Subject: IESG Statement on Inclusive Language

From: IESG Secretary <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 11 May 2021 06:56:04 -0700

IESG Statement on Inclusive Language

Online: <https://www.ietf.org/about/groups/iesg/statements/on-inclusive-language>

The mission of the IETF as specified in [BCP95] is to produce high
quality, relevant technical documents that influence the way people
design, use, and manage the Internet as a global resource.
Contributions to the IETF, including Internet-Drafts and RFCs, are
most understandable and effective when they use terminology that is
clear, precise, and widely accessible to readers from varying
backgrounds and cultures.

The IESG hence encourages IETF participants to use the guidance in
[NISTIR8366] when making contributions to the IETF. Although developed
for use within the US National Institute of Standards and Technology
(NIST), the IETF community expressed strong support for the sentiment
that the guidance on inclusive language in [NISTIR8366] is suitable
for the IETF as well [1,2]. Using the same terminology as other
standards organizations and industry initiatives also contributes to
overall coherence in the industry.

The IESG also encourages the owners of the various RFC streams and the
RFC Editor to consider whether they could issue similar guidance to
their authors and contributors.

The IESG invites the community to continue using the
[email-masked] mailing list for any future discussion of this
topic.

[BCP95] Alvestrand, H., A Mission Statement for the IETF, BCP 95,
RFC 3935, DOI 10.17487/RFC3935, October 2004,
https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc3935.

[1] https://mailarchive.ietf.org/arch/msg/terminology/w_OoUaF6GVIzQIMoLUlrc8xq_rk

[2] https://mailarchive.ietf.org/arch/msg/terminology/8mrwmUBT5GSDTT-GFZlM2kjknGo

[NISTIR8366] Guidance for NIST Staff on Using Inclusive Language in
Documentary Standards, National Institute of Standards and
Technology (NIST) Interagency or Internal Report 8366
(NISTIR 8366), April 2021,
https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.IR.8366.