Leona (ลีโอน่า) Lo on LinkedIn: Update on 2 Jan 2024: I have edited the tone of my post so it does not… (2024)

💡 Researchers usually ensure to ask neutral questions when conducting public opinion polls. The Stanford Japan Barometer (SJB), however, does the opposite, focusing on how question framing “sways” people’s opinions > https://lnkd.in/g7T7Ufem“That is why we call it an experiment,” explains Kiyoteru Tsutsui, the deputy director of APARC and director of our Japan Program. “Thus, one of the characteristics of SJB is that we create questions with different preconditions for a given problem and then compare the answers and see how these preconditions affect respondents’ attitudes.”🇯🇵 SJB is a large-scale Japanese public opinion survey on political, economic, and social issues, developed and led by Tsutsui, a Stanford University sociologist and senior fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, and Charles Crabtree, a Dartmouth College political scientist.ℹ Learn more about SJB and the intriguing results it has unveiled so far about Japanese people’s views of gender and sexuality in domestic politics > https://lnkd.in/g7T7Ufem#japan #StanfordJapanBarometer #socialscience #publicopinion #gender #sexuality #politics #samesexmarriage #womenleaders

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As 2023 draws to a close, I think of some of my research-related accomplishments for this year, and offer my gratitude to all who see value in my humble contributions to the academy (and perhaps even to the advancement of human rights) and who thus ensure that these contributions see the light of day. I give thanks to and for scholars before me and with me who inspire and inform my thoughts. I feel very grateful, very humbled, very honoured.#AdMajoremDeiGloriamGoh, J. N. (2023). Everyday precarity, oblique hostility and gendered liveability among Malaysian transgender men. Journal of Gender Studies. doi: 10.1080/09589236.2023.2228235Chan, C.-T., & Goh, J. N. (2023). Social and cognitive dimensions of collaboration in informal learning spaces: Malaysian social science students’ perspectives. Interactive Learning Environments, 31(2), 609-623. doi: 110.1080/10494820.2020.1799029Goh, J. N. (2023). Malaysian Roman Catholic transgender men, simultaneous failures in gender and religion, and customisations of spirituality and ethical living. Religions, 14(2), Article 2. doi: 10.3390/rel14020171Goh, J. N. (2023). Transgressive table talk: A Malaysian imagines a queer rojak liturgy. In L. Isherwood & H. C. Quero (Eds.), Queer ministers’ voices from the Global South: ‘A burning fire in my bones’ (pp. 44–63). Routledge.Goh, J. N. (2023). Asian faces of Jesus. In G. C. Jenks (Ed.), Cultural afterlives of Jesus: Jesus in global perspective 3 (pp. 83–99). Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock Publishers.Goh, J. N. (2023). Partner, husband, friend? The sacramentality of a same-sex relationship. In R. Pryor & S. Burns (Eds.), Feminist theologies: Interstices and fractures (pp. 123–130). Lexington Books.(image: https://lnkd.in/gAXaMP52)

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A very comprehensive and enlightening guide to Inclusive language produced by the American Psychological Association: https://lnkd.in/eABnVFB7 The following terms, and their etymology, were very interesting to read about and I did know the history behind them. There are many more within the guide if you are interested. ● "no can do”Originally emerged in the 19th century to mock Chinese immigrants’ speech patterns in English” (Office of Human Rights & Mayor’s Office of Racial Equity, 2022, p. 2). Suggested alternative: “Sorry, I can’t.”● "pipeline"A term that is considered offensive to Indigenous communities as a result of oil companies transporting crude oil through the sacred lands of Native Americans or Alaska Natives and contaminating their water supply. The National Congress of American Indians (2019) recommends that allies for Indian country should avoid careless use of words that refer to historical trauma or socioeconomic conditions. A possible alternative term is"pathway".● "powwow"A celebration and display of Indigenous food, music, dance, and traditional clothing. During a powwow, families and friends eat and share their culture. It is incorrect to use “powwow” to refer to a quick or impromptu meeting because real powwows are carefully planned events. A possible alternative term is: “huddle” or “quick meeting” (Kojo Institute, 2020).#Equality #Inclusion

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Beate Sirota Gordon (1923-2012) was an Austrian-American linguist and Performing Arts presenter. She was raised in Tokyo, Japan until the age of 16 before moving to Oakland, CA to begin attending Mills College, graduating in 1943 with a degree in modern languages.While in college, the US declared war on Japan which led to Sirota being completely cut off from the rest of her family who continued to reside in Japan. At this time, she was one of only a few dozen people not of Asian descent to be fluent in Japanese, and was recruited by the Office of War Information to provide translations. After the end of World War II, she immediately went to Japan to find her parents alive and well.While in Japan, she was assigned to help develop part of the modern Japanese Constitution’s section on Civil Rights. At the age of 22, she wrote Article 24 of the new constitution which stipulated that marriage be based on “the mutual consent of both partners” and an understanding that there is an equality between men and women; thus, erasing and abolishing some domestic laws and practices of pre-war Japan. Her contributions to Japan’s modern constitution ensured that women gained legal rights related to marriage, divorce, property ownership, and inheritance.There is an interesting story behind Article 24 that would only further grow Sirota’s legend, if true. Apparently, the draft that was initially accepted by her superiors and the Japanese negotiators was lacking much of the verbiage on equality of the sexes. The story goes that Sirota secretly added language that confirmed an equality of men and women across society, not just in marriage as was stated in the original text. This added language was never uncovered until after the constitution was ratified. Unfortunately, this is a story that can neither be refuted nor confirmed, as there are several conflicting accounts of how Article 24 was written.Sirota’s efforts for promoting gender equality abroad have laid the foundation for ongoing efforts in Japan and has greatly influenced the power and need for women’s voices in statecraft. #mendocinocountysocialservices #socialservices #womenshistorymonth2024

The struggle with pronouns 🤯That's a special for our Swiss-German readers:Gender-neutral language is much more difficult to implement in gendered languages such as German. And in Swiss-German it's even worse given that we put the gendered article in front of every first name. In this 3-minutes video, SRF explains the struggle and gives solutions for gender-neutral pronouns in Swiss German. It's so well explained!Happy practicing!https://lnkd.in/d53Bzxsh#InclusiveLanguage #Non-binary #DiversityEquityInclusion

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Fun Fact About #GenderInclusivity in #Chinese:In Mandarin, the characters for "he" (他) and "she" (她) are gendered, but both are pronounced the same way: "ta." More Mandarin speakers are adopting "ta" (within a Chinese sentence) on social media to remain gender-neutral.For "they" (plural), 他們 refers to an all-male or mixed-gender group, while 她們 specifically refers to a group of females, similar to "ellos" and "ellas" in Spanish.In contrast, Cantonese uses the same character 佢 and the same pronunciation "keoi5" for both "he" and "she." The character for "they" (佢地) can refer to any gender, showcasing a subtle nuance within Chinese languages.What are some gender inclusivity trends in your native language(s)?#diversityandinclusion #genderequality #insights

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In our newest blog post, we share our journey of translating gender-specific pronouns like "she/her/hers" and "he/him/his" into Haitian Creole, a language that embraces gender neutrality with the universal pronoun "li." This experience not only highlighted the linguistic divergence between English and Haitian Creole but also offered us a unique opportunity to explore and adapt to the evolving landscape of gender diversity in language. 🔄🌈You can read the blog here: https://lnkd.in/gAgzQxw9Whether you're communicating with employees, providing patient care information, or reaching out to the Haitian Creole-speaking community, our blog offers valuable tips and strategies to enhance your efforts. Discover how to make your translations as effective and inclusive as possible. 🖋️🔍Read our blog to learn more about our approach to handling gender-neutral language in Haitian Creole translations and how it can benefit your organization.#InclusiveTranslation#HaitianCreole#HealthcareCommunication#EmployeeEngagement#LanguageServices#CulturalCompetence

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Words hold immense power in communication. In my opinion, personal pronouns stand out as one of the most impactful words. Whether you are learning English or simply curious about language nuances, this article is a must-read. Discover the significance of gender-neutral pronouns to empower self expression and respect. #Language #Diversity #Inclusion

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Here is an interesting read to add to your weekend reading list. This article sheds light on the imbalanced views of sexuality ingrained in language in Uganda: https://lnkd.in/eFW5pBTi#Uganda Global Voices

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Translating in a gender-neutral mannerIn this day and age, a lot of talk has been going on about the need to distance ourselves from the traditional practice of grouping people into a single gender.While English offers the convenient #pronoun “they” for this purpose, languages such as Greek present more of a problem due to the controversy surrounding pronouns. New gender-neutral pronouns have emerged in Greek, Spanish, French, and other such languages to address this need. However, those pronouns are not yet widely accepted or understood by all. Greek, in particular, is a language that heavily emphasizes gender, not only in pronouns but also in adjectives, nouns, and elsewhere.For example, consider a common sentence like “Are you ready?”. In Greek, “ready” is an adjective that changes based on #gender: “έτοιμος” (Masculine), “έτοιμη” (Feminine), “έτοιμο” (Neutral). An option would be to use a slash (έτοιμος/η) to include both genders, but that may be found to exclude non-binary people, who prefer the neutral adjective (έτοιμο). Alternatively, converting the phrase to its plural form “έτοιμοι” raises another controversy since the plural defaults to the masculine gender, even when describing a mixed-gender group.The issue of gender neutrality in heavily gendered languages is a growing concern in our field, and we want your opinions: How would you deal with the above issue? How would you translate it? Leave your comments below! 🧐 💭 #inclusivelanguage #litranslators #languageservices #Greek

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