Girl Guides gets a ‘woke’ makeover with new ‘inclusive’ language guidance instructing leaders to say ‘parents and guardians’ instead of mother and father
- A 60-page document was sent to the leaders of the Guides and Brownies groups
- They were told to avoid ‘age descriptors’ such as ‘young, old or elderly’
Guides received a new “woke” style guide with “inclusive” language instructing leaders to use “parents and guardians” instead of mother and father.
A 60-page document sent to leaders of the Guides and Brownies groups defined the new language guide as “how to be as inclusive as possible when communicating”.
Britain’s biggest girl group has described itself as a “girls-only space for all girls and young women”.
But he adds that he is also proud “to be an inclusive organization and to welcome trans girls and non-binary young people”.
The guide says: “We know that the term ‘girl’ may not cover these young people – and the language is of course still evolving.
Angela Salt OBE, Chief Executive of Girlguiding, started her role with the organization in January 2019
“Where we can, we adjust our language to be gender-neutral. This helps us include all young people who relate to experiences of childhood and femininity.
As part of the new style guide, leaders advised using “parents and guardians” instead of “mothers and fathers” to be more inclusive.
The general term ‘BAME’ should be avoided, with advice to use ‘people of colour’ instead and to be specific when referring to a person or community.
He says, “If you’re talking about the experiences of people who aren’t white, ‘people of color’ are more common in the world.
“Avoid the term ‘minority group’ as an umbrella term for underrepresented groups, because underrepresented does not always mean a minority. Use marginalized groups or underrepresented groups instead.
Leaders were also told to avoid ‘age descriptors’ such as ‘young, old or elderly’ as they can ‘reinforce negative stereotypes’.
Instead, the new guide advises female guide leaders to be specific and give an age range such as “those aged 60 and over”.
If a leader is unsure of the pronoun they should use to refer to a particular person, they are advised to ask the person or use “she” as the singular pronoun.
Terms such as “heroic” and “inspirational” should not be used against people with disabilities just because they exist with a disability, he says, to avoid being “condescending”.
It comes after Girlguiding leaders were accused of promoting ‘woke bloopers’ after advising leaders to learn almost 100 terms related to gender and sexual identity in July last year.
He advised staff to learn a glossary of words such as ‘aromantic’, ‘demisexual’ and ‘agender’, saying ‘it might be worth printing it out… so you can reference it’ with the kids.
Former education minister Andrea Jenkyns slammed the guide as evidence the group had gone astray
The glossary also includes “pansexual” – “attraction to members of all gender identities/expressions” – and “constellation”, the structure of polyamorous relationships. The tips, first reported by the Sunday Express, encourage girls to learn the glossary in a task called the ‘vocabulary extravaganza’.
Former Education Minister Andrea Jenkyns told The Express: “Girl Guides have been at the heart of our country for over a century, teaching millions of young women the skills they need to become proud, proactive and practical members of society.
“What this ‘woke’ name change tells us is that the Guides have gone astray.”
The tone of voice document follows a similar style guide given to Scout leaders in July last year, which prohibited children from using the terms ‘falling on deaf ears’, ‘made by the man” and “dinner ladies” in July last year.
Children were also prohibited from using the “maiden name” and Christian name” in an effort to avoid offending people of “all genders, religions, races and those who live with disabilities” .
Instead, Scouts are encouraged to use ‘first name’ or ‘given name’ instead, while ‘previous name’ is preferred over ‘maiden name’ as it is a ‘first name’ obsolete “.
A spokeswoman for Girl Guides said: “Changing our appearance doesn’t change the core of who we are – but it does keep us informed and attractive to as many people as possible.”
