The National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS) recently dismissed a 90-year-old veteran volunteer for failing to grasp gender ideology.
Fran Itkoff, a California resident whose late husband had MS, volunteered with the NMSS for 60 years. She won several awards for her service and received commendations for her dedication.
But these were not enough to save Itkoff when she failed to understand the organization’s “inclusive” policy requiring employees and volunteers to begin using their “pronouns.”
“I was confused. I didn’t know what it was and what it meant,” Itkoff told Libs of Tik Tok creator Chaya Raichik in an interview this month.
“I had seen it on a couple of letters that had come in after the person’s name. But I didn’t know what that meant,” Itkoff continued. “So when I finally talked to her, I asked, ‘What does it mean?’ . . . And she said that it meant they were all-inclusive, which didn’t make sense to me. Because it sounds like you are labeling for females, not males, if you are just putting in she/her.”
That Friday at 4:58 PM, Itkoff received an email from Kali Kumor, a community engagement manager at NMSS.
“[I]t has come to our attention that there has been a failure to abide by our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion guidelines during your time as a volunteer,” the letter read. “Unfortunately, based on the situation, we have made the difficult decision to have you step down from your volunteer position, effective immediately.”
The incident sparked widespread backlash and Kumor deleted her LinkedIn account, but the NMSS has doubled down on its decision.
“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,” the organization said in a statement. “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,” the statement added.
Although NMSS blocked users from replying to its statement on social media, many netizens reacted with fury to the story.
“Imagine diverting volunteer aid away from MS patients, in service to your ideology,” wrote one. “Pure evil.”
“I will never donate another dollar to you for what you did to that poor woman. Just disgusting,” another person posted.
“I have ceased my annual donation. You know what you did,” said another user.
