[matthewmacleod]

I find it hard to believe that it's really such a problem to suggest that gender-neutral language is a pretty reasonable goal. It's hardly the biggest barrier to diversity in software development, but it's a small bias that seems very minimal in cost to fix over time – and every little push in that direction helps.

More than anything I struggle to understand what actual objection to 'try to use gender-neutral language' one could possibly have.

[dkn]

Yeah I envision this being something that is just fixed over time as people are exposed to new and different ideas.

Yet, it seems to me that a lot of these documents are written and intended to enforce overnight changes in people's unconscious biases.

From the document:

> Each of us has the right to enjoy our experience and participate without fear of harassment, discrimination, or condescension, whether blatant or subtle.

I don't know about you guys but I hardly enjoy reading technical documentation. It's not meant to be an enjoyable experience. It's meant to convey complex meaning in a (hopefully) short amount of time. I don't think gendered pronouns add to the effectiveness of this communication method, but I also don't think we need to formalize their usage (or non-usage).

I guess I'm asking why this can't be a natural progression that we all wish to undertake as cooperating organisms rather than enforced with competition and penalties? It seems like a wasted opportunity and unnecessarily polarizing.

[holydude]

Why would that be a problem in the first place ?