July 18 (UPI) -- The Berkeley, Calif., City Council has approved a measure to make the language in the city's municipal code gender-neutral, in a move to be more inclusive.
With the new ordinance, "firefighter" replaces "fireman" and "firewoman;" "workforce" replaces "manpower;" and "artificial" or "human-made" replaces "man-made." Further, a "manhole" will become "maintenance hole" in the Bay Area city's revised codes.
"They" and "them" will replace personal pronouns "he," "she," "him" and "her." Some changes will become more cumbersome. The code refers to sororities and fraternities with "collegiate Greek system residence."
"Language has power," said councilor Rigel Robinson, who pushed for the ordinance. "The words we use are important. It's not only timely but necessary to make sure that our laws really speak for everyone."
Berkeley City Clerk Mark Numainville said it will cost $600 for city's publisher to update the code.
The move follows other gender-neutral moves in California. The state became the first to allow residents to use nonbinary gender markers on birth certificates, and the second after Oregon to allow gender markers other than "F" for female and "M" for male on driver's licenses.
