Source
SumOfUs
About
SumOfUs was a global nonprofit advocacy organization and online community that campaigned to hold corporations accountable on climate, workers’ rights, discrimination, human rights, and corporate power; it renamed itself Ekō in 2023. Its A Progressive’s Style Guide (2016) is a widely circulated reference on inclusive, equitable language across many identity areas: one of the early omnibus progressive style guides, and a conceptual predecessor to this project.
In the commons it is a broad, cross-chapter source.
Access
The 2016 PDF is no longer available at its original location. SumOfUs renamed itself Ekō in 2023; the organization is active, and the guide’s authors, Hanna Thomas and Anna Hirsch, are named on the work itself.
The commons holds a private preservation copy for citation verification, so that quotes cited here stay verifiable even if the original PDF moves or is withdrawn. The full PDF is not publicly redistributed from this site. Copyright rests with SumOfUs/Ekō and the authors, and no reuse permission has been granted.
For reuse beyond fair-use citation, contact Ekō via eko.org.
Works reviewed
A Progressive's Style Guide
Reference copy heldTerms citing this source
- AbleismUse with care
“Structural ableism assumes that there is an ideal body and mind that is better than all others, and ableists build a world in which this ideal can thrive and others cannot. … disability and mental health discrimination is not just interpersonal, but also institutional and cultural.”
: Disability section, Anti-ableism framework
- AgeismUse
“Ageism is a system of beliefs, attitudes, and actions, fueled by institutional power, that oppresses all people at all ages, but is considered most detrimental for the physical health of our oldest citizens. Ageists view a person's age number or chronological age as a marker of essential characteristics or type.”
: "Anti-ageism framework"
- AlcoholicAvoid
“Terms avoided/questioned by disability rights activists: … able-bodied … addict … afflicted by … alcoholic … crazy … crippled by …”
: Disability language table, "Terms avoided/questioned by disability rights activists" column
- AlienAvoid
“Terms avoided/questioned by immigrants rights activists: alien, an illegal, anchor baby, ex-pat, failed asylum seeker, illegal alien, illegal asylum seeker, illegal immigrant, legal alien, legal citizen, legal resident, legalized … resident alien …”
: Immigration/Refugees, Terms Avoided/Questioned by Immigrants Rights Activists
- AsianUse
“Capitalize the proper names of ancestral, national, place, and religious identities: Indigenous Peoples, Arab, French-Canadian, Inuit, Jew, Latin, Asian, Cree, etc.”
: Disability/Identity section, capitalization rule
- Bathroom BillAvoid
“Terms avoided/questioned by sex and gender identity justice activists … bathroom bill”
: Sex & Gender Identity section, "Terms avoided/questioned" list
- BisexualUse
“Do not assume heterosexual orientation. Where appropriate, use examples of same-sex partners and families, and LGBQQTIA2-S (lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, questioning, transgender, intersex, asexual, two-spirit) people's lives and experiences. … Avoid defaulting to umbrella terms like gay or homosexual.”
: Gender/Sex section, Central Principles and accepted terms list
- CisgenderUse
“non-cisgender, cisgender”
: Gender/Sex section, accepted terms list
- ClassismUse
“Classism is a system of beliefs, attitudes, and actions – fueled by institutional power – that advantages and strengthens the dominant class groups through differential treatment and the assignment of worth and ability based on economic status or perceived social class.”
: Class section, "Anti-classist framework"
- CrazyAvoid
“Terms avoided/questioned by disability rights activists: … crazy … loony … maniac … nut, nut job, nutter, nutso … psycho”
: Disability language two-column list, "Terms avoided/questioned by disability rights activists"
- DeafUse
“Terms used by disability rights activists: … deaf … Deaf culture … hard of hearing”
: Disability language two-column list, "Terms used by disability rights activists"
- Differently AbledAvoid
“differently abled”
: Disability issue area, do-not-use column (alongside disAbled, divyang, handi-capable)
- DisabilityUse with care
“In a world built to shut people with physical, mental, and emotional disabilities out, it is therefore paramount to use people-first language, to reject a purely “medical” framing of disability, to always use disability and mental health terminology accurately …”
: Disability section, Anti-ableism framework
- DisadvantagedAvoid
“questioned by economic justice activists … at-risk … basic … classy … culture of poverty … disadvantaged”
: Class section, two-column list, "Terms avoided/questioned by economic justice activists"
“Young undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children are referred to as DREAMers (retaining capitalization of the DREAM Act).”
: Immigration/Refugees, Writing Guidelines
- ElderlyUse with care
“Whenever possible, ask the preferred terminology. One person may prefer "senior," while another person with the same age number may prefer "older adult."”
: Age section, "Recommended terminology"
“The term 'First Nation(s)' is widely used and has for the most part replaced the term 'Indian.' 'First Nations People(s)' refers to all Indian peoples in Canada – both Status and Non-Status Indians. It excludes Métis and Inuit people.”
: Indigeneity / Ancestry section → In Canada
- First NationsAvoid
“Avoid vocabulary and usage that carries hierarchical valuation, describes Indigenous peoples as 'belonging' to Canada, the United States, or Australia, etc. … do not say 'Canadian First Nations' as Canada is the colonial power and many Indigenous people do not identify as Canadian.”
: Indigeneity / Ancestry section → Specific Recommendations
- GayUse with care
“Avoid defaulting to umbrella terms like gay or homosexual. … When referring to the broader community, queer (as in queer people) or LGBTQ (as in LGBTQ people) is appropriate – gay, however, is not.”
: Gender/Sex section, Central Principles
- GhettoAvoid
“Terms avoided/questioned by racial justice activists: … ghetto (especially as an adv. or adj.) …”
: Race section, "Terms avoided/questioned by racial justice activists" column
- HandicappedAvoid
“Terms avoided/questioned by disability rights activists: … handi-capable … handicapped … hearing-impaired … the disabled”
: Disability language two-column list, "Terms avoided/questioned by disability rights activists"
- HermaphroditeAvoid
“gender-bender … he-she … hermaphrodite … homosexual … it … lifestyle choice … mankind … non-straight”
: "Words to avoid" list, gender and sexuality section
- HomosexualAvoid
“Avoid defaulting to umbrella terms like gay or homosexual. Use LGBTQ to refer to a broad community or be specific when relevant: lesbian, gay man, bisexual woman, etc.”
: Sex & Gender Identity section, sexual orientation guidance
- Illegal AlienAvoid
“Terms avoided/questioned by immigrants rights activists: alien · an illegal · anchor baby · ex-pat · failed asylum seeker · illegal alien · illegal asylum seeker · illegal immigrant · legal alien · legal citizen · legal resident · legalized … resident alien …”
: Immigration section, "Terms avoided/questioned by immigrants rights activists" list
- Illegal ImmigrantAvoid
“By definition, a person is never illegal; an “illegal immigrant” makes as much a sense as saying an “illegal accountant,” were they accused of tax fraud.”
: Immigration/Refugees, Writing Guidelines + Terms Avoided/Questioned by Immigrants Rights Activists
- ImmigrantUse with care
“Use the word “immigrant” with great care, not only because it is often incorrectly used to describe people who were born in the reported country, but also because it has been used negatively for so many years.”
: Immigration/Refugees, Writing Guidelines
- IndianAvoid
“The term “Indian” is outdated and should be replaced by the term “First Nation” except in the following cases: in direct quotations; when citing titles of books, works of art, etc.; … in discussions of some legal/constitutional matters requiring precision in terminology …”
: Indigeneity/Ancestry section, terminology bullets
- IndigenousUse
“'Indigenous' is internationally inclusive for all Indigenous peoples. … Whenever possible, use a specific name (e.g., Cherokee and Inuit). If you are not aware of the preferred name, whenever possible, ask.”
: p. 24, Indigeneity/Ancestry: Specific Recommendations
- InmateUse
“Terms used by police, and incarceration reform activists: formerly incarcerated person · incarcerated person · inmate · jail · justice involved individual · parolee · person in prison · person with conviction · prison …”
: Police/Incarceration two-column list, “Terms used by … incarceration reform activists” column
- IntersexUse
“Where appropriate, use examples of same-sex partners and families, and LGBQQTIA2-S (lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, questioning, transgender, intersex, asexual, two-spirit) people's lives and experiences.”
: Gender/Sex section, Central Principles and accepted terms list
- JewUse
“Capitalize the proper names of ancestral, national, place, and religious identities: Indigenous Peoples, Arab, French-Canadian, Inuit, Jew, Latin, Asian, Cree, etc.”
: "Disability" / capitalization section
- LameAvoid
“lame (never use to refer to a person)”
: Ableist language: words to avoid list
- LesbianUse
“Avoid defaulting to umbrella terms like gay or homosexual. Use LGBTQ to refer to a broad community or be specific when relevant: lesbian, gay man, bisexual woman, etc.”
: Gender/Sex section, Central Principles
- Little PersonAvoid
“dwarf, midget, vertically challenged”
: Disability two-column list, "Terms avoided/questioned by disability rights activists"
- Mental HealthUse with care
“it is therefore paramount to use people-first language, to reject a purely “medical” framing of disability, to always use disability and mental health terminology accurately, and to use narratives that support people with disabilities in building power …”
: Disability section, Anti-ableism framework
- NegroAvoid
“Negro”
: Indigeneity/Ancestry section, 'Terms avoided/questioned by decolonization activists' table
- OffenderAvoid
“Terms avoided/questioned by police, and incarceration reform activists: correctional institution · correctional officer · ex-offender · guard · offender · the formerly incarcerated · the incarcerated.”
: Police/Incarceration two-column list, “Terms avoided/questioned by … incarceration reform activists” column
- PoorAvoid
“Terms avoided/ questioned by economic justice activists … in need, the needy … less fortunate … the poor … Terms used by economic justice activists … low-income (as an adjective) … people experiencing material poverty”
: "Economy" issue area, terms-used vs. terms-avoided columns
- ProstituteAvoid
“Terms avoided/questioned by sex and gender identity justice activists … prostitute, whore”
: Sex & gender identity justice → "Terms avoided/questioned by sex and gender identity justice activists" list
- QueerReclaimed in community
“Queer is an acceptable in-group term but it is often better to refer to queer communities rather than calling an individual queer unless they have already told you this is how they identify.”
: Gender/Sex section, Central Principles
- RacismUse with care
“Racism, in order to be dismantled, must be uprooted at every level, from the foundations of institutions that dictate the practices and policies enacted by personnel to the attitudes and beliefs that we reinforce through repeated social interactions and deeply internalized messages.”
: Race & Ethnicity, "Structural and cultural anti-racism framework"
- RetardedAvoid
“Terms avoided/questioned by disability rights activists: … psycho … retarded … schizo … schizophrenic (never use to mean "of two minds")”
: Disability language two-column list, "Terms avoided/questioned by disability rights activists"
- SchizophrenicAvoid
“schizophrenic (never use to mean “of two minds”)”
: Disability terms table, "avoid" column
- Sex ChangeAvoid
“sex change, sex change operation …”
: gender-and-sexuality "don't use" column (text reflows from PDF table layout)
“sex worker · sexual orientation · slut, slut-shaming (if this is how a person or group self-identifies) · they, them, their · third gender”
: Gender/Sex section, accepted terms list
- SurvivorUse
“People who have suffered sexual violence may not wish to be described as a victim, unless they choose the word themselves. Many prefer the word survivor.”
: Sexual and Domestic Violence section, Specific Recommendations
- TrannyAvoid
“Terms avoided/questioned by sex and … trannie, tranny”
: "Sex and gender" section, terms-avoided/questioned list
- Trans WomanUse
“Terms used by sex and gender identity justice activists … trans woman, trans man … transgender (adj.) … transgender people”
: "Terms used by sex and gender identity justice activists" list, p. 16
- TransgenderUse with care
“Always use a transgender person's chosen name. It is never appropriate to put quotation marks around either a transgender person's chosen name or the pronoun that reflects that person's gender identity.”
: Gender/Sex section, Central Principles
- TransgenderedAvoid
“transgendered (adj.)”
: Sex & Gender Identity section, avoided-terms list
- TransvestiteUse with care
“transvestite (unless this is how the person self-identifies)”
: Terms-to-avoid list, "transvestite" entry (use only when self-identified)
- TribeUse
“Whenever possible, use a specific name (e.g., Cherokee and Inuit). If you are not aware of the preferred name, whenever possible, ask. … Capitalize the proper names of tribes, nationalities, and peoples …”
: Indigeneity / Ancestry section → Specific Recommendations
“By definition, a person is never illegal; an “illegal immigrant” makes as much a sense as saying an “illegal accountant,” were they accused of tax fraud. An asylum seeker can become an undocumented immigrant only if he or she remains after having failed to respond to a removal notice.”
: Immigration/Refugees, Writing Guidelines + Terms Used by Immigrants Rights Activists
“homeless person [used] / the homeless [avoided] / transient [avoided]”
: p. 21, Housing/Space: Y/? table (Terms used by housing rights activists / Terms avoided)
- unhoused / homelessAvoid
“Consider whether terms and phrasing are crass, inaccurate, or may reinforce stigma, implying criminalization or invoking fear (bum, indigent, vagrant, beggar) and take the time to re-word or frame the issue with adequate context to go against those patterns.”
: p. 21, Housing/Space: Specific Recommendations
“persons experiencing homelessness or illness”
: p. 9, Economy: Y/? table (approved terms)
- VictimAvoid
“Terms avoided/questioned by disability rights activists: … afflicted by … crippled by … suffering from . . . … victim of . . .”
: Disability language two-column list, "Terms avoided/questioned by disability rights activists"
- WheelchairAvoid
“Terms used by disability rights activists: … uses a wheelchair. Terms avoided/questioned by disability rights activists: … wheelchair-bound, confined to a wheelchair, in a wheelchair.”
: Disability language two-column list, "Terms used" vs. "Terms avoided/questioned by disability rights activists"
“white supremacy (white privilege …”
: Race/Ethnicity, "Terms used by racial justice activists" column