The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has been focused on “LGBTQI+” inclusivity and “gender-neutral” language under President Joe Biden — even as it has struggled to manage the nation’s commercial air traffic.
On Wednesday, the FAA ordered the first nationwide “ground stop” since Sep. 11, 2001, after a computer system failed overnight, grounding thousands of flights and throwing the country’s air traffic into chaos.
It was the second crisis in as many months, after a winter storm snarled air travel during the holiday season. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg blamed Southwest Airlines, whose personnel management system caused company-wide cancelations that accounted for much of the nationwide disruption. But the FAA’s own systems are solely within his purview — and just the latest in many transportation failures on his watch.
Yet the FAA has not been completely passive. It has simply been focused on other things, such as using more “gender-neutral and inclusive” language to describe aviation and the “aerospace community,” as critics noted:
Let's check in on what Buttigieg's FAA has been focused on lately… pic.twitter.com/pO1AaBk4Mp
— Kyle Martinsen (@KyleMartinsen_) January 11, 2023
The agency has also promoted “LGBTQI+ visibility” — with the “positive” representing any residual sexual or gender identities not covered by “lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, [and] intersex.”
In keeping with the Biden administration’s focus on “equity” — as opposed to the outdated “equality” — the FAA has also focused on creating a more “inclusive” community of drone operators, a “safe space” for Hispanic employees, and “herstory” for women:
In our latest episode of 'The Air Up There' podcast, we’re talking about the Drone Advisory Committee’s work to create a more inclusive aviation community. Listen to the full episode at https://t.co/30JhPB1iqa pic.twitter.com/arBKOReTj7
— The FAA ✈️ (@FAANews) June 23, 2021
Innovation thrives when we're inclusive. Embracing peoples' backgrounds, differences and viewpoints makes us stronger and safer. We continue to celebrate #HHM with FAA employees who reflect on the importance of creating a safe space for all voices to be heard and valued. pic.twitter.com/wP6e0pju7W
— The FAA ✈️ (@FAANews) September 20, 2022
Words matter! Join us on March 23 at 2 PM ET for a conversation with a dynamic group of women as they share how changing the words we use can create a more inclusive aerospace community. Watch here or at https://t.co/gRxFvkgROa. #equity #WomensHistoryMonth pic.twitter.com/lGTMOTxZa7
— The FAA ✈️ (@FAANews) March 9, 2022
The FAA website notes: “The mission of the FAA is to provide the safest, most efficient aerospace system in the world.”
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the recent e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. His recent book, RED NOVEMBER, tells the story of the 2020 Democratic presidential primary from a conservative perspective. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
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