HomeMy WebLinkAboutResponse to Constituent Letter - Mail Packet - 04/01/2025 - Letter from Mayor Jeni Arndt to Women and Gender Equity Advisory Board re Updating the City Charter to Gender Neutral Language
Mayor
City Hall
Fort Collins, CO 80522
970.416.2154
970.224.6107 - fax
fcgov.com
March 27, 2025
Women and Gender Equity Advisory Board
c/o Kayla Redd, Staff Liaison
PO Box 580
Fort Collins, CO 80522
Dear Chair Gallichotte and Board Members:
Thank you for providing the memorandum dated March 27, 2025 regarding Updating the City
Charter to Gender Neutral Language and providing specific examples of when “his or her” can
be replaced with “their” and “he or she” can be replaced with “they” and “man-” can be replaced
with “human-”.
As you specified, the City Council will be considering the agenda item on Charter Amendments:
Update and Modernization this coming Tuesday, April 1. We encourage the Board to view the
meeting either in person at City Hall at 6:00 p.m., or online at fcgov.com/fctv.
Thank you for the expertise and perspectives that you bring to the Board and share with City
Council.
Best Regards,
Jeni Arndt
Mayor
/sek
cc: City Council Members
Kelly DiMartino, City Manager
City Manager’s Office
City Hall
Fort Collins, CO 80522
970.221.6505
970.224.6107 - fax
fcgov.com
MEMORANDUM
DATE: March 27, 2025
TO: Mayor and City Councilmembers
FROM: The Women and Gender Equity Advisory Board
CC: Delynn Coldiron, City Clerk
RE: Updating the City Charter to Gender Neutral Language
Dear Council and Staff,
According to the 6-month calendar - on April 1st - Council is voting on a first reading of an
ordinance to update City Charter language. According to the December 10th work session, this
includes updating language to be gender inclusive.
We, the Women and Gender Equity Advisory Board (WGEAB), have reviewed the Municipal
Code/City Charter and identified the following instances of language that reinforces a false
gender binary:
● “his or her” - 198 instances (e.g., “may pay his or her share”)
● “he or she” - 81 instances (e.g., “affirmation that he or she will support”)
● “man-” - 12 instances (e.g., “man-made body of water” or “other man-induced practices”)
In all these instances, “his or her” can be replaced with “their”, “he or she” with “they” and “man-”
with “human-”. There are already 275 instances of “their”, 193 instances of “they”, and 2
instances of “human-made” in the City Charter.
WGEAB believes that updating the gendered language in the Municipal Code/City Charter will
promote equity for all women, transgender, and gender non-binary and gender non-conforming
persons (“all genders”) in the City.
If these changes are not already included in the ordinance Council will be voting on, on Tuesday
April 1st, we encourage the Council to update these languages to be more inclusive.
Thank you,
Women and Gender Equity Advisory Board (WGEAB)