Newspeak 2003 - FYI - sensitive language in sexually transmitted disease research advised against - Author Abstract

Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, May-June, 2003 by Dore Hollander

Researchers who study sexually transmitted diseases and whose work includes sex workers, men who sleep with men or individuals who engage in anal sex are well advised not to use the terms "sex workers," "men who sleep with men" and "anal sex" in applications for federal grants, according to scientists who say that federal health officials have warned them that certain "key words" may attract unfavorable attention. (1) A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services interviewed by The New York Times denied that grant applications are screened for politically controversial topics, but an official at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) said that NIH project officers advise researchers to steer clear of using "sensitive language." While this practice is not new for NIH, the official added, it has been followed much more strictly under the Bush administration than it was previously. The pressure to "cleanse" grant applications of sensitive language has created what one scientist called a "pernicious sense of insecurity" among researchers, who fear that the concerns of individual legislators are gaming influence.

(1.) Goode E, Certain words can trip up AIDS grants, scientists say, New York Times, Apr. 18, 2003, , accessed Apr. 21, 2003.

FYI is compiled and written by Dore Hollander, executive editor of Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health.