Making manholes disappear in Berkeley, Calif.

When the campaign to make the English language more gender neutral first began to draw attention half a century ago, I joked in print that its advocates probably wouldn’t be satisfied until they had changed “manhole cover’’ to “personhole cover.”

Fifty years later, the joke apparently is on me. As reported last week by The Associated Press, the city council in Berkeley, Calif., voted to officially refer to underground utility accesses with those metal covers on them as “maintenance holes.”

“In recent years, broadening societal awareness of transgender and gender nonconforming identities has brought to light the importance of non-binary gender inclusivity,” council member Rigel Robinson said.

The story evoked considerable ridicule — maybe even from those who regularly use the phrase “nonbinary gender inclusivity.” Council members were called “neo-hippie idiots.” A local resident argued that the focus should be on “the 80 percent of issues that really concern voters and not the .0003 percent they don’t care about.”

Manhole covers were not the only target. Thirtynine other words or phrases were officially revised by the council. “Manpower,” it decreed, needed to be altered to “human effort.” “Brother” was to be replaced with “sibling.” “Sister” was to be replaced with “sibling.” Fraternity and sorority houses were now to be called “collegiate Greek system residences,” as in “big kegger tonight with my siblings and siblings at our collegiate Greek system residence.”

Pronouns also were neutered. “He” and “she” now are “they” and “them” and those words are to refer to a single individual “unless the context indicates the contrary.” That sounds awfully confusing to me, but if Hiram Folkman, my eleventhgrade English teacher, were alive today, I’d love to run that one past they.

Arguably, some words deserve to be altered. Ever since my daughter elected to make a career of entering burning buildings, for instance, I’ve made a point of bragging about her being a firefighter, not a firewoman.

Others changes seem gratuitous, such as “maiden” becoming “family.” I don’t know who uses the word “maiden” these days, but maybe they’re the same ones who say “damsel.”

The council has its supporters. “I don’t by any means think this is the great championing for gender equality,” a Berkeley resident conceded, “but you gotta start somewhere.”

Them makes a good point. But sometimes you also gotta know where to stop. Using the word “manhole” is not quite the same as referring to a woman as a chick, a babe, or a broad. Saying “heirs” instead of “beneficiaries” doesn’t necessarily make you Hugh Hefner.

Still, maybe the city council’s efforts will have a major impact on history. Or herstory. Or personstory.