May 2015 Newsletter

February 10, 2016

Editing Goes Global

Will you be attending Editors’ Association of Canada’s first international conference? May 31 is the last day to register for Editing Goes Global, which takes place June 12 to 14, 2015, in downtown Toronto.

Although I won’t be there in person, I (somewhat patiently) await tweets from the sessions, especially Sarah Grey’s “Inclusive Editing: Beyond Political Correctness” and Iva Cheung’s “Editor as Advocate: Plain Language and Social Justice.”

Conscious Style Guide is pleased to support our international community of editors and writers as a conference sponsor this year. Through conscious engagement with language, we can build bridges from one idea to the next and bring everyone along.

You can participate from your favorite armchair by following @EditorsCon and the Twitter convos tagged #editors15 and #editinggoesglobal. See you online!

With joy,

Karen YinFounder

“1. Do you know where to find LGBT language guides? 2. What should you consider in deciding which singular pronoun to use to refer to an individual? 3. Should you ever use the word ‘homosexual’?”

“Here’s the tricky thing about language—it lies about how powerful it is. When I used those words, I felt subversive, naughty, strong. I did not realize how these songs and words were not ways for me to reclaim my feminine power….”

“In lieu of using labels like ‘protesters’ that broadly categorizes entire groups of people, [Mark] Memmott recommends describing specific actions.”

“An eight-year-old girl has scored a victory for gender equality after a publisher stopped marketing books ‘for boys’ and ‘for girls.'”

“Phrases like ‘Speak the truth in love’ and ‘Love the sinner, hate the sin’ are commonly heard in churches today and can be jarring to LGBTQA-identified people.”

 Mr, Mrs, Miss…and Mx | Daily Mail

“A new gender neutral title ‘Mx’ is to join the honorifics ‘Mr, Mrs, Miss and Ms’ on driving licences and other official documents…”

“Language is not a replacement for tangible support of the trans community. But shifting our words is an important step in shifting our ideas and actions.”

“The idea seems to be that when peacekeepers rape children who are desperate for food, for some reason it does not actually count as rape, but rather is an exchange of food for sex. Worse, the wording suggests that by dispensing food to their victims, the rapists were merely causing a ‘scandal,’ not committing a crime.”

“The campaign was intended to encourage more reporting of bias-motivated incidents, or any act that intentionally targets and demeans a member of a protected class.”

“[Alex Wagner quoted Derrick Clifton as saying] ‘If the word thug were used to reference all forms of violent action, that would be one thing. But this word has become reserved for black people, regardless of whether or not they are engaged in unrest or criminal activity.'”

“Using cutesy fake names, which we don’t use for other parts of our bodies, may make kids feel their genitals are ‘no no’ areas and reluctant to talk to their parents about them under any circumstances.”

“The legislation would make California the first state to enact a ban on the name that has drawn increased scrutiny across the nation — schools in at least seven states have faced calls to drop “Redskins” or other Native American mascots this year alone…”

Tweets from a #AAM2015 chat (American Alliance of Museums) on using respectful and inclusive language for families, including a terminology chart.

“Rather than using the LGBT acronym to refer to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals, [Adriana] di Bartolo prefers using LGB and TGNC (transgender and gender nonconforming), because “we talk about LGBT and we end up just talking about gay white men and we forget the T at the end.”

“People with low self esteem felt more affirmed and supported by just being heard and validated. They did not want to look on the bright side. So, practice saying, “It’s normal and okay for you to feel sad. That’s really hard.”

“I started monitoring my language and noticed how often I argued the reasons I couldn’t do things.”

“Companies, particularly those in technology, may be describing the job and requirements with coded language that excludes women and people of color. One study found that masculine words like ‘competitive’ and ‘dominant’ turns women off. So [Laura] Mather’s technology gives people writing these descriptions information and tools to make them more gender neutral.”

“If you don’t know much about OCD, the comments you offer could come across as hurtful, ignorant or dismissive instead of curious, helpful or empathetic.”

“It is nice if we’re now all suddenly thinking a bit harder about how we use language with respect to the black community. Now we need to think way harder about how we use police force and mass incarceration and school suspensions and economic discrimination and other forms of state violence…”

“Telling a trans* woman that she ‘passes’ is like saying ‘You’re not a real woman, but good job faking it.'”

“Hollywood actor Jesse Eisenberg, star of the Facebook movie The Social Network, has come under fire on social media for a story he wrote that appears in the May 25 issue of The New Yorker magazine.”

“Where some publications have tried to circumvent implied gender bias by stating “the masculine also refers to the feminine,” the [Public Service Commission] of Canada specifically advises against this shortcut.”

The Conscious Style Guide newsletter rounds up the best news and blog posts from the world of kind, compassionate, mindful, empowering, respectful, and inclusive language. Note: Spotlighting an opinion is not intended as an endorsement. Please send news tips to [email protected].

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