To the Editor,

I want to thank you for publishing a recent opinion piece titled “No More Manholes? What’s next?” by former Seattle City Councilmember Jean Godden. In it she thoroughly and thoughtfully covers government efforts to achieve gender neutral language in laws, code, and titles.

 Words have power. I and so many others have worked too hard and sacrificed too much to show up to work and get called “councilman.” Those days are over. I’m proud to have led the charge as a State Senator and now as a King County Councilmember to achieve gender neutral language at both the state and county level. These are good policies and the right thing to do. 

Gender neutral language reflects a more inclusive shift that helps all individuals, regardless of their gender identity, feel represented in a government that is fundamentally for the people. Perhaps this is a small salvo in our struggle for gender equality, but we can and we must fight on every battlefield possible. The transition to gender-neutral language is a step in the right direction and I’m proud to support it.

Jeanne Kohl-Welles, King County Councilmember