Stand clear of gender designations, please!
The MTA is taking political correctness to new heights — with a directive to all subway personnel to no longer address riders as “Ladies and gentleman.”
A bulletin was sent out six days ago to all NYC Transit staff telling them to immediately replace that salutation in their announcements with a list of acceptable words like passengers, riders or everyone.
“Please don’t use any greeting other than these,” the memo says. It also directs conductors on newer trains with automated announcements to override the prerecorded message with the updated, PC ones, until the agency can get them changed out.
The bulletin warns workers that line managers and train service supervisors will be monitoring them to make sure they don’t slip and use the verboten phrase.
“They are trying to be politically correct,” said station worker and Transport Workers Union Local 100 member Anthony Staley. “They are acknowledging that they have some transgender riders. They don’t want to offend anyone.”
The “ladies and gentleman” greeting hasn’t been completely scrubbed from the entire system just yet. At the 6th Avenue platform of the L train on Wednesday afternoon, the automated message still said “”ladies and gentleman the next L train is now arriving on the 8th Avenue-bound track.”
An MTA spokesperson said that gender issues were a consideration for the move.