The (NIH) is the
primary agency of the United States government and is responsible
for biomedical and public health research, compromised of nearly 20,000
employees and having an annual budget of 42 billion dollars. For this
reason, it is no surprise that the organization might issue a woke
statement, using “we” language to represent everyone as a matter of
policy. They certainly have a media relations team that would put out
such a statement.
Yet Collins’s letter is personal. We don’t
know why he felt he had to release a statement in the first place, but
even if he as the Director was being pressured to and he was forced to
under penalty of losing his job, he personalizes it using “I” rather
than “we,” saying among other things:
- I applaud the courage and resilience it takes for individuals to live openly and authentically
- As a White cisgender and heterosexual man, I have not had the same experiences, but I am committed to listening, respecting, and supporting those individuals as an ally and advocate.
- I know that developing allyship is critical as we continue to make NIH, and the world, a more inclusive place for all.
- For that reason, I am excited to share this year’s Pride theme, Allyship in Action
- To address this need, I am proud to announce that NIH recently funded a National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine consensus study to review current measures and methodological issues related to measuring sex as a non-binary construct.
- I hope that you join me this Pride Month in exemplifying allyship and celebrating the broad diversity of SGM communities. ...