A progressive-leaning centrist think tank is making headlines by telling Democrats to stop using dozens of common social justice terms, including LGBTQ+ ones. Third Way, a Washington-based group, has released a new memo identifying 45 words and phrases they say are “profoundly alienating” to voters. Their advice: drop them immediately if Democrats hope to stop the MAGA movement and win over everyday Americans. The list includes phrases familiar to many in our community, terms like “cisgender,” “deadnaming,” “heteronormative,” and even “LGBTQIA+” itself. Also on the chopping block are social justice staples such as “privilege,” “systems of oppression,” “intersectionality,” and “microaggression.” The group memo states, “For a party that spends billions of dollars trying to find the perfect language to connect to voters, Democrats and their allies use an awful lot of words and phrases no ordinary person would ever dream of saying.” The group claims that while the intent of this language is inclusion, the effect sounds “elitist” or “enforcers of wokeness.” Third Way insists they are not policing speech, but urging Democrats to use words that invite conversation rather than repel voters. The memo adds, “Standing up to MAGA’s cruel attacks on gay and transgender people requires creating empathy and building a broad coalition, not confusing or shaming people who could otherwise be allies.” As the memo is out, critics point out the irony: while Democrats debate dropping words, the current Republican administration has banned more than 250 terms from federal communications, including those acknowledging LGBTQ+ lives, racial discrimination, and climate change. The fight over language is becoming more than just semantics; it’s about survival in the culture wars and the 2026 elections.
