Inclusive Language Guide

We Commit to Continuous Learning and Candor

We commit to continuous learning and ongoing engagement with inclusive language best practices that may change over time.

Just as language is ever-evolving, so are we. We emphasize progress over "perfection" and encourage responding to mistakes as constructive opportunities for learning and relationship building.

Our firm values of candor and rigor are critical to this principle: To help us all maintain a learning mindset and meet our commitments to inclusive language, we must cultivate a culture where everyone is comfortable asking questions, raising concerns, and having potentially tough conversations.

For Further Learning...

• National Association of Hispanic Journalists Cultural Competence Handbook
• #WriteInclusion Cultural Factsheets from The Think Tank for Inclusion & Equity
• Calling In and Calling Out Guide from the Harvard Office of Diversity, Inclusion, & Belonging
• Tips for Tricky Conversations with Your Colleagues (And Yourself) from Language, Please

We Prioritize Self- and Community-Determined Language

We commit to using the language individuals and communities choose for themselves, prioritizing self-determined language over commonly accepted rules and conventions.

As an example, consider language describing disability. Person-first language is a widely accepted convention that dictates putting the person before the disability (e.g., “a person with autism”). However, many reject this framing of their disability as something that’s with them—rather than something that’s an essential part of them and how they experience the world. Many also note that this language convention was created and popularized by non-disabled people; for these reasons, some disabled people prefer identity-first language (e.g., “autistic person”).

Importantly, there may not be consensus around terminology, which varies between individuals and communities. If you’re unsure about a person or community’s self-determined language, pay close attention to how they refer to themselves and/or respectfully ask about the language they use to describe themselves.

Note that this principle also includes a commitment to spelling and pronouncing peoples' names correctly, including diacritical marks (accent marks).

For Further Learning...

• On "Person-First Language" from The Radical Copyeditor
• Identity-First Language from the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network
• Why Person-First Language Doesn’t Always Put the Person First from Think Inclusive

We Use Language that Prevents Harm and Cultivates Equity

While recognizing that all language is contextual and exists on a spectrum, we strive to use language that prevents harm, promotes safety and well-being, and cultivates equity and a welcoming space for all.

To this end, we:

• Do not use common phrases and words with racist, sexist, queerphobic, ableist, ageist, or classist origins.
• Commit to learning about and conscientiously avoiding microaggressions.
• Emphasize gender-expansive language that reinforces and advances comprehensive gender inclusivity and equity.
• Strive to be conscious of violent idioms and how casual use of violent language can perpetuate harm and reinforce values contrary to an inclusive firm culture.

For Further Learning...

• Five Racist Idioms and Their Anti-Racist Alternatives from Antiracist Educator Britt Hawthorne
• The Micropedia: Microagressions & Their Impacts from The Micropedia
• The Spectrum of Language from The Radical Copyeditor
• The ‘Warspeak’ Permeating Everyday Language from Big Think
• Pronouns Matter from Prounouns.Org
• Guidelines for Gender-Inclusive Language in English from the United Nations
• Gendered Phrases, Misogynistic Language, and Principles to Avoid Both from Metaclusive

Sum of Us: A Progressive's Style Guide

• Offers resources, writing guidelines, and recommendations for language regarding age, disability, the environment and science, food; gender and sexuality, geopolitics; health, housing and space, immigration and refugees, indigeneity and ancestry, race and ethnicity, sexual and domestic violence, and the criminal legal system

APA Inclusive Language Guidelines

• Includes overviews of terms relating to equity and power, providing common-use definitions and usages of language related to age, disability, race, ethnicity, culture, sexual orientation, gender, and socioeconomic status; includes the APA Bias-Free Guide with examples of problematic and preferred alternatives; see also the 2023 APA Inclusive Langauge supplement

The Diversity Style Guide

• Offers brief definitions and histories of 700+ terms related to race and ethnicity, disability, immigration, sexuality and gender identity, drugs and alcohol, geography, and more

Vox Media: Language, Please Style Guidance

• Defines and provides additional resources for a wide range of terms, such as those associated with class and social standing, disabilities, neurodiversity, chronic illness, mental health, trauma, substance use, race and ethnicity, gender and sexuality, etc.

Racial Equity Tools Glossary

• Glossary that defines and provides context for an extensive list of terms relevant to racial equity
• Includes accessible definitions of key concepts, including antiracism, antisemitism, critical race theory, institutional racism, racial capitalism, settler colonialism, whiteness, and more

National Association of Black Journalists Style Guide

• Official style guide of the National Association of Black Journalists; note it is undergoing revisions as of October 2022
• Offers definitions of common words, phrases, and slang terms with racial context and offers guidance on what terms are considered outdated or harmful

Native American Journalists Association: Reporting and Indigenous Terminology

• Official guide of the Native American Journalists Association
• Explains accurate phrasing for Indigenous terminology and contextualizes common terms

Latin, Latina, Latino, Latinx, Latine?

• An illustrated article that explains the differences between Latin, Latina, Latino, Latinx, and Latine, including the origins and critiques of "Latinx"

Asian American Journalists Association: Guidance & Resources

• A collection of articles offering guidance on writing about Asian Americans from the Asian American Journalists Association; note that the AAJA's inclusive language guide is currently being updated and it not available
• Topics include: guidance for writing about xenophobic language, racially-motivated violence, and more

The Radical Copyeditor's Guide to Writing About Transgender People

• In-depth resource for writing about transgender people, emphasizing context and care, with links for further learning
• Organized by three topics: correct/current usage of transgender-related language, bias-free and respectful language relating to transgender people, and sensitive and inclusive broader language

An Ally's Guide to Terminology: Talking About LGBT People and Equality

• Includes terms to use, usage examples, and terms to avoid as well as explanations across the following categories: gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people, marriage equality, non-discrimination laws, military service, and parenting and adoption

Disability Writing & Journalism Guidelines

• In-depth resource for language related to disabled people, created by people with disabilities and emphasizing the "nothing about us, without us" ethos
• Offers explanations of and guidance around topics including ableism, identity-first v. person-first language, avoiding stereotypes, disability culture and community, intersectionality, and more

National Center on Disability and Journalism: Disability Language Style Guide

• Official style guide of the National Center on Disability and Journalism
• Lists common terms related to disability, including background information, recommended usage, and AP style guidance

Replacing Mental Health Stigmatizing Phrases with Inclusive Language

• Quick-reference chart that offers alternative phrases for common terms and idioms that perpetuate biases, stigma, and stereotypes
• Categories include mental health-related language, ableist language, and identity-related language

Religion Stylebook

• Style guide and glossary of the Religion Newswriters Association
• Includes explanatory entries for a wide range of topics and terms related to religion and spirituality, including overviews of 30+ faiths, religion and politics, religion and gender/sexuality, religious titles, and more

A Guide for Communicating About People Involved in the Carceral System

• Terminology guide for language about people who have been incarcerated and otherwise impacted by the legal system, emphasizing humanizing language