KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The University of Tennessee says references to the use of gender-neutral pronouns are being removed from a school website.
According to multiple media outlets, UT President Joe DiPietro sent a message to university trustees Friday saying references to gender-neutral pronouns will be removed from the school's Office for Diversity and Inclusion website.
The Office for Diversity and Inclusion had asked students and faculty to use the pronouns in order to create a more inclusive campus. Officials had said the suggestion was aimed to be welcoming of the transgender population and "people who do not identify within the gender binary." Some of the pronouns are ze, hir, hirs, xe, xem or xyr.
DiPietro wrote it was not appropriate to suggest that it was expected that "all on campus embrace these practices."