The United States Air Force has officially reversed its prior policy that prohibited personnel from including personal pronouns in email signatures and other professional communications, according to The Hill.
The shift comes in response to a clause within the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), though it remains unclear whether other military branches will follow suit.
The original ban, enacted on February 4, was aligned with a presidential executive order aimed at eliminating federal references to gender identity. Air Force officials issued a memo at the time instructing personnel to remove pronouns from all internal and external correspondence in compliance with the directive.
That order called on all federal agencies to eliminate “all statements, policies, regulations, forms, communications, or other internal and external messages that promote or otherwise inculcate gender ideology.”
However, the NDAA provision explicitly states that the U.S. Secretary of Defense “may not require or prohibit a member of the armed forces or a civilian employee of the Department of Defense to identify the gender or personal pronouns of such member or employee in any official correspondence of the Department.”
In light of this, the Air Force issued a new memo on April 2, reversing the ban. Personnel —both military and civilian— are now permitted to include personal pronouns in email signatures, official memoranda, letters, papers, social media posts, and department websites.
The new guidance also acknowledges ongoing legal challenges to the president’s order. As a result, service members and employees who have updated their gender markers are not required to wear uniforms or use facilities that align with the gender opposite to their documented identity.
However, the Air Force continues to implement parts of the president’s directive. It has instructed all units to eliminate any programmes, training sessions, or public-facing content that “promote” gender identity. Furthermore, any mention of gender has been ordered to be removed from application forms.
