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San Diego city officials are no longer warning city workers to abstain from using the phrase "Founding Fathers" ahead of President's Day, according to a report from FoxNews.com.
According to legal watchdog group Pacific Justice Institute, the city had previously asked city workers not to use the phrase on the upcoming holiday, alleging that it is an example of "gender biased" language. Instead, the city urged workers to use just the word "founders."
George Washington. (Image source: MountVernon.org)
In a statement responding to the initial report that the city had banned the use of the phrase, PJI President Brad Dacus called the ban "offensive" and "PC insanity." The group also called for Mayor Kevin Faulconer to redact the guidelines:
At a time set aside to honor American icons to whom we owe our constitutional freedoms, it is offensive and indefensible that the City of San Diego is directing employees not to even mention the Founding Fathers. We are calling on the mayor to immediately retract these guidelines and reassure city employees that they will not be punished for being patriotic. We cannot allow this type of censorship and PC insanity to destroy our free speech.
However, city spokeswoman Katie Keach told FoxNews.com that the city never officially barred their employees from using the phrase.
"The 'Founding Fathers' reference was an example used in the correspondence manual, nothing more," she said. "This example has been removed."
She added, "No employee has ever been disciplined for referencing our Founding Fathers, and no one ever will."
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