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FDP politician Lindner: “I ask you to observe these requirements in the BMF’s external and internal correspondence.”
Photo: Fabian Sommer / dpa
The Federal Ministry of Finance (BMF) warns its employees not to use a gender star or other special characters for gender-sensitive language in their official letters and documents.
“I ask you to observe these requirements in the BMF’s external and internal correspondence,” writes the responsible department head in an in-house communication.
Special characters on the index
This means that constructions such as “civil servants,” “colleagues,” “experts,” or “taxpayers,” which supporters of so-called gender-equitable language prefer, are on the index.
The BMF, headed by department head Christian Lindner (FDP), relies on the requirements of the Council for German Spelling, which are binding for the federal government.
The council most recently determined in December that spellings with a gender star, for example, “are not covered by the official regulations,” according to the circular.
Recently, more and more gendered variants appeared in the BMF, with all options supposedly being used.
The desire grew among the workforce to clarify whether this was permissible and, if so, in what variations.
The house notice recommends naming both genders in accordance with the recommendations of the Spelling Council, for example "pupils", or using neutral wording, instead of seeking "advice from a doctor", for example "medical advice".
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