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Debian: s/Chairman/Chair/g

The Debian Project is considering replacing all instances of "chairman" with "chair" in its constitution – the blueprint that defines the management of the GNU/Linux distribution.

Argentinian Debian developer Margarita Manterola, who is also a member of the Debian Women project, proposed the change this month:

The Debian Constitution is very well written, in a way that is almost completely ungendered. The only gendered word left is the Chairman of the Technical Committee. There is no reason for this position to be gendered. Ungendered alternatives for Chairman are Chair and Chairperson. While both work, Chair is simpler and shorter.

This change can be applied by a simple sed command (s/Chairman/Chair/g).

The motion has been seconded many times and has the backing of Debian grandee Ian Jackson, who apologized for introducing the word "chairman" into Debian's constitution. It seems just one person so far is not in favor, saying they "oppose this and all efforts to emasculate the Debian Project."

The proposal is set to be discussed for about another week before being put to a vote. ®

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