Language: Hesse prohibits gender language in the state administration

Hesse’s Prime Minister Boris Rhein (CDU) has banned gender language with a colon, internal I, underscore or asterisk in the state administration.

“A citizen-oriented administration also requires a uniform and understandable language,” said the State Chancellery in Wiesbaden upon request. A new service instruction from the Prime Minister will therefore uniformly define what gender-equitable and understandable language looks like for all departments of the state administration.

“Short forms with special characters such as the gender star, the colon and the internal I are no longer permitted.” The basis for this regulation is the rules of the Council for German Spelling. Several media outlets had previously reported on the publication of the regulation.

“Basic interventions in word formation, grammar and orthography”

The German Spelling Council last spoke out again in mid-December 2023 against including special gender characters in the official German spelling rules. The committee pointed out that this involved “fundamental interventions in word formation, grammar and orthography”.

According to the Hessian Prime Minister’s instructions, gender-equitable language can be taken into account in the future by mentioning both the female and male forms. The feminine form should be put first. Descriptions that do not explicitly name the genders are also possible. This includes the term “skilled workers,” explained the State Chancellery.

In the coalition agreement, the CDU and SPD agreed on the procedure. It says: “We will stipulate that gendering with special characters will be avoided in public administration and other state and public institutions (such as schools, universities, radio) and that the German Spelling Council will be guided.”