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The directive of the General Secretariat of the Ministry of Defense that aims to eliminate sexist and homophobic expressions within the Armed Forces was annulled, this Friday, by João Gomes Cravinho, but not before causing the outrage of the military – who had been demanding managers a response ‘severe’ as its content was made public. In a first reaction, plus the ‘hot’ one, the possibility of going to a demonstration to challenge the directive was on the table, but, according to SOL, this possibility has already been ruled out by the military.
The document entitled ‘Directive on the use of non-discriminatory language’ was issued by the General Secretariat of Defense and sent to the central services of the Ministry, the General Staff of the Armed Forces and the three military branches (Army, Navy and Air Force) ). According to Defense, the directive aims to “use an inclusive communication policy in all official documents, whether in written, oral or image form.” The document, which cites recommendations of the Council of Europe, NATO and resolutions of the Council of Ministers, foresees that the military use communication with “neutral terms” that are “gender-sensitive” and avoid the “use of discriminatory language.” Expressions such as “stop being a queer”, “behave like a man” or “you look like a girl” are given as examples of what is now prohibited.
This directive is framed within the scope of the national defense sector equality plan, 2019-2021, but in the Armed Forces – a universe that tends to be male – it has not even managed to garner the support of … women. The discontent will be practically unanimous, but, at first, it has been the military themselves that have expressed their discomfort and indignation over the content of the text more openly with the leaders. And even demanding that the situation does not get stuck without a concrete and firm response.
At SOL, an active duty agent (who asked not to be identified) admits that when she first saw the text she thought it was “a joke.” “I was amazed to read that document,” she recalls. The military consider that “when they try to teach us to speak, what they are telling me, as a woman, is that I am a ‘poor thing’ and, for my other colleagues, that they are a lot of bad ‘grunts’. -educated ‘. «We know how to speak, we have values and principles. We are people like everyone else, ”he says.
With a long and respected career, the military assures that “the document can only have been made by those who do not know the environment” and leaves doubts if “someone from the Armed Forces was even listened to when they were writing it.” “The Armed Forces are perhaps the sector of society where, in fact, there is more equity. Where I, as a woman, can have the same functions as a man, fulfill the same tasks and even receive the same salary. And now I ask: is this how the Ministry of Defense sees the Portuguese army? Or will this directive also extend to the rest of the public function? Will it be sent to PSPs, tax inspectors or even deputies of the Assembly of the Republic? “, Question.
The outrage among the military has also been cross-cutting: criticism comes from active, reserve or reform elements. Inside doors, women have been the ones who have assumed the greatest indignation, considering that they are the main involved (and harmed) in this issue.
The most recent data from the Ministry of João Gomes Cravinho, referring to September, indicates that 2,783 women serve in the Portuguese Armed Forces (representing 11.4% of the total of 24,000 soldiers). At the moment, they are all active. And it is precisely because they feel “obliged” to fulfill military duties that they have chosen not to publicly declare what they think.
“This directive is, above all, humiliating for women. I don’t want to be charged because I’m a woman. I want to be recognized for my merit and my behavior. Worse than negative discrimination is positive discrimination. In the first case, I have the law on my side, but in the second, I cannot justify it. In this way, military women who are part of the Armed Forces find themselves in a very difficult situation in front of their male colleagues ”, she tells SOL.
This controversy promises to reach Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, after the president of the national council of the Association of Officers of the Armed Forces (AOFA), Lieutenant Colonel António Costa Mota, admitted that he “liked” that President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa , by inherent supreme commander of the Armed Forces, “take a position” and “react” to the controversy.
Regarding the directive, the president of AOFA is adamant: “It is nonsense, nonsense.” «The document is inappropriate and out of place. On the one hand, because if there is a sector where there is indeed equity, it is in the Armed Forces, where women have the same functions, perform the same tasks and receive the same salary as men. On the other hand, there are many other concerns for a Ministry to worry about this, ”she says.
Contacted by SOL, the Ministry of Defense clarified by email that the text sent by the General Secretariat is not a final version of the directive. The Ministry of João Gomes Cravinho confirmed that, at this moment, it continues to count on the contributions of the different actors, before closing the document. «This proposed directive on the use of non-discriminatory language is part of the National Defense Sector Plan for Equality, 2019-2021, having been drawn up under the responsibility of the General Secretariat of the Ministry of National Defense, which sent it to all entities in the field of National Defense, Central Services, General Staff and Branches of the Armed Forces, in order to collect contributions and improvements. Only after listening to all those involved and integrating the contributions that are considered relevant, will this directive be assumed as a final document, ”the note reads.
