Forget 'manmade': Berkeley bans gender-specific words

There will be no manholes in Berkeley, California. City workers will drop into "maintenance holes" instead.

Nothing will be manmade in the liberal city but "human-made." And students at the University of California, Berkeley, will join "collegiate Greek system residences" rather than fraternities and sororities.

Berkeley leaders voted unanimously this week to replace about 40 gender-specific words in the city code with gender-neutral terms — an effort to be more inclusive that's drawing both praise and scorn.

Berkeley councilman Rigel Robinson poses for photos inside the Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center building in Berkeley, Calif., Thursday, July 18, 2019. Soon students in Berkeley, California will have to pledge to "collegiate Greek system residences" instead of sororities or fraternities and city workers will have to refer to manholes as "maintenance holes." Officials in the liberal city this week passed an ordinance to replace some terms with gender-neutral words in the city code. (AP PhotoJeff Chiu)

That means "manpower" will become "human effort" or "workforce," while masculine and feminine pronouns like "she," ''her," ''he" and "him" will be replaced by "they" and "them," according to the measure approved Tuesday by the City Council.

The San Francisco Bay Area city is known for its long history of progressive politics and "first of" ordinances. Berkeley was among the first cities to adopt curbside recycling in the 1970s and more recently, became the first in the U.S. to tax sugary drinks and ban natural gas in new homes.

Berkeley also was the birthplace of the nation's free-speech movement in the 1960s and where protests from both left- and right-wing extremist groups devolved into violence during a flashpoint in the country's political divisions soon after President Donald Trump's election.

A cover for a sewer is shown in an intersection in Berkeley, Calif., Thursday, July 18, 2019. There are no manholes in Berkeley, as city workers will drop into "maintenance holes" instead. Nothing is manmade in the liberal city, it’s “human-made.” Berkeley leaders voted unanimously this week to replace about 40 gender-specific words in the city code with gender-neutral terms. (AP PhotoJeff Chiu)

Rigel Robinson, who graduated from UC Berkeley last year and at 23 is the youngest member of the City Council, said it was time to change a municipal code that makes it sound like "men are the only ones that exist in entire industries or that men are the only ones on city government."

"As society and our cultures become more aware about issues of gender identity and gender expression, it's important that our laws reflect that," said Robinson, who co-authored the measure. "Women and non-binary people are just as deserving of accurate representation."

When the changes take effect in the fall, all city forms will be updated and lists with the old words and their replacements will be posted at public libraries and the council chambers. The changes will cost taxpayers $600, Robinson said.

Traffic and pedestrians cross Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley, Calif., Thursday, July 18, 2019. Soon students in Berkeley, Calif., will have to pledge to "collegiate Greek system residences" instead of sororities or fraternities and city workers will have to refer to manholes as "maintenance holes." Officials in the liberal city this week passed an ordinance to replace some terms with gender-neutral words in the city code. (AP PhotoJeff Chiu)

Removing gendered terms has been slowly happening for decades in the United States as colleges, companies and organizations implement gender-neutral alternatives.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom's wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, changed a Sacramento political tradition by adopting the unofficial title "first partner" instead of "first lady," saying it's more inclusive. The change reflected Siebel Newsom's experience as an actress and filmmaker focused on gender politics and inequality.

But formalizing the shift in the sweeping way that Berkeley is doing is "remarkable and sends a message," Rutgers University linguistics professor Kristen Syrett said.

A woman walks behind a sign for People's Park in Berkeley, Calif., Thursday, July 18, 2019. Berkeley leaders voted unanimously this week to replace about 40 gender-specific words in the city code with gender-neutral terms. The effort to be more inclusive is drawing both praise and scorn. (AP PhotoJeff Chiu)

"Anytime you're talking about something where gender is not the issue but you use a gendered term, that immediately sends a message of exclusion, even if it's a dialogue that has nothing to do with gender," said Syrett, who recently spearheaded an update to the guidelines on inclusive language for the Linguistic Society of America.

For Hel Baker, a Berkeley home caregiver, the shift is a small step in the right direction.

"Anything that dismantles inherent bias is a good thing, socially, in the grand scheme of things," the 27-year-old said.

A man walks past the Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center building in Berkeley, Calif., Thursday, July 18, 2019. Soon students in Berkeley, California will have to pledge to "collegiate Greek system residences" instead of sororities or fraternities and city workers will have to refer to manholes as "maintenance holes." Berkeley leaders voted unanimously this week to replace about 40 gender-specific words in the city code with gender-neutral terms. (AP PhotoJeff Chiu)

"I don't, by any means, think this is the great championing for gender equality, but you gotta start somewhere," Hel added.

Lauren Singh, 18, who grew up in Berkeley, approved of the move, saying, "Everyone deserves to be represented and feel included in the community."

Not everyone agreed with the new ordinance. Laramie Crocker, a Berkeley carpenter, said the changes just made him laugh.

People walk in front of Sather Gate on the University of California at Berkeley campus in Berkeley, Calif., Thursday, July 18, 2019. Soon students in Berkeley, California will have to pledge to "collegiate Greek system residences" instead of sororities or fraternities and city workers will have to refer to manholes as "maintenance holes." Berkeley leaders voted unanimously this week to replace about 40 gender-specific words in the city code with gender-neutral terms. (AP PhotoJeff Chiu)

"If you try to change the laws every time someone has a new opinion about something, it doesn't make sense. It's just a bad habit to get into," Crocker said.

Crocker, 54, said he would like city officials to focus on more pressing issues, like homelessness.

"Let's keep it simple, get back to work," he said. "Let's figure out how to get homeless people housed and fed. He, she, they, it — they're wasting my time."

People walk along paths on the University of California at Berkeley campus in front of Sather Tower, also known as the Campanile, in Berkeley, Calif., Thursday, July 18, 2019. Soon students in Berkeley will have to pledge to "collegiate Greek system residences" instead of sororities or fraternities and city workers will have to refer to manholes as "maintenance holes." Berkeley leaders voted unanimously this week to replace about 40 gender-specific words in the city code with gender-neutral terms. (AP PhotoJeff Chiu)

A man walks past a student activities and notices board on the University of California at Berkeley campus in Berkeley, Calif., Thursday, July 18, 2019. Soon students in Berkeley will have to pledge to "collegiate Greek system residences" instead of sororities or fraternities and city workers will have to refer to manholes as "maintenance holes." Berkeley leaders voted unanimously this week to replace about 40 gender-specific words in the city code with gender-neutral terms. (AP PhotoJeff Chiu)

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A Ukrainian court on Friday ordered the detention of the country’s farm minister in the latest high-profile corruption investigation, while Kyiv security officials assessed how they can recover lost battlefield momentum in the war against Russia.

Ukraine’s High Anti-Corruption Court ruled that Agriculture Minister Oleksandr Solskyi should be held in custody for 60 days, but he was released after paying bail of 75 million hryvnias ($1.77 million), a statement said.

Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau suspects Solskyi headed an organized crime group that between 2017 and 2021 unlawfully obtained land worth 291 million hryvnias ($6.85 million) and attempted to obtain other land worth 190 million hryvnias ($4.47 million).

Ukraine is trying to root out corruption that has long dogged the country. A dragnet over the past two years has seen Ukraine’s defense minister, top prosecutor, intelligence chief and other senior officials lose their jobs.

That has caused embarrassment and unease as Ukraine receives tens of billions of dollars in foreign aid to help fight Russia’s army, and the European Union and NATO have demanded widespread anti-graft measures before Kyiv can realize its ambition of joining the blocs.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was due to hold online talks Friday with the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, which has been the key international organization coordinating the delivery of weapons and other aid to Ukraine.

Zelenskyy said late Thursday that the meeting would discuss how to turn around Ukraine’s fortunes on the battlefield. The Kremlin’s forces have gained an edge over Kyiv’s army in recent months as Ukraine grappled with a shortage of ammunition and troops.

Russia, despite sustaining high losses, has been taking control of small settlements as part of its effort to drive deeper into eastern Ukraine after capturing the city of Avdiivka in February, the U.K. defense ministry said Friday.

It’s been slow going for the Kremlin’s troops in eastern Ukraine and is likely to stay that way, according to the Institute for the Study of War. However, the key hilltop town of Chasiv Yar is vulnerable to the Russian onslaught, which is using glide bombs — powerful Soviet-era weapons that were originally unguided but have been retrofitted with a navigational targeting system — that obliterate targets.

“Russian forces do pose a credible threat of seizing Chasiv Yar, although they may not be able to do so rapidly,” the Washington-based think tank said late Thursday.

It added that Russian commanders are likely seeking to advance as much as possible before the arrival in the coming weeks and months of new U.S. military aid, which was held up for six months by political differences in Congress.

While that U.S. help wasn’t forthcoming, Ukraine’s European partners didn’t pick up the slack, according to German’s Kiel Institute for the World Economy, which tracks Ukraine support.

“The European aid in recent months is nowhere near enough to fill the gap left by the lack of U.S. assistance, particularly in the area of ammunition and artillery shells,” it said in a report Thursday.

Ukraine is making a broad effort to take back the initiative in the war after more than two years of fighting. It plans to manufacture more of its own weapons in the future and is clamping down on young people avoiding conscription, though it will take time to process and train any new recruits.

Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

Ukrainian young acting student Gleb Batonskiy plays piano in a public park in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, April 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)