The Canadian Navy Created Gender Neutral Ranks & They're Not Funny Anymore

Being more inclusive is a goal that organizations are taking seriously. That includes the Royal Canadian Navy, which has renamed several ranks to make them gender-neutral. Unfortunately, it also means that they're not really funny anymore.

In an August 27 announcement, the RCN said that they would be altering their "seaman" ranks (stop giggling) to be more inclusive.

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From now on, the junior ranks of Ordinary Seaman, Able Seaman, Leading Seaman, and Master Seaman will instead go by Sailor Third Class, Sailor Second Class, Sailor First Class, and Master Sailor, respectively.

This move actually brings the English-language ranks more in line with the French ones, which were already classified as "matelot," or sailor.

While the new titles are definitely more in line with modern progressive values, there's no question that "sailor" is not as funny as "seaman" — at least if you have a very immature sense of humour.

The decision was made following a survey of over 18,000 respondents. The Navy says that the old ranks were "not reflective of the modern, progressive Service that is the RCN today."

Minister of National Defence Harjit Sajjan praised the decision.

"By adopting gender neutral designation for junior members of the Royal Canadian Navy, we demonstrate to all Canadians that the Canadian Armed Forces will welcome anybody who wants to serve their country and uphold the values of inclusion and diversity," he said in a statement.

"We will continue to work to build a diverse force that is representative of the Canadians they protect."

This decision comes after previous changes to the Canadian Armed Forces dress code in 2019, which allowed women to wear flats instead of requiring high heels.

They were also allowed to wear their hair down in a ponytail, which they were not originally allowed to do while they were in uniform.

The Royal Canadian Navy expressed that it is striving to be a "modern, forward-looking organization," and even though there won't be any more opportunities to say "boats full of seamen," this is a positive change.