This morning, the Vermont State Department of Health posted on Facebook about the importance of inclusive language at school—and suggested that Vermonters call their children "child" or "kid" rather than "son" or "daughter."
The post did not go over well with some residents of the state. Vermonters opposed to using words other than "son" or "daughter" for their kids flooded the post's comment section with angry messages and snide remarks about the state government being too "woke."
The refusal to use gender-neutral language or an individual's correct pronouns are linchpins in the anti-woke movement that rallies against the LGBTQ community. And just because a state, like Vermont, is considered "liberal" writ large doesn't mean that it doesn't have its own anti-woke dissenters:
In June, the Daily Dot reported on a Massachusetts-based Facebook group of parents who wanted to punish public schools for celebrating Pride Month.
In its post, the Vermont Department of Health wrote that "the language we use matters" because "it's important to use terms that cover the many versions of what family can look like." The post also included an infographic about using gender-neutral language and saying "family members" instead of "household members" and "family" rather than "extended family."
"Use 'child' or 'kid' instead of 'daughter' or 'son,'" the infographic says. "This is gender-neutral and can describe a child who may not be someone's legal son or daughter."
In the eight hours since the post was shared, it's already received almost 800 comments (other recent posts from the department have garnered ten comments or fewer).
Most of the responses send the same message: Some Vermonters don't want to refer to their children as anything but their sons and daughters and are vehemently opposed to gender-neutral language.
"How about letting people say what they want and stop being the woke police?" one Vermont Facebook user commented. "If any of these terms offend you 'daughter', 'family', etc. then you have the issue, not the person saying it."
"Not gonna happen. I will say what I want not saying what you tell me to say," another person said. "It is my son or daughter."
"There are only men and women," another commenter wrote. "They’re distinct and different. You cannot switch at will."
Others took shots at the Vermont state government for aligning itself with the "woke," or socially progressive, movement.
"More government desecration to the traditional family under the guise of progressive liberalism," a commenter wrote. "How tiring."
"More control over our lives," a Vermonter said. "Now freedom to say what we want is unappropriate [sic]."
And many made jokes at the health department's expense.
"My son and daughter think this is stupid because that is what they want to be called," a Facebook user said, using all the terms the Facebook post advised against. "Members of my household and extended family feel the same."
"Maybe I'll call my children whatever I'd like," another person commented, "and the government can mind their business and go back to lying and stealing."
In a statement to the Daily Dot, the department said that the Facebook post "was intended to encourage using inclusive language when you don't know someone's family situation."
"This is especially important in settings like classrooms, afterschool programs, and sports teams," Senior Public Health Communication Officer Sharon Muellers said. "Using language that includes everyone helps children feel seen, respected, and valued no matter how their families are structured."
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