GENDER equality issues have certainly come to the public’s attention this month.

Firstly, we had International Women’s Day, and celebrated ‘women leading the way’.

Shortly after we were horrified to learn of the murder of Sarah Everard and proclaimed that #Enough is Enough.

Part of addressing violence against women and girls is ensuring they are respected and valued in our society.

Cllr Lewis and I proposed a motion to de-gender council language back in January.

The principle was deemed sound, but the item was referred to audit and governance committee because there were concerns over the wording and possible unintended consequences.

After consideration by the committee, a set of recommendations were formulated.

The council leader, lead member for equalities, motion seconder and I then worked together to amalgamate these with the motion.

So, why are we discussing this?

Because words matter. Language reflects and influences attitudes, behaviours and perceptions.

By moving to gender-neutral language we avoid implying that one gender is the norm and help to tackle unconscious bias.

Despite the headlines in the tabloid press, I never suggested everyone should use the title ‘Mx’, just that it is a possibility when it is unclear how to address a person.

Someone may have a first name that would be commonly recognised as belonging to a certain gender in other countries but that may not be apparent in the UK.

So this isn’t only about gender, but about respecting people from other cultures.

For all the emails I received expressing outrage at being called ‘Mx’, no-one considered how offended they would be if they were addressed by the wrong title.

Neither am I suggesting we don’t use gender-specific pronouns, just that we make an effort to determine how people would like to be referred to and avoid generic use of masculine terms.

I fully accept everyone’s right to be addressed as they wish.

Changing to gender-neutral language is not costly nor difficult.

The government’s law department has produced a simple guide on gender-neutral drafting to help.

I fully accept there will be a need for training and a transition period and acknowledge that mistakes can and will be made. No-one should be punished for this.

The administration showed complete disrespect for our stated values of ‘respect for difference, working proactively to eliminate discrimination, [and] advancing equality of opportunity for all’.

CLLR L-J EVANS
Emerson Road, Poole