Massachusetts High School Bans The Term “Freshmen” Because It’s Not Gender Inclusive

Dent7 years ago

A school in Massachusetts has made a change to their student handbook policy after a group of students expressed outrage over the use of the word — get ready — FRESHMEN.

From WWLP 22:

It’s all about the pronouns. Easthampton High School students are being asked to no longer use the word “freshmen.”

The school is asking students to use the term “first year students,” instead.

Easthampton High School freshmen are now being referred to as “first year students” as the school aims to be more gender inclusive.

Last time I checked freshmen is a genderless tag. Like “look at those freshmen guys chug” or “this freshman class of females is quite talented.” It’s not some way of pushing our male agenda onto everyone.

And if you’re going to change the term, why not make it freshman, freshwoman, freshperson? You know like congressman, congresswoman, congressperson? Mailman, mailwoman, mailperson, etc. First-year just doesn’t work. I know plenty of second year freshman who had to retake geology (fucking rocks). Do you want to make all of those people feel inferior just because they have to retake a few classes? Doesn’t seem very inclusive if you ask me.

The change comes after students from the Gender and Sexuality Alliance Group made recommendations to the handbook committee, on how the school’s handbook language could be made more gender neutral.

All it takes nowadays is a few annoying voices, with too much time on their hands, who are louder than the rest, and people cower down in fear to meet their demands. Next thing you know, they are going to try replace the term junior because it is demeaning. And parents are going to have to give their child gender-neutral names until they are old enough to decide who they want to be.

Not everything needs to be an issue. If we’re being honest, there are much more legitimate things to protest. So quit wasting your time trying to change your school’s handbook and maybe, for the sake of us all, focus your energy on things that actually matter..

[via WWLP 22]

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