The proposal would update county law with gender-neutral terms as part of a broader code modernization effort

By Natalie Jones
Baltimore Sun

BALTIMORE COUNTY, Md. — Baltimore County officials are asking the County Council to consider legislation that would overhaul the language of the county code, replacing gender-specific terms such as “chairman,” “councilman,” “fireman” and “policeman” with gender-neutral alternatives.

Bill 64-26, introduced at the request of County Executive Kathy Klausmeier’s administration, is slated for discussion at Tuesday night’s work session and could come up for a vote as early as next week.

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The proposal would go beyond the county’s current practice, which already interprets gender-specific terms to apply broadly unless doing so would be unreasonable. Instead, it would require the code itself to be rewritten in gender-neutral language.

Under the measure, references such as “councilman” would be replaced with “councilmember” or “councilperson,” while “fireman” and “policeman” would be updated to “firefighter” and “police officer.”

All seven members of the current council are men, and each typically uses the title “councilman” when addressing another member during meetings and work sessions.

Baltimore County would not be the first Maryland jurisdiction to pursue this type of change.

In 2022, voters in Prince George’s County approved a charter amendment replacing gender-specific language throughout dozens of sections of the county charter with gender-neutral wording.

Likewise, Montgomery County has adopted multiple measures using gender-inclusive language in county law, including a 2022 ordinance requiring gender-inclusive signage for single-user public restrooms as part of a broader effort to make county facilities more inclusive.

Outside Maryland, similar efforts have been adopted in other local governments nationwide as part of broader “plain language” or modernization initiatives aimed at standardizing legal codes. Both Seattle, Washington and San Francisco, California put in similar policies within the last five years. These efforts are typically framed as technical updates rather than policy shifts, though they have occasionally drawn political debate in some jurisdictions.

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