Vermont’s Department of Health on Wednesday urged teachers and coaches to adopt more "inclusive language" in school by avoiding terms like "son" and "daughter."
"Use ‘child’ or ‘kid’ instead of ‘daughter’ or ‘son.’ This is gender-neutral and can describe a child who may not be someone’s legal son or daughter," the health department instructed in a Facebook post, noting that "equity in the classroom is an essential piece of a productive and healthy learning environment."
School staff, the post continued, should also say "family members" rather than "household members" as family members may not necessarily all live in the same home, and "family" rather than "extended family" as relatives other than parents could be "important parts of a core family unit."
"This 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," the department added in a comment underneath the post.
The department's advisory comes amid a growing progressive push nationwide to impose more "inclusive language" for the transgender crowd, with new terms including "penis owners" and "menstruating people." A top health official in New York City preferred the term "birthing people" instead of "mothers."
The Biden-Harris administration came under scrutiny earlier this year for introducing "Transgender Day of Visibility" on Easter Sunday and then accusing critics of "seeking to divide and weaken our country with cruel, hateful, and dishonest rhetoric."
"Proclaiming Easter Sunday as 'Transgender Day'—is outrageous and abhorrent. The American people are taking note," House speaker Mike Johnson said at the time.