London Transport Ditches 'Ladies and Gentlemen' in Favor of Gender-Neutral Greeting
The staff of Transport for London (TfL) will stop saying "ladies and gentlemen" in favor of "hello everyone" as the city takes steps to become gender-neutral. Bosses of the tube told workers to stop using traditional greetings and instead use inclusive greetings like "good morning/afternoon, everyone."
The move comes after LGBT activists appealed to Mayor Sadiq Khan to change the "outdated" language commonly used by train and bus drivers when addressing passengers. They argue that saying terms such as ladies, gentlemen, sir and madam are "polite but really belonging to yesterday."
Transgender woman Aimee Challenor, 19, who lobbied for the change, welcomed the development, calling it a "positive commitment from TfL" but wants to see the gender-neutral greeting enforced as a policy by including it in the updated staff rulebook. "People are saying it's such a small thing, and 'get a life.' It's these little things which can make people's lives better," she said.
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However, not everyone welcomes the change. Colin Hart from the Coalition for Marriage considers the move of re-recording TfL announcements a waste of public money, Premier reported. He called on Mayor Khan to recognize the real diversity of opinion instead of pushing for an unwanted agenda.
Hart accused the mayor of using his position to ram extreme gender ideology on the throats of his constituents. "Only ideological extremists could think that there was something offensive about the idea that the public comprises men and women," he said. "There is nothing offensive about the term 'ladies and gentlemen' – it is simply good manners," he added.
This is the latest gesture of support demonstrated by London for the LGBT agenda. Last week, the capital celebrated Pride 2017 by decorating its streets and transport network, including major Tube stations and bus stops, with the famous rainbow pattern as well as posters carrying the "Love is Love" slogan.
