June is almost over, and with it, Pride Month, which marks this month. It belongs to the LGBTQIA+ community and their struggles ( we've already shared our perspective on this with you on Instagram ).
We took this as an opportunity to consider how inclusive and diverse our actions and speech actually are, and took a closer look at our own heteronormativity – and changed our gender method.
What Pride Month has to do with heteronormativity
Our society is characterized by heteronormativity – a binary gender order that defines heterosexuality as the standard and recognizes only two genders , from which sexual orientation, attraction to other people, and outward expression are automatically inferred. This assumption is also reflected in our language : we speak of “dear ladies and gentlemen,” and the terms “doctors” and “politicians” are meant to include all people.
Language as a reflection of reality
That this linguistic exclusion translates into reality has been demonstrated in various studies. Like any other organization, we must professionally address the issue of language change and anti-discriminatory and inclusive language , and define how we want to address people without reproducing discrimination and stereotypes. From our perspective, a continuous adaptation of our corporate language culture and our approach to gender identity and inclusion is necessary, as we need to integrate these topics into our daily work and our communication with people.
Rescuers:innen instead of rescuers*
Until now, you may have read about customers*, partners*, or investors* on our website. The gender asterisk expresses the linguistic equality of all people —regardless of their sex or gender identity—reflects diversity , challenges traditional notions of gender roles , and is a very common way to promote inclusive language. Unfortunately, it has one small drawback: Speech recognition programs can only recognize the asterisk as a "STAR" (when actively read aloud), and therefore it remains difficult for visually impaired people and others who use speech recognition software to understand.
The so-called gender colon is the newest form of gender-inclusive writing and is considered more reader-friendly than the asterisk . It's also somewhat more inclusive, as it's best reproduced by speech output programs by inserting a short pause for the colon. Therefore, we've decided to use the gender colon as our standard from now on . You might still see our old style here and there on our channels for a while – but in the long run, we'll switch completely to the colon. Unfortunately, a fully inclusive writing style doesn't (yet) exist, but this is a compromise we can live with most.
What we at SIRPLUS are currently still working on
We plan and conduct internal training sessions on topics such as gender sensitivity and anti-racism. With the help of external experts, we aim to further our education and continuously work towards addressing all individuals equally and promoting the diversity of gender identities within our company. Several employees regularly advise our teams on these important topics. The LGBTQIA+ community is also a significant source of inspiration. We've already recommended experts to you on social media. We came across the tips below during our research on this topic and wanted to share them with you.
3 tips for more inclusive language in your everyday life that we also still need to practice
- Instead of “hey girls” or “hey guys”, “dear X” or “dear Y”, “hey everyone” or “hi X” is much more appropriate to avoid assuming the person’s gender. And ask new people – and perhaps even familiar faces – “Hey, which pronouns should I use to address you?” to further normalize pronoun sensitivity.
- Instead of automatically asking about a man's wife when you see a wedding ring (and vice versa), why not try "partner" instead?
- Introduce yourself with your name and preferred pronouns – your outward appearance may not reflect your true self!
Source: https://www.childrensmn.org/2021/06/17/pride-month-tips-gender-neutral-language/
Finally, we wish you a Happy Pride Month for the last days of June!
