An internal personnel document from the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) reveals policies that force federal employees to affirm “transitioning” employees’ so-called “gender identity.” The DOI’s “Supporting Gender Transition in the Federal Workplace” document dated Sept. 12, 2023, not only states that all DOI employees must refer to co-workers by their “affirming name/gender/pronouns,” but also makes employees comply with a “gender-affirming” bathroom policy.

Besides defining 13 terms such as “Gender Nonconforming,” and “Gender Nonbinary,” the document also states that pronouns can include “he/him,” “she/her,” “they/them,” as well as “neopronouns” like “ze,” “xe,” “xie,” and others.

Additionally, for workplace duties differentiated by gender, “transitioning” employees are not required to show proof of medical procedure or surgery to be eligible for “gender-specific” assignments. But these employees can use bathrooms designated for the opposite sex. Federal employees identifying as transgender, gender nonconforming and non-binary can use the restroom that corresponds with their “gender identity.” And while offices are encouraged to provide single-use or unisex restrooms, DOI bathroom policy does not require transgender employees to be limited to using these facilities.

Transitioning DOI employees are encouraged to complete a “Workplace Gender Transition Plan” that documents the employee’s “Dead Name,” “Affirming Name,” and “Planned Gender Transition Announcements” to formally make others aware of the transition.

The document even includes a sample email to communicate an employee’s “gender transition” to the rest of the office. The email states that DOI leadership supports the transitioning employee’s self-perceived identity and instructs employees to refer to the “transitioning” co-worker by their affirming name and pronouns, while no longer referring to them as their “dead name.”

There is no mention in the document that employees who have convictions or religious beliefs that prevent them from complying with this policy will be accommodated, although religious conviction is a valid reason for noncompliance.

“The federal government cannot force employees to lie about sex and gender or compel them to adopt, by word or deed, an ideology that directly conflicts with their sincerely held religious beliefs,” says Mat Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel. “Title VII prevents employers from discriminating against employees based on religion, and religious accommodations must be carefully considered. The Department of the Interior knows this and should have already made room for religious accommodation requests in this document.”

This policy is contrary to the 2022 Meriwether v. The Trustees of Shawnee State University case where the U.S. Court of Appeals upheld Dr. Nicholas Meriwether’s First Amendment rights when he refused to refer to a female college student by her “preferred” male pronouns.

The DOI’s policy announcement will affect its more than 70,000 employees in 2,400 operating locations.