Inclusive Language Meets Household Chores

One of Fuller's core values is its recognition of women in ministry. One of the ways this value is expressed is through its policy of using nondiscriminatory (inclusive) language within the seminary. Fuller believes that using words like 'men' and 'he' as generic terms have been used to discriminate against women, because these words do not intrinsically include women. Therefore, everyone within the bounds of Fuller needs to use language that includes all people. Instead of 'men', we write 'human' or for 'him', we use 'they'. We try to include everyone in our communications.

The Catalyst, the on-campus student lounge, has a kitchen for students. One day, as I was washing my dishes I noticed a hand written note above the sink. It said "Please wash your dishes! Your mother doesn't live here!" Then I noticed a second person added 'daddy' above 'mother' and wrote, "Now, now, let's not forget to be inclusive."