O Italian Ministry of Education banned the use of gender-neutral language symbols in schools, such as the asterisk (*) and the Schwarz (ə). The measure was announced this Friday, 21st, and justified as a way of preserving the clarity and uniformity of institutional communication.
According to the government, these practices violate the grammatical norms of the Italian language. The executive, led by Giorgia Meloni, argues that the introduction of these elements compromises the intelligibility of texts and promotes ideological changes in the structure of the language.
The official decision was communicated in a note, in which the ministry stated: “the use of non-compliant graphic symbols […] is contrary to linguistic standards and risks compromising clarity”.
The measure comes amid a scenario of cultural clashes. Since 2022, the Meloni government has adopted a conservative agenda, focused on defending traditional values and the national identity.
Actions such as the requirement of the masculine article “il” for his position as chairman of the board reinforce the preference for traditional grammatical forms. In the Italian language, nouns and adjectives have a defined gender, and the masculine form prevails in the plural, even in mixed groups.
In recent years, progressive movements have proposed neutral alternatives, such as the use of Schwarz (ə), a symbol used in phonetics to indicate a neutral vowel, and the asterisk. These features aim to make language more inclusive and representative of non-binary identities.
However, the initiative is encountering resistance. Bran Academy, the country's main linguistic reference, had already spoken out against the use of such symbols in official documents. For the institution, these innovations make understanding difficult and do not contribute to the natural evolution of the language.
Opponents say the measure ignores social advances and reinforces exclusionary patterns. Educators and academics also reacted, emphasizing that language must accompany social transformations.
The ban, for now, only applies to the education system. However, experts warn that the initiative could set precedents for other areas of public administration.
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