This page should not be construed as an "official HCoop policy or position," since there is strong disagreement among the members on what is appropriate. A Wikipedia page does not a binding standard make! At best, this page acknowledges an issue that we may or may not produce an official HCoop policy on in the future.

1. Gender-Neutral Language

For many in the Cooperative, language is not merely a tool that we use, but one which reproduces the structures of power in our society. Gender inequality, as one of these social forms of power, is also reproduced through language. Because of this, many members of the Cooperative feel strongly that we consider carefully how gender bias creeps into our everyday languages, including the communication between members of the Cooperative and externally.

1.1. Tips on Writing in a Gender-Neutral Style

Generally, many of the arguments for gender-neutral language have led those who advocate its use to prefer gender-neutral instead of gender-specific pronouns when discussing a person whose gender is unknown, when the person prefers to not categorize themself as belonging to a specific gender, or when a party is of mixed gender. See the wikipedia article below for more information.

For example, in the English language, many who try to write in a gender-neutral manner prefer the use of "their" instead of "his" or "her".

• [took out text that referred to old text that was removed] ... that said, I think gender-neutral language is a fine thing to strive for, and "they" is way more palatable than alternatives like "[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ze_%28pronoun%29 ze]" or "he or she".

  Clinton, do you have any examples of alternating pronouns every paragraph? Because that sounds like it would be extremely difficult to read. -- JeremyPenner

• Using 'their' is incorrect. 'He' is the unspecified gender pronoun in English. Alternating between male and female pronouns every paragraph is reasonable if one wishes, but using they/their is a sin against the English language. -- ClintonEbadi

  • I disagree, the English language has rare few "sins." Singular "their," while prescriptively "wrong," has a very long and wide history in the language. I don't care to write an HCoop style manual now, and we may or may not want this usage in "HCoop literature," but everyone is entitled to their opinion and it is more nuanced than simply "wrong." (see, e.g. [http://www.crossmyt.com/hc/linghebr/austheir.html]) It can be very difficult or awkward to write "correct" and concise documentation in standard English that is simultaneously gender-neutral. --NathanKennedy

  • "He" is not an "unspecified gender pronoun", it is clearly tied to the cultural gendered distinctions that have been constructed. The idea that it is considered "gender-neutral" is precisely the mechanism by which it helps to maintain established power differentials in society. While I am not calling for a "style manual" or policy that determines how any member can use language, I feel strongly that we need to allow members to use language in a manner that they feel is appropriate, personally and politically. Because of this, acts like Mr. Ebadi's, which include modifying members' text from the gender-neutral "their" to gender-specific "his" should be unconditionally looked down upon.

    • Actually, Clinton was undoing your change to my original copy. Are you saying that it's OK for you to change my choice of pronoun from "what I feel is appropriate," but it's not OK for someone to revert your change? --AdamChlipala

1.2. External Links

• [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender_neutral_language Article on Gender-neutral language in wikipedia]

• [http://www.crossmyt.com/hc/linghebr/austheir.html]

• [http://www.cs.virginia.edu/~evans/cs655/readings/purity.html Douglas Hofstadter's satirical Paper on Purity in Language]