90 year old woman who spent 60 years volunteering fired for asking what pronouns meant

Fran Itkoff, an elderly disabled woman in California, was dismissed from her volunteer work at the National Multiple Sclerosis Society because she asked about the use of pronouns in an email signature.

“I had seen it on a couple of letters that had come in after the person’s name. But I didn’t know what it meant . . . So when I finally talked to her, I asked what it meant"

Following the conversation, she received an email a few days later explaining that she had violated the MS Society’s diversity, equity, and inclusion guidelines. . . . “Unfortunately, based on the situation, we have made the difficult decision to have you step down from your volunteer position, effective immediately.”

Itkoff had been volunteering for 60 years at the MS Society and previously, her husband, who had MS before he died 20 years ago, had run the Long Beach Lakewood MS support group, which she took over to honor him.

Her daughter Elle Hamilton said volunteering for the support group has been her mother’s whole life

Source

This is absolutely disgusting. It takes a real special kind of degenerate to fire a 90 year old woman who spent 60 years giving her life to help others by volunteering in memory of those who died of a disease, earning several awards for her selfless service along the way. If she had spent those 60 years embezzling and stealing money, then yes, firing her is understandable. If she had been using her position to take advantage of vulnerable people by scamming them out of money, then yes, firing her would be understandable. Fran Itkoff didn't do those things - no, she made the mistake of asking a woman what the "She/Her" pronouns in her email signature meant.
This just goes to show you how *ing deranged and sick in the head the people are who feel the need to clarify whether they're a man or a woman for their special imaginary virtue-signaling social justice points. God forbid a 90 year old woman be confused about why a woman has to clarify to everyone else that she is in fact a woman and not a man.

In an email to other volunteers, the executive vice president of the group’s general counsel implied that the 90-year-old was let go because others shouldn’t have to feel “unsafe” at work.
Source 2

If you feel "unsafe" because a 90 year old woman asked what pronouns mean, then you need to check yourself into a *ing mental hospital.

Everybody involved in this asinine nonsense needs to be fired and replaced, and Fran Itkoff needs to be given her volunteer job back so that she can continue selflessly serving others unlike the vindictive lunatics who fired her.

a reply to: trollz

i've tried to explain DEI, Woke, and pronouns to my 80 year old mother. she still doesn't get it.
to be honest neither do i.

so now it's a crime to not understand this clown world behavior? Better get them fema camps ready, and build them big.

I read this online yesterday. Sickening. Woke DEI mentality is a brain virus. That group needs to bring the elderly woman back, apologize, and give a luncheon in her honor.

a reply to: trollz

Statement from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society

For more than 75 years, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society has advanced one bold vision—a world free of MS. Through thousands of volunteers, dedicated staff, and generous donors, we live that vision every day. We welcome anyone to join us to advance that mission. As an organization, we firmly believe that we best serve and support those living with MS by creating a space that welcomes all. This is especially true for self-help group leaders, who are responsible for leading meetings for people affected by MS to confide in and support one another. Recently, a volunteer,

Fran Itkoff, was asked to step away from her role because of statements that were viewed as not aligning with our policy of inclusion

. Fran has been a valued member of our volunteer team for more than 60 years. We believe that our staff acted with the best of intentions and did their best to navigate a challenging issue. As an organization, we are in a continued conversation about assuring that our diversity, equity and inclusion policies evolve in service of our mission, and will reach out to Fran in service of this goal.
www.nationalmssociety.org...

Hopefully they will be made to rue that decision , this "inclusion" BS is getting out of hand.

For a woke group of people who claim to be all about 'feelz', they have certainly missed the boat. And it would have been a good opportunity for them to practice on explaining their definitions to others.

I do believe in my heart of hearts that until people truly experience real pain, hurt and the like, they cannot have empathy. And sympathy seems to be lacking in their makeup as well.

Sad for the elderly woman whose whole world has basically crashed for simply vocalizing her questions on something she is trying to understand.

The hard hearted and over the top egotistical, selfish, oppressive and very NON INCLUSIVE have taken over societal norms. They defy their own adjectives and demands of others. AKA HYPOCRITES!!!!!!!!

I hope they get overrun with letters and emails telling them how much they did the WRONG thing.


This is just disgusting.

a reply to: trollz

Official dismissal letters not always reveal the real reason for firing someone. She could be too old, maybe she was too slow or she could have a foggy brain. Perhaps, modern technology was too much of a challenge for her. Or she could indeed fall behind the brave new progressive world. Who knows? Certainly, she stopped being useful so they got rid of her and found another volunteer, younger, faster and more enterprising. The fact that the woman spent all her life being dedicated to her job doesn't matter. Perhaps, it would matter if the "charities" or, more correctly, the businesses called charities or foundations didn't have so many useful idiots willing to do all the work for free.

I always thought that volunteering was a form of modern slavery. For every work there should be payment. No pay no work. Unfortunately, the "charitable" businesses always manage to fool people with lofty feel-good slogans so they work for free and the charities' owners and managers are getting rich, occasionally giving the scraps to those in need.

Like there's this guy in Poland who became Croesus thanks to helping "all those poor sick and miserable people." And there's the whole crowd of young people collecting money for him in the streets no matter the weather. There is a sucker born every minute.

Now they will hire a few DEI volunteers who will then be found to steal from the local charity. I wonder if she was an elderly black woman she would have been treated the same?

This is America.

NMS should be ashamed of themselves. Poor woman. She volunteered there when her husband had MS.

a reply to: gortex

inclusion = no-whitey

a reply to: trollz

Inclusion.



So the left will only consider "inclusion" if you obey them.

Crap like this is why I can’t take one single lefty serious anymore. They may not have done this personally but they support the A-H’s that did. This is a pathetic display of humanity from within the democrat party whom supports these “affirmative actions”, if you support the democrat party now then you’re no better. It’s no wonder it’s next to impossible to have a constructive civil debate with anyone on the left, y’all have completely lost your frigg’n minds. I don’t think I need to tell y’all what you can do with your pronouns😠

I swear if I worked at a place where DEI ruled, I'd take advantage of it. I'd flip a coin every day to see if I wanted to be male or female, but dress neutral so no one could tell and pick a new name every day, then scream at people for mis gendering and mis naming me and threaten law suits every time they did it.

On my female day, I'd say I'm pre op and since I still have a penis but identify as a woman and the woman's bathroom doesn't have urinals, I'll just piss in the sink.


Fire me. I dare you.

originally posted by: twistedpuppy
a reply to: trollz

Official dismissal letters not always reveal the real reason for firing someone.

Aye, there is very likely more to the story than the media lets on - it's usually the case!


As for mentioning pronouns in emails, I suppose it has some validity given a first name doesn't tell us much, even without all the silly current trend for gender fluidity. Is Alex a man or a woman? What about Jean? Or Sam?

a reply to: matafuchs

Now they will hire a few DEI volunteers who will then be found to steal from the local charity.

maybe something like this,

originally posted by: matafuchs
a reply to: gortex

inclusion = no-whitey

Bingo.
The sweet old lady didn’t check enough boxes.
If she was ANY color besides white she would have been good.
Only way whitey gets a pass is if they’re some kind of queer.

In all seriousness, thiscm entire proud thing and its implications is getting out of control when healers are getting targeted and the pain is getting out there.

Why the double standard?

originally posted by: twistedpuppy


I always thought that volunteering was a form of modern slavery. For every work there should be payment. No pay no work. Unfortunately, the "charitable" businesses always manage to fool people with lofty feel-good slogans so they work for free and the charities' owners and managers are getting rich, occasionally giving the scraps to those in need.

Depends on the charity. I've been helping run one (turnover now over £300,000 a year) for most of my life. I've so far earned exactly £0.00 As has everyone else. Because we are all volunteers.

But big charities are a different matter

originally posted by: DAVID64
I swear if I worked at a place where DEI ruled, I'd take advantage of it. I'd flip a coin every day to see if I wanted to be male or female, but dress neutral so no one could tell and pick a new name every day, then scream at people for mis gendering and mis naming me and threaten law suits every time they did it.

On my female day, I'd say I'm pre op and since I still have a penis but identify as a woman and the woman's bathroom doesn't have urinals, I'll just piss in the sink.


Fire me. I dare you.

🤣🤣🤣When in Rome, right?

a reply to: twistedpuppy

IF there were other reasons, then she should have been given a retirement party and recognition for her service to others. A chance to go out with grace and love. This was just DEI virtue signaling and she will be the but of that persons jokes at some cocktail party.

When people volunteer they are serving to a higher standard by loving their neighbor. Not everything should be a business deal. The people that run these charities shouldn't be paid millions and get bonuses. An average living wage should be paid. If they need to make more money let them find a company that is for profit and earn their money. Then the donations could be used to help those in need.