LEGISLATIVE BODY ELIMINATES GENDER PRONOUNS

STAMFORD, CONN. The legislative body in Stamford, Connecticut, has removed gender pronouns from its written rules. The Board of Representatives voted last week to remove “he/she” and “his/her” from its rules of order, replacing them with specific titles, including president and clerk, the Advocate newspaper reported. The measure passed unanimously with one abstention.

The change was proposed by three Democrats elected to the 40-member board in November, including Raven Matherne, the state’s first openly transgender elected official. It does not change the way the rules are followed or carried out, she said. The move gives Stamford the opportunity to set the bar in updating its language to be LGBTQ inclusive, board members said.