US Marines Plan To Ban Use Of ‘Sir,’ ‘Ma’am’ To Avoid ‘Misgendering’

The United States Marines will be employing something different to its future recruits as far as the manner of addressing their superiors.

In a new $2 million report commissioned by the Corps from the University of Pittsburgh, recruits may be banned from using terms such as “sir” or “ma’am” in addressing their superiors to avoid offending them.

It was added that the 738-page study that the Marines first commissioned in 2020 held back gender integration as far as addressing superiors.

“Employing gender-neutral identifiers eliminates the possibility of misgendering drill instructors, which can unintentionally offend or cause discord,” the study stated. “By teaching recruits to use gender-neutral identifiers for their drill instructors, Services underscore the importance of respecting authoritative figures regardless of gender.”

It was added by the University of Pittsburgh’s Warrior Human Performance Research Center that the Army, Navy, and Coast Guard effectively de-emphasize gender in an integrated environment.

“Instead of saying ‘ma’am’ or ‘sir,’ recruits in these Services refer to their drill instructors using their ranks or roles followed by their last names,” the study added. “Gendered identifiers prime recruits to think about or visually search for a drill instructor’s gender first, before their rank or role.”

Further, the proposal was allegedly one of a half-dozen recommendations the Marines’ entry-level training advisory council is considering. It was not indicated when the service will decide which ones to pursue.

Despite the impending changes, Col. Howard Hall, chief of staff for Marine Corps Training and Education Command said that the planned move would not be a quick fix.

“That’s going to take some effort,” Hall said to the committee about the switch to gender-neutral identifiers. “We want to avoid any quick-fix solutions that introduce perturbations down the line.”

When word about the possible change came out, critics aired their side and criticized the move. Some opined that it was making a joke of the military while there was another who tweeted: “Any real Marine would not let this happen!”