Javier Milei bans gender-inclusive language in Argentina’s military & official documents

27-02-2024

Júlia Barreto Reis

International Justice Team Researcher, 

Global Human Rights Defence

On February 27th, 2024, the spokesperson for the Presidency of Argentina, Manuel Adorni, announced that President Javier Milei had decided to prohibit gender-neutral or inclusive language across the entire Argentine national public administration. This confirmation came after a resolution was published the day before, in which Milei's government banned inclusive language in the Armed Forces and the entities of the Ministry of Defense.

Spanish is a gender-defined language where most nouns are given a masculine “o” ending or a feminine “a” ending. For that reason, in order to create a more inclusive language, there has been a movement to use “x” or “e” to create gender-neutral nouns. Thus, terms such as "sargenta" (sargent) - that originally only exist in the masculine form “sargento”, as well as grammatical structures referring to non-binary individuals, such as "soldadxs" or "soldades" (soldiers), are strictly prohibited. Only the use of words in accordance with the terms and rules established by the Real Academia Española (RAE) and the regulations and manuals of the Armed Forces will be permitted.

The use of inclusive or neutral language did not stem from law but was a discretionary measure. However, since 2020, the previous government had expressed a commitment to raising awareness regarding cultural changes in gender relations. Milei disagrees with this perspective and views such language as "gender ideology".

One argument presented in the text prohibiting this language revolves around the necessity for military communications to be "brief, clear, and concise", emphasizing that an "incorrect interpretation of the expressed content can affect the development of operations and create confusion."

The use of this type of language is controversial in various parts of the world and is still strongly debated in many countries, especially by right-leaning political parties. This discussion accompanies cultural changes, as language inevitably reflects alterations present in society itself.

Sources and further readings:

CNN, 'Argentina's President Javier Milei has banned gender-inclusive language as he seeks to implement his socially conservative agenda' (27 February 2024) <https://edition.cnn.com/2024/02/27/americas/argentina-milei-bans-gender-inclusive-language-intl-latam/index.html> accessed February 28th, 2024.

Buenos Aires Times, 'Milei government bans gender-inclusive language in Argentina's military' (27 February 2024) <https://batimes.com.ar/news/amp/argentina/milei-government-bans-gender-inclusive-language-in-argentinas-military.phtml> accessed February 28th, 2024.

Buenos Aires Herald, 'Government to ban gender-neutral language in national public bodies' (27 February 2024) <https://buenosairesherald.com/politics/government-to-ban-gender-neutral-language-in-national-public-bodies> accessed February 28th, 2024.