Bias-free language: Here is a list of terms with suggested substitutions.
Looking for a term that isn't here? Write to Rainbow Associates.
| adopted | Do not use unless it's important to the story. For more, read what Sara Kiesler says about adoption in the media. |
| bellman | bellhop |
| career woman | Be specific: doctor, artist, truck driver, etc |
| chairman (for everyone) | chair, chairperson Or chairman and chairwoman [not chairman and chairperson] |
| confined to a wheelchair | uses a wheelchair |
| craftsman | craftsperson, artisan [or potter, woodworker, knitter, etc] |
| deaf mute | deaf |
| Eskimo | Inuk (singular), Innuit (plural) |
| fireman, policeman, mailman | firefighter, police officer, mail carrier |
| handicapped, crippled | person with a disability [or be specific] |
| hearing impaired | hard-of-hearing |
| Hispanic, Latino, Chicano, Latin American, Mexican American | A prime example of the complexities of terms related to nationality. [see Recommendations] |
| Indian | American Indian, Native American (or better, name the person's tribe) |
| Jew | "Jewish person," "of Jewish background" |
| male nurse, lady doctor | nurse, doctor |
| man and wife | husband and wife, partners |
| man hours | staff hours, staff time, work time |
| manmade | artificial, handmade, hand-built, synthetic, manufactured, fabricated, machine-made, constructed |
| master, slave | first (primary) copy, second copy |
| "a slave to his work" | "controlled by his work" (or her work) |
| middle man | intermediary |
| Mongolism, Mongoloid | Down syndrome [preferred to Down's] |
| Mohammedan | Muslim |
| Oriental | Asian (or be specific) |
| racial codes: welfare, inner-city, underprivileged, blue collar, conservative, suburban, exotic, middle-class, Uptown, South Side, wealthy | Do not use these as euphemisms for racial groups. For more, see "Guidelines for Racial Identification" by Keith Woods. |
| sexual preference | sexual orientation, gender orientation |
| Siamese twins | conjoined twins |
| statesman | Might be appropriate in a historical context but probably not today. |
| "suffering from, afflicted with" | "has a disability or illness" |
| waitress, waiter | server |
| wheelchair-bound | uses a wheelchair |