Inclusive language

How to talk about age, disabilities, genders, race, sexuality, etc.

Age

Make reference of age only when it is deemed relevant to the situation. If someone is quoted as saying, “I’m too old to go back to school,” the age is relevant. Generally, use ages for profiles, obituaries, significant career milestones and achievements unusual for the age. When referencing ages, always use figures.

• Mary Catherine Yancey, 8, was awarded the prize.

• The building is 22 years old.

• The 5-year-old boy started kindergarten.

Disabled, handicapped

Use care and precision, considering the impact of specific words and the terms used by the people you are writing about. When possible, ask people how they want to be described. Be mindful that the question of identity-first vs. person-first language is vital for many.

The terms disabilities and disabled are generally embraced by disabled people and are acceptable when relevant. Do not use handicap for a disability or handicapped for a person.

In general, refer to a disability only if relevant to the story, and if a medical diagnosis has been made or the person uses the term. If a disability is pertinent to the story, provide brief details explaining that relevance. For example: Merritt, who is blind and walks with the help of a guide dog, said she is pleased with the city’s walkway improvements.

Do not use words that suggest pity, such as afflicted with, battling or suffers from any disability or illness, or that a person has overcame her disability. Instead: has cancer, being treated for ADHD.

Do not use negative or condescending language such as wheelchair-bound or Alzheimer’s victim. Instead use accurate, neutral language such as uses a wheelchair or a person with Alzheimer’s disease.

Blind, limited vision, low vision/partially sighted

Blind describes a person with complete loss of sight. Blind, along with terms such as person/people with low vision, person/people with limited vision, person/people with vision loss, partially sighted person/people are acceptable if an individual or group uses them for themselves. When possible, ask if a person or group uses identity-first language (blind students) or person-first language (students who are blind).

deaf, Deaf, hard of hearing

Use the lowercase form deaf for the audiological condition of total or major hearing loss and for people with total or major hearing loss, when relevant to the story. Use the uppercase form (Deaf) to signify the culture. Example: Derek, who is deaf, said the Deaf community is a powerful force in his life. If possible, ask for a person’s preference.

Handicap, handicapped

Do not use those terms for a disability or a person. Avoid uses such as handicapped parking; instead, accessible parking. Terms such as golf handicap or handicapping a race are acceptable.

Wheelchair user

People use wheelchairs for independent mobility. Do not use confined to a wheelchair or wheelchair-bound. If a wheelchair is needed and that fact is relevant to the story, make sure the relevance is clear.

Gender-neutral language

In general, use terms for jobs and roles that can apply to any gender. Such language aims to treat people equally and is inclusive of people whose gender identity is not strictly male or female.

Consider any word or term that has the effect of emphasizing one gender over another. For example police officer instead of policeman. Door attendant instead of doorman. Councilmember instead of councilman.

Gender, sex and sexual orientation

Gender refers to internal and social identity and often corresponds with but is not synonymous with sex. Gender refers to a person’s social identity while sex refers to biological characteristics. Not all people fall under one or two categories for sex or gender, according to leading medical organizations, so avoid references to both, either or opposite sexes or genders as a way to encompass all people.

He, she / his, her

Do not presume maleness in constructing a sentence. Do not use constructions such as his/her, his or her or he or she, etc. As much as possible, use they/them/their as a way of accurately describing and representing a person who uses those pronouns for themselves. Usually it is possible, and always preferable, to reword the sentence to avoid gender.

Incorrect: An employee should have the approval of his/her supervisor. Correct: An employee should have the approval of their supervisor. Incorrect: His staff assistant. Correct: The division’s staff assistant.

LGBT, LGBTQ

Acceptable in all references for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer and/or questioning.

Pride, pride

Capitalize Pride when referring to events or organizations honoring LGBTQ communities on subsequent references. “Are you going to Pride?” she asked. Several cities are holding Pride events this weekend. Lowercase pride when referring to generic events or the general concept of LGBTQ pride. He attended a gay pride event.

Sexual orientation

Include sexual orientation only when relevant to the subject matter, and do so only if the information is verified. Avoid references to sexual preference or to a gay or alternative lifestyle. Avoid homosexual to describe people, though homosexuality is acceptable as a noun for the concept of same-sex attraction.

Transgender

Describes people whose gender identity does not match the one usually associated with the sex they were assigned at birth. Identify people as transgender only when relevant, and use the name by which they live publicly.

Nonsexist writing

Avoid words like co-ed or housewife, which reinforce sexist stereotypes. Try to use the plural pronoun they instead of he. Instead of man or mankind, use humans, human beings, humanity, women and men, people or individuals.

Race-related content

Avoid broad generalizations and labels; race and ethnicity are one part of a person’s identity. Consider carefully whether to identify people by race. Often, it is an irrelevant factor and drawing unnecessary attention to someone’s race or ethnicity can be interpreted as bigotry. There are, however, occasions when race is pertinent:

• In stories that involve significant, groundbreaking or historical events such as being elected U.S. president, being named to the U.S. Supreme Court or other notable occurrences. Barack Obama was the first black U.S. president.

• In cases where suspects or missing persons are being sought, and the descriptions provided are detailed and not solely racial. Police are looking for man described as white, about 6 feet tall and 200 pounds, with black hair and blue eyes, wearing a plaid shirt and a Cincinnati Reds baseball cap!

• When reporting a demonstration, disturbance or other conflict involving race or issues like civil rights.

African American

No hyphen for this or other dual-heritage terms. Acceptable for an American Black person of African descent. The terms are not necessarily interchangeable. Americans of Caribbean heritage, for example, generally refer to themselves as Caribbean American. Follow a person’s preference.

Asian American

No hyphen. Acceptable for an American of Asian descent. When possible, refer to a person’s country of origin or follow the person’s preference.

Black

Use the capitalized term as an adjective in a racial, ethnic or cultural sense: Black people, Black culture, Black literature, Black studies, Black colleges.

African American is also acceptable for those in the U.S. The terms are not necessarily interchangeable. Americans of Caribbean heritage, for example, generally refer to themselves as Caribbean American. Follow a person’s preference if known, and be specific when possible and relevant.

Brown

Avoid this broad and imprecise term in racial, ethnic or cultural references unless a part of a direct quotation. Interpretations of what the term includes vary widely. Be specific.

Caucasian

Avoid as a synonym for white, unless in a quotation.

People of color

The term is acceptable when necessary in broad references to multiple races other than white. We will hire more people of color. Nine playwrights of color collaborated on the script. Be aware, however, that many people of various races object to the term for various reasons, including that it lumps together into one monolithic group anyone who isn’t white.

Be specific whenever possible by referring to, for instance, Black Americans, Chinese Americans or members of the Seminole Tribe of Florida. Example: The poll found that Black and Latino Americans are bearing the brunt of the pandemic’s financial impact, not The poll found that people of color are bearing the brunt of the pandemic’s financial impact.

Do not use person of color for an individual. Do not use POC, BIPOC or BAME unless necessary in a direct quotation; when used, explain it.

biracial, multiracial

Acceptable, when clearly relevant, to describe people with more than one racial heritage. Usually more useful when describing large, diverse groups of people than individuals. Avoid mixed-race, which can carry negative connotations, unless a story subject prefers that term. Be specific, if possible, and then use biracial for people of two heritages or multiracial for those of two or more subsequent references if needed. Example: She has an African American father and a white mother instead of She is biracial.

Latino/Latina

Latino is often preferred noun or adjective for a person from, or whose ancestors were from, a Spanish-speaking land or culture or from Latin America. Latina is the female form. Some prefer the gender neutral term Latinx, which should be confined to quotations, names of organizations or individuals who request it. Hernandez prefers the gender-neutral term Lantinx. For groups of females, use the plural Latinas; for groups of males or of mixed gender, use the plural Latinos. Hispanics is also generally accptable for those in the U.S. Use more specific identification when possible, such as Cuban, Puerto Rican, Brazilian or Mexican American.

Hispanic

Refers to a person from – or whose ancestors were from – a Spanish-speaking land or culture. Latino or Latina are sometimes preferred. Follow individual preferences when known. Use a more specific identification when possible such as Cuban, Puerto Rican or Mexican American if such a designation is pertinent.