UK Green Party advises members to avoid terms 'mother and father' and 'homosexual'

In early October 2026, reports emerged in the United Kingdom regarding an internal language guide issued to members of the Green Party of England and Wales (GPEW). The document, titled Inclusive Terminology Guidance, advises party activists to replace traditional terms such as “mothers and fathers” with “parents and carers” and recommends dropping the terms “homosexual” and “transsexual,” arguing that they exclude non-binary people.

Beyond family vocabulary, the document discourages gendered job titles: party members are advised to replace “chairman” and “policewoman” with gender-neutral alternatives like chair and police officer. The guidance also covers categories of age and ethnicity: the word “elderly” is deemed inappropriate, as is the acronym BAME (Black, Asian, and minority ethnic), with “global majority” suggested instead to avoid grouping diverse community experiences under a single label. In addition, members are instructed to avoid colloquial terms such as “nutter” and “lunatic,” with the document noting that they reinforce negative stereotypes and stigma surrounding mental health conditions.

While the guidance notes that unintentional mistakes in terminology are acceptable if someone is making a genuine effort to communicate inclusively, it carries a firm warning: deliberate or persistent refusal to adopt the recommended terms may be treated as unlawful harassment, violating the party’s code of conduct and equality laws. According to British broadcaster LBC , a Green Party spokesperson dismissed claims of censorship: “This is an existing and standard equalities training document, similar to those found in other organisations that also take equalities seriously. It is a guide and nothing else.”

The guidance provoked swift debate across the British political spectrum. Author J.K. Rowling mocked the guidelines on X (formerly Twitter), sarcastically posting: “Speaking as the elderly mother of three youngsters, who hasn’t had a sex change and knows many homosexuals, it is my able-bodied and sexually-preferred opinion that the Greens are turning into total nutters.” Meanwhile, Conservative Party Chairman Kevin Hollinrake criticised the Greens for attempting to police everyday speech, arguing that the leadership is pursuing ideological crusades disconnected from the concerns of ordinary citizens.

The Green Party of England and Wales is an environmentalist political party with origins in the 1970s, established in its current form in 1990. Following Zack Polanski’s election as leader in September 2025, the party experienced significant membership growth driven by left-leaning activists, alongside intensified internal debates concerning gender self-identification, sex-based rights for women, and rules governing internal debate.

Previously, Urania reported on the participation of British rights advocacy group LGB Alliance at the UK Conservative Party Conference, where delegates championed sex-based protections for gay and lesbian rights, as well as a comprehensive survey by YouGov examining British public attitudes toward sexual minorities.