Inclusive Language Guide

In Blog
A drawing of a black cup, with a pink swirl creating a heart in the middle. Glass is labeled "a hard day." Dropper with pink liquid above is labeled "kindness" and dropping a pink drop into the black liquid.

I think a lot about inclusive copywriting in my work as a strategic communicator for advocacy organizations. As we work toward a world where we all can tell our own stories using the tools that feel best to us, how can we increase the inclusivity of our language now?

Enter the community-created inclusive language guide. This document started a few years back, and has grown and morphed and changed (as I hoped it would). It offers context and suggestions for making your language more inclusive, and is meant to be a place where folks can share what words make their identity feel included.

A long list of folks have contributed to this inclusive language guide, and I hope you’ll be another one who adds on. ✌🏽

October 11, 2023

Dashes and Dots
emotional equations zine by dana variano. on a table with a metal compass and a Scantron.

Emotional Equations
For every one thing said aloud there are 1,000 not. The messages silent, yet loud and clear. Side eyes, nudges and laughs paired with the wrong kind of discomfort. A child told not to point, a stare in the airport bathroom that says "how dare you?" How dare I exist - in this body, at this time, on this spot, on this rock? And I say "yes." A resounding "yes, I fucking dare. I dare to be my full self in a society addicted to sameness. I dare to look past the endless flow of the 1,000 things, to hold your hand tight, and to keep going. I dare to believe that our hearts are greater that the sum of their hate. I dare."

Mayday Mood