8 Diversity
Where you make up personas within the text for teaching examples, reflect the diversity found within the RMIT University as well as the broader Australian and international communities. Consider including:
- culturally and gender diverse names for characters
- they/them pronouns, along with she/her and he/his
- diverse:
- physiological or mental functional capacity
- genders, sexes and sexualities
- cultures, traditions and nationalities
- ages
- socio-economic backgrounds.[1]
However, when referring to individuals, either real or made up, carefully consider whether characteristics such as gender, cultural/national background, LGBQTI+ identity or disability identity are relevant to the context. The RMIT University Guide to Inclusive Language provides advice.[2]
Examples
Brian is a Chinese-Australian student…
- Does this imply that the student is different to the norm? Or are you describing a Chinese-Australian experience, so Brian’s cultural and national identity are relevant?
A female magistrate presided…
- Are you emphasising the perspective of a magistrate from a marginalised group? Or is the gender of the magistrate irrelevant to the context?
There are no right answers – just be sure to consider the impact of your language!
- Council of Australian University Librarians. (2022). Open Educational Resources Collective publishing workflow: Check against inclusion and diversity standards. https://caul.libguides.com/oer-collective-publishing-workflow/review/check-inclusion-diversity CC-BY 4.0 ↵
- RMIT University. (n.d.). Guide to inclusive language. https://www.rmit.edu.au/students/support-services/lgbtiq ↵
