
Bias-Free Communication - ingve
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/style-guide/bias-free-communication
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BlackVanilla
At least in the UK, its laws and people would be better served if bias-free
communication is rigorously used when lawmaking. The Land Registration Act
2002 an example of statute law which unnecessarily and frequently uses
gendered words. [1] Sure, this is written in 2002, times have changed, but
this is considered a key statute governing UK land law. Even as recently as
2015, unnecessarily gendered language is used in the Consumer Rights Act 2015,
albeit not as consistently, but I'm sure more recent statutes also share this
trait. [2] This sloppiness in writing could cause needless issues.

Here's one. The UK's Foreign Office noted that the phrase 'pregant women' in
general comment No. 36 on article 6 of the UN's International Covenant on
Civil and Political Rights on the right to life 'may be inadvertently
restricting the application of this paragraph to exclude transgender people
who have given birth; this has happened in two recent cases in the UK.' [3]

This issue is greater than everyday language in business, but the same type of
language used in our laws can potentially cost businesses by poorly-worded
contracts or by other means. Legislatures should use gender-neutral language
to make their laws clear and reduce potential needless unjustice.

[1]
[https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2002/9/section/24](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2002/9/section/24)

[2]
[https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2015/15/pdfs/ukpga_2015...](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2015/15/pdfs/ukpga_20150015_en.pdf#page=71)

[3]
[https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/CCPR/GCArticle6/Uni...](https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/CCPR/GCArticle6/UnitedKingdom.pdf#page=2)

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williamgrant
> Don't use slang, especially if it could be considered cultural
> appropriation, such as spirit animal

Yes, please do omit slang terms and inappropriate phrasing from official
documentation. Still, I'd like to request someone explain how cultural
appropriation fits in here? Cultural appropriation seems like a poisonous
concept.

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TeaDrunk
How does this coincide with (when I was an academic in STEM) a tendency to try
and fight against assumptions by using specific gendered pronouns in papers?
For example “A data scientist may use <my hot new algorithm> in <hot research
space> in order to save her 30% more time.”

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LyalinDotCom
Just a reminder we take PRs on our docs so feedback is always appreciated

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jonnypotty
Tldr. Don't use gendered terms when you're referring to groups of people.

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luckylion
"mankind" and "man-made" are not gendered terms any more than "history" or
"hermit" are. Words can contain other words without being related to those
other words.

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jonnypotty
Yes they are

