Italy’s education ministry has formally prohibited the use of gender-neutral symbols in schools, claiming that they disturb grammatical rules and undermine the coherence of official discourse.

The order, made on Friday, forbids the employment of non-conventional linguistic forms like the asterisk (*) and the schwa (ə), which have been more and more employed to advance gender sensitivity. “Use of non-compliant graphic signs violates linguistic conventions and threatens to undermine the clarity and consistency of institutional communication,” the ministry said.

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The choice is likely to fuel tensions with Italy’s right-wing government led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and both LGBTQ+ and women’s rights campaigners. Meloni, long on record as an advocate for conservative values, also caused earlier uproar in deciding to precede her official designation “Presidente del Consiglio” with the male article “il” rather than the female article “la”.

Italian, and other Latin-rooted languages, attribute gendered forms to adjectives and nouns, with masculine forms dominant in the plural forms. Gender-neutral language promoters say these conventions perpetuate male domination and have suggested alternatives like the schwa or asterisks for constructing more inclusive forms.

Italy’s national linguistic authority, the Accademia della Crusca, previously discouraged the incorporation of such symbols into official records, opting instead for traditional grammatical forms.

The ruling is in keeping with the wider stance of the government on matters related to gender, which has been criticized by progressive forces. The decision will also have wider implications for wider debates on language inclusion in media and public administration.

While the ban targets schools, its implications extend to wider efforts to modernize language to reflect evolving societal norms. Advocates fear it could hinder progress toward greater gender inclusivity in Italy’s institutional communication.