The following is a collection of guides, articles, etc., that can help us all to rethink the language we use that may be harmful towards various marginalized and disadvantaged communities.
Last updated 11-7-2021
General
- 3 Ways Language Oppression Harms Us (And How We Can Heal)
- 11 Really Offensive Things You Don’t Realize You’re Saying
- Anti-Oppression guide
- Conscious Language Guide
- How Language Purity is a Tool to Further White Supremacy
- Recognizing that words have the power to harm, we commit to using more just language to describe places
- Words Mean Things
Anti-Indigenous Racism
- 6 terms that non-Indigenous people need to stop appropriating
- 30 Everyday Phrases That Perpetuate The Oppression Of Indigenous Peoples
- Culturally Appropriative Language
- How to Talk About Native Nations: A guide (PDF)
- Language Matters: How to Talk about Native Nations (Facebook Live 59:25 long)
Ableism
- 5 Reasons Why We Police Disabled People’s Language (And Why We Need to Stop)
- 6 Backhanded ‘Compliments’ That Mentally Ill People Are Tired Of
- Ableism/Language
- Please, Stop Using Mental Illness As An Insult
- Sanism and the language of mental illness
- “Stupid” Is an Ableist Slur: Breaking Down Our Defenses and Liberating Our Words From Ableist Language
- Violence in Language: Circling Back to Linguistic Ableism
- Why Autism Functioning Labels Are Harmful -- and What to Say Instead
- Why It’s Incredibly Problematic to Call White Supremacists “Insane”
Transmisia
- 5 accidentally transphobic phrases allies use -- and what to say instead
- 9 problematic phrases you may not have realized are transphobic
- Terms and Phrases to Avoid (PDF)
- Trans Language Primer
- What Constitutes Transphobic and Cisnormative Bullying and Harassment (PDF)
- Why the words we use matter when describing anti-trans activists
PS: Here are some resources on how to use gender-inclusive language around reproductive health:
- 8 Gender Neutral Birth Terms and How to Use Them
- Gender Inclusive Language (PDF)
- Gender Inclusive Terms for Sexual Health, Pregnancy, and Birth
Fatmisia
- 7 Ways You Might Be Fat Shaming Without Knowing It
- 14 Painful Examples Of Everyday Fat-Shaming
- Discrimination against fat people is so endemic, most of us don’t even realise it’s happening
- Fatphobia: 5 Facts and a Guide
- The Racial Language of Fatphobia
- White Supremacy, Colonialism and Fatphobia are Inherently Tied to Each Other
Religious and Cultural Discrimination
- Anti-oppression guide - Anit-Islamomisa
- Anti-oppression guide - Anti-Judeomisia
- Here’s Why BuzzFeed News Is No Longer Hyphenating “Antisemitism”
- I’m “Pretty Because I Don’t Look Jewish?” That’s an Insult.
- Recognising Antisemitism
- Subtle and Overt Forms of Islamophobia: Microaggressions toward Muslim Americans
- Why words matter: mainstreaming anti-Muslim discourse