Vermont Department of Health urges public to avoid gendered words like ‘son’ or ‘daughter’

August 30, 2024

The Vermont Department of Health is encouraging school employees and others to use gender-neutral terminology and to refrain from using words like “son” or “daughter” when referring to children.

The Christian Post reports that the Health Dept. made a Facebook post Wednesday saying that “the language we use matters” and calling for “inclusive language.”

The state agency stated: “When talking about family, it’s important to use terms that cover the many versions of what family can look like,” and advised using terms like “kid” or “child” rather than “son” or “daughter” to refer to someone’s offspring.

The Facebook post also advised, “This is gender-neutral and can describe a child who may not be someone’s legal son or daughter.”

The Health Dept. further cautioned against the use of terms like “extended family” and “household members” and suggesting simply using the term “family” as a more inclusive term.

According to the Christian Post, the Facebook post also states: “This is especially important in settings like classrooms, afterschool programs and sports teams. Using language that includes everyone helps children feel seen, respected, and valued no matter how their families are structured.”

This is not the first time the Vermont Department of Health has made headlines for its efforts to eliminate what it calls “gendered language.”

Last year a school district in the state sent a letter to parents of fifth grade students calling for “gender inclusive language” in the school’s sex ed program as part of the district’s “equity policy.”

Photo: top, Credit: iStock/PeopleImages