In Bavaria, the use of gendered language in schools and authorities is prohibited. The decision is intended to keep the “spaces of discourse in a liberal society” open. When violations occur, officials face consequences.
The cabinet decided on the necessary changes to the General Rules of Order for the Authorities of the Free State of Bavaria (AGO) during its meeting in Munich on Tuesday. The AGO already obliged state authorities and therefore schools to apply the official rules for German spelling in official correspondence, but this regulation has now been “added to make it clearer,” the report said.
Ideologically influenced language
“For us, the clear message is that language must be clear and understandable,” said State Chancellor Florian Herrmann (CSU). But the ban is also about “keeping the space for discussion open in a liberal society.” On the other hand, ideologically influenced language, for example when it comes to gender, has an exclusionary effect. In certain social environments there are also many missionary users who use language that is incompatible with an open society.
Accordingly, multi-gender spellings using internal word symbols such as gender gap, gender star, colon, or media dot are expressly not allowed. “This applies regardless of any future decisions by the German Spelling Council on the issue of the use of special characters,” the State Chancellery said. If an official ignores this, there will certainly be consequences, Hermann said, without giving details.
“Teachers must adhere to it”
“It is clear that teachers must adhere to this,” Hermann emphasizes. In all official correspondence, including letters to parents and all internal communications, as well as in lessons. This is a clear and consistent line “that we pursue with a sense of proportion.” It is particularly important to the state government that no one is disadvantaged by refraining from using gender-sensitive language.
The Council for German Spelling recently, in a decision of December 15, 2023, did not recommend the use of special characters in words and pointed out that these are interventions in word formation, grammar and spelling that can affect the comprehensibility of texts.
The official spelling regulations also form the basis for teaching in Bavarian schools. The Ministry of Culture will therefore inform schools about the new, more precise requirements for the use of gender language in schools and in the lessons that also apply to them.
Source: Krone
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