The U.S. Marines are considering making it illegal to address high-ranking officers of the corps using the pronouns “sir” and “ma’am” in order to prevent gender misrepresentation that could “cause discord” among officers.

The consideration is based on a 738-page recommendation report from the University of Pittsburgh, which cost about two million dollars and took two years to compile. 

“Instead of saying ‘ma’am’ or ‘sir,’ recruits in these Services refer to their drill instructors using their ranks or roles followed by their last names,” recommended the study conducted by the University of Pittsburgh’s Warrior Human Performance Research Center at the behest of the U.S. Marine Corps.

“Gendered identifiers prime recruits to think about or visually search for a drill instructor’s gender first, before their rank or role.”

The study noted that the use of pronouns could offend superior officers when misgendered.

“Employing gender-neutral identifiers eliminates the possibility of misgendering drill instructors, which can unintentionally offend or cause discord,” the study said.

“By teaching recruits to use gender-neutral identifiers for their drill instructors, Services underscore the importance of respecting authoritative figures regardless of gender.”

Howard Hall, chief of staff for Marine Corps Training and Education Command, asserted the corps leadership was mulling implementing the ban on pronouns despite objections. 

He made the assertion to the Defence Advisory Committee on Women in the Services, according to the Marine Corps Times. 

He, however, cautioned the change to gender-neutral identifiers would not be “overnight,” adding that it would “take some effort.”

“We want to avoid any quick-fix solutions that introduce perturbations down the line,” the Marine Corps publication quoted Mr Hall as saying.

“We’ve got a history of ‘sir, ma’am, sir, ma’am.’ If we change something at the root level, how do we make the corresponding change at the Fleet Marine Force? So it’s not ours to implement alone.”