Inclusion, Equity Central to Ordinance Review

Gender-Neutral Language Adopted in Codified Ordinances

The use of gender-neutral language is an important tool in maintaining an inclusive and welcoming community, and ensures that all individuals are treated with respect and dignity. To demonstrate its commitment to creating an environment that is accommodating to everyone, the City is addressing the use of gender-specific language in its ordinances.

At the request of City Council, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) Director J.R. Fourqurean worked with the City’s Law Department to review the City’s codified ordinances. The team identified more than 200 instances of gender-specific language in nearly 150 documents, and will replace them with appropriate gender-neutral alternatives. Codified ordinances are a directory of City laws that are essential to its governance. Examples of amendments would be changing the word “his” to “their” when referring to a person who holds a specific position, or changing “men” to “their” when referring to a group of individuals. The amendments align with the City’s vision to serve and empower all people, both within our organization and throughout Westerville, to maintain a thriving, sustainable and connected community.

Westerville is currently the only central Ohio suburb that has a designated DEIB director and is the first to strive to remove gender-specific language from its ordinances. Project fees will be nominal, as fees incurred will support the reprinting of the ordinances for City partners. To explore the City’s commitment to empowering all community members, visit www.westerville.org/dei.