Inclusivity Policy
What's wrong with the word "Guys"?
Certain words can make people in the community feel excluded. In particular the word "guys".
The purpose is to try and get people to be more aware about the language they use and to try and be more inclusive towards other humans. Regardless of Class, Race, Gender, Sex or other divides that humans love putting up.
We want to be a loving and inclusive community, and we know that the community is made up of the individuals. Thus if the individuals are made more aware of how better to be inclusive to the group, the community as a whole becomes more inclusive. While you may not use the word in that way, or intend to exclude anyone with your language, people in this community (and the larger startup community in general, not to mention other communities) find it othering.
What we're not trying to do
This is NOT about policing language or stopping freedom of speech. It's about getting people to be a little bit more aware of the language they use and the implications of that language.
I don't agree with this, what now?
Please don't feel excluded or shamed, there's been a huge amount of discussion globally about diversity and general inclusivity. If you want to change something about how it works, be that a copy change or anything, we really do welcome suggestions, limitations and aggravations.
Some frequently asked questions
Isn't "Guys" gender neutral in its plural form? Maybe in certain situations, but which situations those are is ambiguous, here's an unscientific survey that shows that not everyone agrees. If you find a better survey, please post it for discussion. What is for certain is that there are members of our community that do not think it is gender neutral. The dictionary definition is not what we're arguing over, but how it makes people feel.