The United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) in Colorado introduced a fellowship program for "gender minorities" in which it specifies that "cisgender" men (those who identify with their biological sex, male) are not welcome. The Brooke Owens Scholarship, which is due by October 10, is aimed at women and "gender minorities" interested in aerospace, but:
If you are a cisgender man, this program is not for you.
In this way, any male candidate -and identified as such- who wishes to access this scholarship is eliminated without explanation. According to Fox News, the fellowship information was sent to the cadets in an e-mail imposing this requirement. The same mailing provided information on another discriminatory fellowship: the Patti Grace Smith Fellowship, only available to black cadets who wish to pursue a career in aerospace.
BOF ClassOf23 Application by VozMedia on Scribd
Fox News picked up an anonymous testimony from a cadet concerned about a USAFA draft "hyper-focused on diversity and inclusion rather than on the military threats facing the country."
"Don't say terrorist" or "mom and dad"
The content of this discriminatory scholarship comes after revelations that the Air Force Academy is training its cadets to "use inclusive language" that prohibits them from using male and female identifiers or even calling people "terrorists."
The presentation, under the title "Diversity and Inclusion: what it is, why we care and what we can do", has a series of exercises aimed at eradicating the use of gender pronouns and reinforcing the need for a language where "gender is the key word," and "stereotypes, prejudices and microaggressions are avoided". Cadets are also told to avoid words like "boys, terrorists, and colorblind."
Cadets should only use "person-centered language," such as "people with disabilities" and not "disabled." It also guides them to "include all genders" in their interactions: "All of you, team, squads, people". Finally, the instruction called for cadets to "recognize diversity in family formation," as "parents/caregivers/guardians" rather than "mom and dad."
