Berkeley, California bans gendered language like "manhole cover" from city

  • Berkeley, CA is getting rid of manholes. Well, not the actual holes themselves, but they'll now be known as 'maintenance holes' within the city limits. 
  • The Berkeley City Council just passed a new ordinance banning 'gendered language' from the city code.  
  • Some other changes include replacing 'firemen' with 'firefighters' and any instance of 'he' or 'she' with 'they'. Even the phrase 'men and women' is being replaced with 'people'.
  • City Council member Rigel Robinson said "A male-centric municipal code doesn't reflect the reality of the city of Berkeley".


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