A Field Guide to Gender-Neutral Language: For Business, Families & Allies

By Shelley R. Roth

To many, it feels like a new world of identities and pronouns out there. 

This field guide is a resource for organizations, families and allies that want to incorporate gender-inclusive practices into their daily lives. It explains - in simple terms - basic gender-expansive vocabulary and includes recommended approaches that recognize

• Language: English
• Publisher: Springboard Publishing
• Release date: Sep 3, 2020
• ISBN: 9780983870494

Shelley R. Roth

As a seasoned speaker, author and social media entrepreneur, Shelley has helped hundreds of organizations transform old perceptions about business leadership and marketing. Companies and individuals alike trust Shelley to simplify solutions for seemingly complicated business challenges and incorporate those solutions into action. With almost two decades of training businesses on the power of digital and social media marketing, Shelley now works with companies to create inclusive practices, answer questions and promote understanding related to the gender non-binary and transgender communities, while building inclusive environments for all. These programs are presented with the goals of fostering more accepting conditions for all individuals regardless of their gender identity while raising awareness and providing structure for becoming an ally for gender non binary people. Shelley has obtained an M.Ed. in Guidance and Counseling and an M.Ed. in Educational Administration. In addition, they have completed University of Pitts- burgh's "Gender and Sexuality: Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace" course through Courser, and their business, Springboard Ventures, Inc., has been recognized as a Certified LGBT Business Enterprise TM by the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce.

Book preview

SECTION 1

What is Gender?

Biological Sex, Gender Identity, Sexual Orientation and Gender Expression Explained

Gendered language refers to any form of language that implies the gender identity of the person it is referring to. Using gendered language that does not match someone's gender identity is a form of misgendering.

How gender is expressed varies among languages - some languages are more heavily gendered, while others are completely gender neutral.

Common examples of gendered language in English include names, pronouns and titles. However, some nouns also imply gender, such as brother (male), sister (female), chairman and chairwoman. English often uses male forms of words as the default, which is considered sexist by some.

As we consider what gender is and how a gender-inclusive language is formed, let’s cover what the differences are for biological birth sex, gender identity, gender expression and sexual orientation.

The definition of gender identity according to The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary is:

a person's internal sense of being male, female, or some combination of male and female

The two gender identities most people are familiar with are boy and girl (or man and woman), and many people think that these are the only two gender identities. This idea that there are only two genders – and that each individual must be either one or the other – is called gender binary. Most everything can be on a spectrum, and gender is no different. The terms gender fluid, gender expansive, genderqueer and gender spectrum are used to reference those who do not identify as being on the binary as male or female.

Gender Identity is assumed and assigned at birth in most cases by the person delivering the baby (midwife, doctor) based on the baby’s biological sex. However, it generally isn’t until age 3, according to the Mayo Clinic, that children categorize their own gender identity after developing recognition of stereotypical gender groups, such as girl, woman and feminine, and boy, man, and masculine, between ages 18 and 24 months. A person who identifies with their biological birth sex is cisgender. A female born biologically a female and whose gender identity is woman is called a cisgender woman. A male born biologically a male whose gender identity is man is a cisgender man. But a person’s gender identity may not always match their assigned biological sex. Gender identity is on a spectrum and may be nonbinary or