In academic discourse, use of the correct name is an important means of establishing professional credibility. For example, if within the fields of computer science and information science, a specific term of art, such as artificial intelligence, has gained widespread acceptance, the use of an alternative term—a term, like superintelligence, not widely accepted within the discipline—would seriously undermine the credibility of academic work (and the author’s more general standing within the field).
Donald Trump has notoriously attempted to rechristen the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America.” So too has he attempted to rename Lake Ontario to “Lake America,” and he is threatening to fashion new MAGA names for an ocean, a major river, and the state of New Mexico. Trump also recently signed an executive order requiring all federal government programs and communications to use the terms superintelligence and S.I. rather than the broadly accepted nomenclature artificial intelligence and A.I. One might shrug all of this off and say, “Well, so what? It’s a free country, and all of us can still use the generally accepted names of places (Gulf of Mexico) and things (A.I.).”
Unfortunately, after Oct. 1, 2026, this is no longer the case for academics at state-sponsored colleges and universities in Alabama. H.B. 2 officially bans the use of the phrase Gulf of Mexico by any and all state employees. As a professor at the University of Alabama School of Law, I find this appalling.
Suddenly, conservatives are upset about deadnaming. 🙄
It’s called 'Merica-naming now
People still think this is the land of freedom lol. I’d guess 70% of Alabama doesn’t care about this, how far off am I as someone who hasn’t gotten to experience the people IRL?
I live in Alabama, but I can’t say I have an answer for you. It just doesn’t come up. People usually just say “the gulf.”
That being said, most people that interact with me know that we don’t see eye to eye. This means most hot topics are left alone.
Mexico, Gulf of
Chalchiuhtlicueyecatl
Or… British Petroleum Thunderdome
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Isn’t this the government overreach they’re always harping on about …
It was always projection. Every single time.
The Republican Party does nothing but government overreach.
They’re just protecting us from the Libz.
And if you refuse? What are they going to do if you keep calling it by its proper name? This is clearly censorship by a government entity. Any retaliation would immediately lead to a First Amendment lawsuit.
censorship of a government entity by a government entity. first, no right is unlimited. second, when you’re employed by the state, you contractually agree to waive certain rights.
You don’t wave all the rights of free speech because you are employed by the state. The state can’t force employees to put the state’s words in their mouths particularly if their job is to speak the truth and think independently. It’s not so cut and dry as you might think.
https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution-conan/amendment-1/compelled-speech-overview
You don’t waive it no, but it is restricted.
Specifically a state can adopt its own terminology and direct employees to use it instead.
There’s more nuance than that.
Of no doubt.
How is this not a first amendment thing? Since this is a state run public institution, so essentially the government, controlling what private citizens say. Just because it’s a law doesn’t mean it’s constitutional.
Wait 'till you hear about laws banning criticism of Israel
Like which ones
Lol, I can’t wait until they start arresting Jewish people for being antisemitic then
Yeah, that’s not happening, not in America anyway.
It probably is. It’s been just over a month since the law was inacted. It usually takes months for the court cases to even start. First someone needs to be “harmed” to have standing. So now this guy could sue and say it’s deteriorating his academic credibility. But it would be months, maybe a half year or more before it finally hits the state supreme court to be overturned.
Somebody needs to use the phrase in a document, get punished for it by the state. THEN they’ve been harmed, and they’ll have standing to sue.
I’m not a lawyer. I’m 99.99% sure that if the institution is state run (like a university of Alabama situation), then they open themselves to civil rights litigation if they were to fire you for this.
Civil rights litigation with a Nazgûl Supreme Court majority doesn’t mean much
You can’t even call it the gulf formerly known as the Gulf of Mexico? Like the history doesn’t even count?
We’ve always been at war with Eurasia typa shit.
According to the article they are forbidden to call it anything other than the gulf of America, except specifically in a historical context. But only when “reasonable” which means they can ignore that exception whenever they feel like doing so.
This bizarre law provides that “all state and local entities and their employees shall be required to … [r]efer to the body of water that borders the coast of Alabama as the ‘Gulf of America,’ ” including “in all newly created maps, documents, educational materials, websites, official communications, and other resources.” Section 3 contains a limited exception to this general rule: “Nothing in this section shall prohibit a public K–12 school or public institution of higher education from using the term ‘Gulf of Mexico’ within a larger course of academic instruction when reasonable for historical purposes.”
Fun fact: The President is not in charge of naming gulfs, lakes, oceans, continents, islands, or even people.
They can name their own children and pets. That’s it. Thank you.
(The gulf formerly known as) Gulf of Mexico, or (The gulf with the international name) Gulf of Mexico, wouldn’t work?
The cons are some of the most petty of snowflakes.
What are they going to do if people use the right name for the Gulf of Mexico?
officially bans the use of the phrase Gulf of Mexico by any and all state employees.
These aren’t banned.
Gulf of Epstein
Gulf of Iran
Western Persian Gulf
Gulf of Latin America
Gulf of New Mexico“Antifa® Presents The Gulf of Mexico”
The Gulf that used to be known as Mexico, it still is, but it used to, too.
Do it anyway, get unlawfully fired, sue, get rich.
do it anyway. fuck google
Your students can say it. Have them say it in chorus whenever it comes up. “Gulf of…” “Mexico!”
Between colleagues? Fuck that law.
In writing, I suppose you’re stuck with it.
