Inclusion and diversity

Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) or Black and Minority Ethnic (BME): 

These terms are very commonly used across the UK, by the media, businesses and organisations, including within higher education. However, they have been criticised as acronyms that homogenise diverse identities and backgrounds. They also note that these terms involve a confusing combination of race, ethnicity and nationality whilst ignoring individual identity and experiences. They also make ‘White’ the standard and class everyone else as ‘other’.

Some people feel that using the ‘long’ form of the term: ‘Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic’ can be more useful than the catch-all acronym, BAME, as it does draw out some specific identities (unlike ‘people of colour’).

Please note that at Queen Mary we currently use the term ‘BAME’, as this reflects the way we collect and store staff and student data and it aligns with our reporting obligations and usage within the majority of other Higher Education institutions. However, as we are aware that this term is considered by some to be problematic, we will continue to review our use of language around race and ethnicity, through our Race Equality Action Group.

Ethnic minority groups is a UK term used to refer to all ethnic groups except the White British group. This includes White minorities, such as Gypsy, Roma and Irish Traveller groups. Some organisations (like AdvanceHE) avoid this term, as they feel that ‘ethnic minority’ places the emphasis on ethnicity as the main issue, especially as the term ‘ethnic’ is often incorrectly seen as synonymous with non-white in the UK. However the UK Government has recently moved from using BAME to people from ethnic minority backgrounds.

Minority ethnic groups is used by some people to place the emphasis on the minority (or minoritised) status as opposed to the ethnicity. It also arguably makes it clearer that everyone has an ethnicity (including White British people), not just those who are minoritised. These terms are felt by some to have negative connotations relating to being marginal, or less important. Some people prefer to use the verb ‘minoritised’ to reflect that people are minoritised against their will.

Global majority (or ‘People of the Global Majority’) is a collective term that encourages those of African, Asian, Latin American, and Arab descent to recognise that although ‘people of colour’ are often referred to as ethnic minorities, on a global scale they represent around 80 per cent of the world’s population. However, it is not always as useful in the UK context where the use of the term majority could lead to confusion and lack of understanding.

People/Communities of Colour is a term that is mostly used in a US context, but is becoming a more common term among some groups in the UK, to refer to groups of people who are not White or of European heritage.

However, this term is felt by some to inaccurately suggest that skin colour is the only issue or common factor between people who experience racism. Like other terms listed here, it also homogenises all people who are not White, and arguably centres whiteness as the default norm, with all others ‘of colour’. It also excludes some groups who may be (or be perceived to be) White, such as Gypsy, Roma and Irish Traveller groups, and those of Eastern European or Jewish descent. It is also sometimes confused with ‘coloured’, an offensive and outdated term in the UK.

Racially minoritised groups/communities is a term that aims to recognise that individuals have been actively minoritised through social processes of power and domination, rather than just existing in distinct statistical minorities. This term is less well used in the mainstream, but is increasingly preferred by some who wish to capture the importance of power when talking about race.

Things to note

• Be clear. For example, if you are writing specifically about Black people, use the term ‘Black’ rather than BAME.
• Identity is extremely personal and important, so one of the best ways to develop your understanding is to listen, educate yourself, learn, and politely ask about preferences, if in doubt.

Gender is a person’s sense of self - whether this is being a man, woman or otherwise self-defined; this may, or may not, correspond to an individual’s sex assigned at birth.

Using the correct pronouns is incredibly important, it can make trans and gender non-conforming people feel seen and welcome.

Use of gender neutral pronouns is also helpful in a practical sense, as names do not denote gender. 

Pronouns: if you are writing to or about someone, using the correct pronouns shows respect for that person’s gender identity and builds on our culture of inclusivity. Some points you may wish to take on board:

• We suggest everyone considers including their own preferred pronouns in their email signature if they feel comfortable doing so. The practice of including pronouns in email signatures normalises the idea that gender shouldn’t be assumed, and demonstrates the University’s commitment to recognising diverse identities and gender expressions.
• Until you know someone’s pronouns, try to use ‘they / them’ where possible and / or their first name. If you are unsure of their pronouns then it is OK to ask politely and respectfully- perhaps sharing your own pronouns first.
• The most common pronouns are she / her and he / him, but many people choose to use different gender-neutral pronouns such as they / them. Alternatively, a person may wish to be referred to by their first name instead of a personal pronoun. Queen Mary has a Pronouns Matter Leaflet that you can refer to, to learn more.
• When creating forms and / or collecting personal information and when using titles, remember that not everybody will be comfortable using gendered titles. Consider including non-gendered alternatives such as ‘Mx’.

Useful terms when writing about gender identity:

• Cisgender – a person whose gender identity aligns with the sex they were assigned at birth (non-trans).
• Gender dysphoria – when a person experiences discomfort and anxiety because their gender identity does not align with their sex assigned at birth.
• Gender identity - a person’s sense of their own internal gender. This may or may not align with the sex they were assigned at birth.
• Gender reassignment - Gender reassignment describes the characteristic of an individual who is proposing to undergo, is undergoing, or has undergone a process (or part of a process) of reassigning their person sex by changing physiological or other attributes of sex. Queen Mary refers to ‘trans people’ to reflect current language and terminology that is used in our society today.
• Intersex - an intersex person is born with ambiguous genitalia and/or sex chromosomal variations, making it difficult to classify their biological sex as either male or female at birth. There are many different intersex variations. An intersex person may self-identify as male, female or non-binary.
• Non-binary - an umbrella term to describe people whose gender identity doesn’t sit comfortably with the binary of ‘man’ or ‘woman’, and a distinct gender in itself. Some non-binary people may identify with some aspects of binary identities (e.g. they may feel they embody some elements of masculinity or femininity or both), while others reject them entirely. Rather than he or she, non-binary people may use gender-neutral pronouns.
• Transgender or ‘trans’ – the diverse range of people whose gender identity does not align with the sex they were assigned at birth, eg. a trans woman could be a woman whose sex assigned at birth was male, but identifies and lives as a woman. Trans includes non-binary people. At Queen Mary we refer to ‘trans people’ to reflect current language and terminology that is used in our society today.
• Transphobia - unlawful prejudice against trans people, it may be realised through acts of discrimination, bullying and harassment.

Things to note

We have covered topics and terms that we believe will be useful in your day-to-day Queen Mary life and work. There are further definitions and resources available too.

At Queen Mary we aim to use open and inclusive language that better reflects contemporary relationships and families to reflect the diversity of our community.

Inclusive terms and principles when writing about sexual orientation:

• Sexual orientation is the term we use at Queen Mary when referring to a person’s attraction to other people, or lack thereof.
•  We are also careful to use person-centered language, eg, lesbian, gay, bisexual people / members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual community.
• The use of inclusive language such as parents / caregivers is less likely to be exclusionary or othering, especially if family formation is not specified / unknown.
• Similarly the use of partner / spouse (if the gender of the person’s partner is not specified / unknown) is inclusive.

Useful terms when writing about sexual orientation:

• Ally – Allyship is about being an active and ongoing supporter and champion in solidarity with a marginalised group of people, such as LGBTQA+ people.
• Ace – Ace is an umbrella term used to describe a variation in levels of romantic and/or sexual attraction, including a lack of attraction.
• Asexual – Someone who is asexual does not experience sexual attraction to anyone.
• Bisexual/Bi – Bi is an umbrella term used to describe a romantic and/or sexual orientation towards more than one gender.
• Gay – Can refer to a man who has a romantic and/or sexual attraction towards men; also, in some instances, a generic term for lesbian, gay and queer sexualities.
• Lesbian – Refers to a woman who has a romantic and/or sexual attraction towards women.
• LGBTQA+ - The acronym for lesbian, gay, bi and trans, queer and asexual/ace.
• Pansexual – Refers to a person who's romantic and/or sexual attraction towards others is not limited by sex or gender.
• Questioning – The process of exploring your own sexual orientation and/or gender identity.
• Queer – Queer is a term used by those wanting to reject specific labels of romantic orientation, sexual orientation and/or gender identity and more broadly by the LGBTQA+ community. A process of reclaiming the slur began in the late 80s; however, queer is not a universally accepted term and its use will depend upon context. It is always best to respectfully and politely ask individuals how they self-describe before labelling their sexual orientation.
• Straight/heterosexual - a person who has a romantic and/or sexual attraction towards people of the opposite sex.

Things to note

There is further information available about sexual orientation at Queen Mary, including information about our LGBTQA+ staff network, QMOUT, and support for staff & students.

As a public sector body, we are duty bound to comply with the Public Sector Bodies Accessibility Regulations that came into effect on 23 September 2018. This means our content needs to be accessible for everyone. Below is a digital accessibility checklist.

•   Avoid underlining, italics and using caps for emphasis. Instead, use bold font.
•   Use the active voice, rather than the passive voice.
•   Hyperlinks should be text-based and descriptive – the aim is that the text tells the user where the link will take them.

o   For example, use “more information can be found on our dedicated research facilities page” and not  “Click here for our research facilities page” OR “Find out more on our research facilities page (https://www.qmul.ac.uk/research/facilities/).”

•   Make sure that the colour contrasts used on the page work well. You can check this at WebAIM color checker.
•   When using pictures, charts or diagrams, add ALT text plus an explanation in words underneath images, pictures and charts.
•   Where possible, be sparing with charts or diagrams in your content.
•   If you do need to use them then add ALT text (guidance on ALT text) with an explanation in words underneath images/pictures/charts.
•   With images, remember to also repeat any text within the image in the alt text.
•   On reading documents, your font should be no smaller than size 12. Avoid fonts such as Times, Times New Roman, and Courier.
•   Accompany your video content with by a text based transcript or closed captions.
•   Avoid using flashing lights, bold regular patterns or regular moving patterns in your video, image or animation content. If they are essential, you should add a disclaimer.

For further advice on making your content accessible in PowerPoint, on course layout pages, teaching materials and assessments, the Disability and Dyslexia Service at Queen Mary provides extensive guidance.

When writing about disability, we should not use victimising or negative terms that characterise people as belonging to a group with common needs. Always put the person before the disability. We have listed some common errors and the alternatives that we should adopt instead.

Terms to use:

With a learning disability/with learning disabilities
Has [name of condition]
Non-disabled
Person with epilepsy, child with autism, a person with depression or someone who has epilepsy, autism or depression
Seizures
Wheelchair user

Terms to avoid:

The handicapped/the disabled
Mentally handicapped/mentally disabled
Afflicted by/suffers from/victim of
Able-bodied
An epileptic/an autistic child/a diabetic etc
Fits/spells/attacks
Wheelchair-bound/confined to a wheelchair

As with many protected characteristics, the language around disability is continuously evolving, and so is our understanding of what disability fully entails. These are some basic guidelines we will update when needed. The government’s website also offers guidance on writing about disability.