Trump administration refuses to respond to reporters who have pronouns in email signatures

In response to questions from New York Times reporters, one of whom asked questions about climate research, another who asked about DOGE, the White House refused to respond, stating that the pronouns in their email sign-offs was prohibitive. A Crooked Media reporter in February added pronouns to his email sign-off in asking a question of the White House, and was told that no questions from pronoun people would be answered.

The New York Times, in their reporting on the matter, indicated that this refusal is "baffling." "On at least three recent occasions," the Times writes, "senior Trump press aides have refused to engage with reporters' questions because the journalists listed identifying pronouns in their email signatures."

They quoted Crooked Media's Matt Berg on the matter, who said, "I find it baffling that they care more about pronouns than giving journalists accurate information, but here we are." Berg told the Times that he doesn't usually have pronouns in his bio, indicating that he added them just to see what the White House response would be.

Leavitt's response to emails with pronouns in signatures read, "As a matter of policy, we do not respond to reporters with pronouns in their bios." DOGE's Katie Miller had a similar response to questions posed, saying, "As a matter of policy, I don’t respond to people who use pronouns in their signatures as it shows they ignore scientific realities and therefore ignore facts."

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on his first day in office against gender ideology extremism and the administration banned the practice of listing preferred pronouns in email signatures for federal workers.

"The erasure of sex in language and policy has a corrosive impact not just on women but on the validity of the entire American system," Trump's day one EO read. "Basing Federal policy on truth is critical to scientific inquiry, public safety, morale, and trust in government itself."

The Times believes that the practice is a form of evasion, with a spokesperson saying, "Evading tough questions certainly runs counter to transparent engagement with free and independent press reporting. But refusing to answer a straightforward request to explain the administration’s policies because of the formatting of an email signature is both a concerning and baffling choice, especially from the highest press office in the US government."

The issue of preferred pronouns has been roiling for years and the listing of pronouns in bios or email signatures has been required by corporations and was mandated by the Biden administration. Under President Joe Biden, federal workers were required to list preferred pronouns, in a form of compelled speech.

While some see the use of preferred pronouns as nothing more than a courtesy, others view it as a requirement to tell lies, as calling a woman "he" is not factually accurate. The widespread use of preferred pronouns among those who do not have a gender identity divergent from their natal sex was intended to be "inclusive" and to "normalize" the practice so that those who do subscribe to a different gender than their own wouldn't feel weird about saying so in their email signatures.

Under Biden, preferred pronouns were not optional. The Department of Health and Human Services issued a directive saying, "All employees should be addressed [by] the names and pronouns they use to describe themselves."

The Office of Personnel Management said, "All applicants and employees should be addressed by the names and pronouns they use to describe themselves. Using correct names and pronouns helps foster workplaces free of discrimination and harassment," indicating that it would be harassment to not use preferred pronouns.

The Biden administration also added gender neutral pronouns and pronoun drop down menus on federal websites. His administration also made it possible for Americans to have the opposite of their birth sex listed on their passports, or to have X listed instead of male or female. Texas sued the Biden administration over this. Kamala Harris offered nine sets of optional pronouns for campaign staffers. Trump reversed all of these measures.