We live in an era where many things have come to be, not just accepted, but praised as well. Where homosexuals used to be killed, and proclaiming you identified as another gender than the one you were born with was not even considered, many are now able to openly identify as any sexuality - or gender - which they so please. And with a number of LGBTQ+ artists coming forward to speak their truth, they have paved the way for many looking up to them to have the courage to live proudly as their truest selves. However, with acceptance at an all time high, this has somehow caused the reverse effect to take place as well, with sensitivities reaching an all-time high as well. Probably used to having to be defensive (understandably), some individuals are almost always ready to declare offense. That being said, where do we draw the line on what is considered offensive or not? The most recent news of the city of Berkeley, California completely eliminating ALL - and we mean all - gendered words from their city code has raised the question.
In an effort to make the city's language less "exclusive" words like “manholes” and “chairman,” that can be seen as "implying a gender preference" will be removed completely from the city’s codes and replaced with gender-neutral terms, according to CNN. The decision was reached following a city vote on Tuesday night at a council meeting, which agreed tto replace gendered terms like “manhole” and “manpower,” in its municipal codes, with more gender-neutral alternatives such as "maintenance hole” and “human effort.” The bill's primary creator, and Berkeley City Council member, Rigel Robinson, reported that the bill had passed "without discussion or comments and was not controversial." “There’s power in language,” Robinson said. “This is a small move, but it matters.” in accordance to this, the revised city documents are also set to replace gendered pronouns, such as “he” and “she” with “they.” Apparently, at the moment, the city's municipal code contains mostly masculine pronouns, something Robinson said is "not reflective of our reality." “Women and non-binary individuals are just as entitled to accurate representation. Our laws are for everyone, and our municipal code should reflect that.” What are y'alls opinions?
