Air Force Academy cadets instructed to use gender-inclusive language, report says

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (TND) — The United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) is instructing cadets to use gender-inclusive terms and, in some cases, refraining from saying words like "mom" and "dad."

Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., shared materials with Fox News Digital from a recent session that was part of the academy's Diversity & Inclusion Cadet Leadership Program. The session involved a slide presentation titled, "Diversity and Inclusion: What it is, why we care, and what we can do." Waltz said cadets were "alarmed" by the materials.

One of the slides discusses "inclusive language," telling cadets to nix terms like "mom and dad," "boyfriend/girlfriend" and "you guys" for "parents/caregivers/guardians," "partner" and "y'all/team/squaddies/everyone/folks."

The slide also emphasizes "person-centered" language, which includes using "transgender people/service members" over simply "transgenders."

USAFA says this "conversation" was developed by cadet leaders and USAFA staff to "introduce all cadets" to the department's "definitions of diversity and inclusion." Another slide reportedly says teaching diversity and inclusion is "critical to developing warfighters prepared to lead the USAF/USSF with character."

The final slide shares the "additional resources" offered to cadets at the academy, including "affinity groups," a "D&I Reading Room" and a "D&I minor."

According to the USAFA website, there are ten affinity groups offered at the academy. One is the Schulte Assembly, which is "a gender issues forum that seeks to inform and discuss the importance of diversity in the U.S. military." These groups also appear to continue upon graduation, as the Air Force Academy Foundation and Association of Graduates (AOG) offers AOG affinity groups made up of "communities of "USAFA alumni that actively communicate or gather around a shared affinity or bond."

The Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) Reading Room was implemented in 2021 in the wake of the murder of George Floyd. USAFA President Mark Jensen said "people kept mentioning books" in conversations held following Floyd's murder, so the room containing "a specially curated selection of books" was opened the following spring semester.

Code of Vets, an organization meant to raise awareness for and help struggling veterans, responded to these slides, saying "teaching pronouns will not win wars."

"The Air Force Academy does not prohibit the use of 'mom and dad' or other gender specific terms," Lt. Gen. Rich Clark, Superintendent of the USAF, told The National Desk (TND). "The slide on 'inclusive language' was intended to demonstrate how respect for others should be used to build inclusive teams, producing more effective warfighting units. Understanding a person's context shows respect. Until you know a person's situation, we should not make assumptions about them."

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