Biden administration now allowing visitors of White House website to choose pronouns

James Crump
·3 min read
<p>The White House is blanketed in rainbow colours symbolising LGBT+ pride in Washington, DC on 26 June 2015</p> ((AFP via Getty Images))

The White House is blanketed in rainbow colours symbolising LGBT+ pride in Washington, DC on 26 June 2015

((AFP via Getty Images))

The Biden administration is now allowing visitors of the White House website to choose their pronouns while offering gender neutral options.

The change came hours after Joe Biden was inaugurated as the 46th US President, as part of the remastering of the website that is standard for new administrations.

The contact form for the White House now allows individuals to select their pronouns from she/her, he/her, he/him, they/them, other, or prefer not to share. Those who select “other” are able to write in their preferred pronouns.

The choices for prefix have also been modified, now allowing individuals to choose Mx, other, or none, alongside the previously offered Mr, Ms, Mrs and Dr.

The change was first reported by the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), which tweeted: “The @WhiteHouse website contact form now asks for your pronouns.”

The Internet Archive’s WayBack Machine, which is a digital archive of web pages, confirms that prior to Mr Biden’s inauguration the contact form did not allow an option for individuals to choose their pronouns.

Social media users praised the change, with @GoodTransNews tweeting: “A small but meaningful change on day one as the White House website now asks for your pronouns!”

User @lgbtqstemberlin wrote: “It’s getting better!” while @barilleon tweeted: “Today, I can select the title ‘Mx’ and they/them pronouns on the White House contact page. I know it's not much, but it's a start.”

Several other changes were made as part of the website revamp, including an updated White House priorities page, listing climate, racial equality, Covid-19, health care, economy, immigration, and restoring America's global standing.

The website has also been made more accessible, by including a blue “Español” button at the bottom of every page, allowing users to translate any text into Spanish. High contrast and large font size options have also been added, according to CBS News.

The option allowing individuals to choose their pronouns was added just days after President Biden nominated Dr Rachel Levine to serve as the assistant secretary for health at the US Department of Health and Human Services.

If she is confirmed to the role, Dr Levine will be the first openly transgender official confirmed to a position by the US Senate.

Mr Biden also nominated Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, to lead the Department of Transportation. If he is confirmed to the role, Mr Buttigieg will be the first openly gay person to serve in a Senate-approved position.

Following his victory in November’s presidential election, Mr Biden promised to push for more protections for the LGBT+ community within his first 100 days in office.

He has vowed to overturn former President Donald Trump’s ban on transgender people serving in the US military, while last night he signed an executive order preventing workplace discrimination due to sexual orientation or gender identity.

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