MS Society U-turns and issues groveling apology to fired 90-year-old volunteer who they forced to step down after she asked 'what pronouns meant'
- Fran Itkoff received an apology from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society
- The 90-year-old volunteer was forced to step down after she asked about pronouns, ‘breaching’ diversity and inclusion policies
- NMSS admitted it ‘fell short’ but claimed it acted with best intentions
The National MS Society has apologized to a 90-year-old volunteer they forced to step down for ‘breaching its diversity and inclusion policy’ after she asked what pronouns were.
Fran Itkoff had served the non-profit for multiple sclerosis patients for 60 years, with her late husband running the Long Beach Lakewood chapter prior to his death.
She was left stunned when her bosses fired her on January 19 following an exchange with a colleague who asked her to use her pronouns in email signatures.
The non-profit doubled down on its decision, saying it acted with the ‘best of intentions’ despite a furious backlash where supporters threatened to withhold their funds.
But, on Wednesday, the organization announced it was rolling back on its stance, admitting it ‘fell short’ and offering a groveling apology to Itkoff.
The National MS Society has apologized to 90-year-old volunteer Fran Itkoff who they forced to step down for ‘breaching its diversity and inclusion policy’ after she asked about pronouds
She was let go after 60 years of service via an email sent from one of the non-profit’s representatives which stated she had breached the group’s DEI guidelines
‘Recently, we asked Fran to step down from her role as a group leader because of statements made that we viewed as not aligning with our recently implemented diversity, equity and inclusion policy,’ the statement read.
‘We realize now that we made a mistake, and we should have had more conversations with Fran before making this decision.’
However, the non-profit repeated its defense of acting in ‘best intentions’ and blamed a lack of ‘protocol’ for the decision.
‘We should have spent more time with Fran to help her understand why, as an organization, we are dedicated to building a diverse and inclusive movement where everyone has equitable access to the care, connections, and support they need to live their best lives,’ the statement added.
‘We apologized to Fran directly and reached out to her to find a way to continue to work together.’
It’s unclear if Itkoff will rejoin the organization.
Itkoff was let go via email after a representative at the company asked her began to start using pronouns on her email signature, but she did not know what it meant, according to an interview she conducted with Libs of TikTok.
‘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,’ the senior said.
‘Because it sounds like you are labeling for females, not males, if you are just putting in she/her.’
The decision prompted a furious backlash in which supporters threatened to withhold their funds
On Wednesday, the MS Society issued a groveling apology in which it admitted it ‘fell short’ but claimed to have acted with ‘best intentions’
The society said it has reached out to Itkoff to apologize directly as it rescinded her firing
A few days later, she received an email accusing her of violating 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,’ the email reads.
Itkoff said: ‘I was completely shocked. I can’t believe… I had to read it a couple of times to see if I’m getting what she said.’
Elle Hamilton, Itkoff’s daughter, said at the time: ‘To me it’s ironic, because they are saying they are inclusive, but they are excluding a 90-year-old disabled woman who has volunteered for 60 years.’
‘And literally the sole purpose was to help the MS patients and find a cure. That’s literally all she does,’ Hamilton added.
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