administration policy because Leavitt refused to respond when asked.
Additionally, she made a statement to another news outlet explaining, “Any reporter who chooses to put their preferred pronouns in their bio clearly does not care about biological reality or truth and therefore cannot be trusted to write an honest story.”
The Head of DOGE Adds Insult to Injury
Days later, the head of the Department of Government Efficiency and faux president, Elon Musk, celebrated the ending of pronouns.
The pronoun bs is finally going away.
That was silly.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 12, 2025
His tweet confirms that the administration will view pronouns as a thing of the past.
Internal Policy Forces Employees to Remove Pronouns
This media directive did not happen in a vacuum. Earlier this year, multiple federal agency employees confirmed they were instructed to remove pronouns from their official email signatures. It was an effort to roll back all evidence of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). If employees refused to comply, supervisors would fire them. Internal memos from departments including Energy, Education, and Transportation warned staff that pronouns in emails could be considered a “compliance issue.”
Not a One-Off: Part of a Broader Pattern
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This policy targeting journalists with pronouns fits into a growing list of actions the Trump administration has taken to erase the existence of LGBTQIA+ folx from public life. The administration signed an executive order that banned trans women from competing in women’s sports at the federal level, regardless of what the governing athletic bodies decided. It pushed to eliminate gender-affirming care nationwide, pressuring states to restrict access to hormone therapy, puberty blockers, and surgical care—even for legal adults.
Trump officials also gutted protections for trans students, removed guidance on nonbinary recognition in federal documents, and stripped away civil rights language tied to sexual orientation and gender identity from multiple agencies. These actions reflect a coordinated effort to enforce a rigid, binary definition of gender and sideline anyone who does not conform.
By refusing to speak with journalists who include pronouns, the administration extends this effort to the media — policing language, restricting access, and punishing those who challenge its narrow worldview.
Despite the pressure, the White House has declined to respond to media outlets that include pronouns in staff bios. For many, that silence is telling. The Trump administration refuses to speak with journalists with pronouns, and this calculated move reinforces a long-standing agenda: to erase those who do not conform. Visibility becomes a battleground. And in that battle, silence is not neutral — it is policy.
What are your thoughts on the administration’s new rule? Share your thoughts below!
