[Ads-l] Berkeley and gender neutral words

ADSGarson O'Toole adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM
Thu Jul 18 18:43:51 UTC 2019


Website: Fortune.com
Article: Goodbye, Manholes: Berkeley Goes Completely Gender Neutral
Author: Chris Morris
Date: July 18, 2019
https://fortune.com/2019/07/18/berkeley-gender-neutral-ordinance-terms/

[Begin excerpt]
Berkeley, Calif. is taking gender neutral to the next level.

The city has passed an ordinance to replace terms in its municipal
codes that refer to gender with non gender-specific words. So, for
instance, a manhole will become “maintenance hole,” while a sorority
or fraternity will now be called a “collegiate Greek system
residence.”
. . .

Among the other terms getting new non-gendered replacements are:

“Bondsman” becomes “Bonds-person”
“Chairman” becomes “Chair“ or “chairperson”
“Craftsmen” becomes “Craftspeople” or “artisans”
“Fireman,” “Firewoman,” “Firemen,” and “Firewomen” become
“Firefighter” and “firefighters”
“Fraternal” is now “Social”
“Heirs” becomes “Beneficiaries”
“Journeyman” becomes “Journey”
‘Maiden” becomes “Family”
“Male” and “female” become “People of different genders”
“Manmade” becomes “Human-made,”
“Master” becomes “Captain,” “Skipper,” “Pilot,” “Safety Officer,” or “Central”
“Ombudsman” becomes “Ombuds” or “Investigating Official”
“Patrolmen” become “Patrol” or “Guards”
“Policeman,” “Policewoman,” “Policemen,“ “Policewomen” become “Police
Officer” or “Police Officers”
“Pregnant” (woman, women) become “Pregnant employees”
“Repairman” becomes “Repairs” or “Repairer”
“Salesman” becomes “Salesperson” or “Salespeople”
“Sportsman” becomes “Hunters”
“Watchmen” becomes “Guards”
[End excerpt]

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org


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