NASA has mandated that all employees, contractors, and grantees remove pronouns from their email signatures and other communications, according to an internal email obtained by NPR. This directive was issued in response to a series of executive orders aimed at curtailing what the administration describes as "gender ideology" within federal agencies.
The unsigned email outlined the agency’s compliance with an executive order titled "Defending women from gender ideology and extremism and restoring biological truth to the federal government," signed by President Trump on his first day in office. This order calls for the elimination of federal funding for initiatives related to gender ideology.
In the email, NASA announced that it had disabled features on its internal platforms, such as id.nasa.gov and Microsoft Teams, which allowed users to include pronouns in their display names. Additionally, for those who had previously added pronouns, the agency stated that these would be automatically removed from the system.
The communication also specified that NASA is implementing a uniform email signature format for all users, including civil servants and contractors. The new signature block must adhere strictly to the prescribed format, prohibiting any embellishments or additional information.
This move to eliminate pronouns is part of a broader initiative by the White House to restrict certain types of content in government communications. Reports from independent media sources indicate that NASA employees have been instructed to eliminate specific terms from public-facing websites, including references to "Indigenous people" and discussions surrounding women’s roles in leadership.
Furthermore, NASA’s acting administrator previously declared an end to all diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, arguing that such initiatives foster division among Americans and waste taxpayer resources.
As of now, NASA’s press office has not provided any comments regarding the new policy or the rationale behind it. This decision has sparked discussions about the implications for workplace inclusivity and the ongoing debates surrounding gender identity and representation in federal agencies.