A Field Guide to Gender-Neutral Language

For Business, Families & Allies

Shelley R. Roth, JC Wayne

• Publisher: Springboard Publishing
• Year: 2020
• eBook ISBN: 9780983870494
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Business Communication
• Index: Business

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, respect and honor the individuality of every human being in our changing world.

This guide shares concfrete, practical suggestions, inlcuding:

? Methods for incorporating gender-inclusive language into everyday life
? Examples for inclusion of gender nonbinary people in policy creation
? Suggestions for embracing verbiage to use and include in business, families and life
? Explanations on the differences in biological sex, gender identity, sexual
orientation and gender expression
? Why one's personal pronouns have a big impact and how to use them appropriately

Shelley Roth, the author, is a non-binary person that has enjoyed success in a broad range of professions, including a successful technology sales career, a school administrator-guidance counselor, social media consultant & trainer, and nonfiction author, Shelley offers a uniques perspective on the positive effects of conscientious inclusion. Whether you are welcoming a gender-expansive employee into the corporate culture by forming incluisve policies or embracing the diversity of a family member as a show of love, support and acceptance, the author's wish is that this work will serve to guide those efforts and assist in the evolution of a more loving and nururing planet.

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 expansive.

Some states are starting to add a third gender to birth certificates as an “X” option, including New York, Oregon, Washington and California.

Gender Expression is how one presents oneself via dress, hair, mannerisms, speech. These presentations may or may not conform to socially-defined behaviors and characteristics typically associated with being either masculine or feminine or to a gender identity that matches social expectations of the sex they were assigned at birth. Like gender identity, gender expression may be on a spectrum as well, and can vary day to day.

The term Transgender is an umbrella reference for people whose gender identity and/or expression is different from cultural expectations based on the biological sex they were assigned at birth. Being transgender does not imply any specific sexual orientation. Therefore, transgender people may identify as straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual, asexual, and their sexuality may be fluid as well.

An informed understanding of Transgender people requires a special note on “transition” since this is a point of confusion for many people and a sensitive subject among the transgender/allies community.

Transgender people may choose to transition socially or medically or both. What does this mean?

Social transition is the social portion of a change in which a transgender person makes others aware of their gender identity. Some parts of social transition can include:

•Telling people about your gender identity, whether or not they are aware of your assigned birth sex and/or transgender status.

•Changing your name used within social interactions.

•Asking others to use different pronouns, titles and gender-inclusive language in reference to you.

•Changing gender expression via clothes, mannerisms, hair styles and personal traits, which can be masculine, feminine, a combination or androgynous.

Social transition is one of the easiest to achieve because - unlike medical transition or legal transition - it can be completed by the individual within their social groups and family. However, it can also be scary as there is a risk of rejection, dismissal and misgendering.

Many people choose to transition in different social groups at different points in time. For instance, someone may have socially transitioned with their friends and/or family, but not yet informed anyone in their workplace of their true gender identity.

Medical transition is much more complex and risky and involves a transition in which a transgender person undergoes medical treatments, which may include taking hormones and/or having gender affirmation surgery, so that their biological sex characteristics better match their gender identity.

Medical transition generally requires the approval of a doctor before treatment can begin. This often means that one must be diagnosed with “gender dysphoria” before being able to transition medically. Gender dysphoria is a medical diagnosis and involves a conflict between a person's physical or assigned gender and the gender with which he/she/they identify. People with gender dysphoria may be very uncomfortable with the gender they were assigned - sometimes described as being uncomfortable with their body or being uncomfortable with the expected roles of their assigned gender. (Source: American Psychiatric Association, What is Gender Dysphoria? https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/gender-dysphoria/what-is-gender-dysphoria)

Some doctors require a social transition to have been completed for at least a year before surgery can take place.

Examples of procedures involved in medical transition may include:

•Gender affirmation surgery, which may include top surgery and bottom surgery, along with other procedures

•Hormone Replacement Therapy, involving taking sex hormones such as testosterone or estrogen

•Puberty blockers to delay puberty for transgender children and teenagers

•Voice therapy to change the pitch of one's voice

•Epilation (hair removal) to reduce body and/or facial hair (Source: www.wikia.org)

Legal transition is the process of changing one’s legal status. Many transgender and nonbinary people want their legal documents to match their gender. This may include changing their name and gender marker on all legal documents. In addition, one may amend their driver’s license, Social Security Card, passport and school records. This is best accomplished by seeking a lawyer who is an ally to the community.

Biological Sex is assigned at birth based on the baby’s anatomy. Male anatomy is assigned “boy”. Female anatomy is assigned “girl”. Note: Some babies are born “intersex”, meaning someone born with any of several variations in sex characteristics, including chromosomes, gonads, sex hormones or genitals that, according to the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, "do not fit the typical definitions for male or female bodies”. Source: Wikipedia. A form of intersex that is somewhat familiar to the general public is people born with both female and male sets of reproductive organs.

Sexual Orientation is an enduring pattern of romantic or sexual attraction to persons of the opposite sex or gender, the same sex or gender, or to both sexes or more than one gender. “Lesbian”, “gay”, “bisexual”, “queer”, “asexual”, “pansexual” are terms used to describe one’s sexual orientation.

LGBTQ is an acronym for several orientation-expansive and gender-inclusive comm...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Why This Field Guide?
• Table of Contents
• Section 1: What is Gender?
• Section 2: Changing the World, One Pronoun at a Time
• Section 3: Gender-Neutral/Inclusive Language
• Section 4: Suggested Policy Practices
• Section 5: In the News: What’s Trending
• About the Author