NewsBlues mrsbgrammar Page 167
Chapter 3 Inoffensive Writing
157
PC terms, part 1
"Illegal alien" still pops up when referring to an
UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANT.
It's demeaning and dehumanizing.
One of the most basic ways of showing respect for others is to refer
to them by the names they've chosen to identify themselves and to
avoid using names they consider offensive.
Many OLDER ADULTS bristle at being called "senior citizens" or
"the elderly" or "golden agers."
OLDER AMERICANS works, too.
Use SEXUAL ORIENTATION, not "sexual preference," which
carries the disputed implication that sexuality is a matter of choice.
GAY is preferred to "homosexual."
GAY may refer to men or to men and women as a group.
In references to women only, use LESBIAN.
SAME-SEX COUPLES, SAME-SEX DATING, and SAME-SEX
MARRIAGE are terms preferred over "homosexual."
Either DOMESTIC PARTNER or LIFE PARTNER includes all
members of non-traditional families.
You see "handicapped parking" and "handicapped accessible," but
PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES want to be identified as such.
People have mental disabilities, physical disabilities, and emotional
disabilities.
HEARING IMPAIRED and VISUALLY IMPAIRED describe
people who aren't DEAF or BLIND but have a partial hearing or
vision loss.
If the loss is total, DEAF (but never "deaf-mute") and BLIND are the
preferred words.
