Dear all

I have been reading the debate on gentlemen/gentlepersons with interest -
and I must admit I still find it amazing and insulting that some men still
believe that using the term gentlemen is a fair term of address for all.
Within the Museum world we have altered and changed our language in
exhibitions and our other work to ensure that we portray a balanced and fair
view on any given subject. Our exhibitions may contain the same basic
subject matter over the years but texts are changed to reflect the changing
knowledge and awareness of our audiences and of the curators. At The
Natureal Hisory Museum in London we recently changed the text in the Human
Evolution exhibition to reflect these changes. It was decided the title and
continual reference to "Man's place in evolution" was unacceptable and it
was changed to "Our place in evolution" - a much more appropriate title
since much of the exhibition is based around the scientific importance of
"Lucy".

Therefore my point is this - if we are to take so much care about fair
portrayal for all in our exhibitions we should take equal care to make sure
we extend the same courtesy to our collegues. The term gentlemen does indeed
date back to when virtually all business people were men but times have
moved on. Just as we update and change language in our exhibitions to
reflect changes, so we should in our real world of business activity - a
world which now embraces men and women. We should use language carefully and
truthfully - it is a tool of inordinate power.
Fiona Mitchell-Innes
Public Programmes Manager, Natural History Museum, London, UK
Internet: [log in to unmask]
Tel: 0171-938 8899      Fax: 0171-938 8881