The Berkeley City Council voted Tuesday to amend its municipal code to excise gender-specific terms in favor of gender neutral ones, meaning that, among other things, a “manhole” will soon be known as a “maintenancehole.”
In addition since gendered pronouns are also sexist, city documents will replace “he” & “she” with “they”.
The revised city documents also will replace instances of gendered pronouns, such as "he" and "she" with "they," according to the ordinance.
A city staff memo included in the paperwork for the vote notes that “in recent years, broadening societal awareness of transgender and gender-nonconforming identities has brought to light the importance of non-binary gender inclusivity. Therefore, it is both timely and necessary to make the environment of City Hall and the language of city legislation consistent with the principles of inclusion.”
Berkeley City Council member Rigel Robinson, the bill's primary author,tells CNN“having a male-centric municipal code is inaccurate and 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."