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PixelMaster's answer to this question about deferring level-ups went through a suggested edit review. Other than adding a hyphen (changing 'no go' to 'no-go'), every single proposed edit replaced the original use of "his", gendering an unknown DM, with the singular 'their'.

Two reviewers accepted the suggested edits; one rejected them, adding the comment "No improvement whatsoever. The use of the masculine pronoun in this case is perfectly acceptable English."

Personally, I try to use a nongendered term unless a gender is specified or relevant. But if PixelMaster does not, I would favor preserving their (sic) original text rather than editing what I consider a stylistic choice, not a grammatical mistake. Our editing policy states:

When should I edit posts?

Any time you feel you can make the post better, and are inclined to do so. Editing is encouraged!

Some common reasons to edit are:

  • to fix grammatical or spelling mistakes
  • to clarify the meaning of a post without changing it

Is changing unnecessarily gendered terms to gender-neutral ones considered to be fixing a grammatical mistake? Clarifying the meaning?

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    \$\begingroup\$ Highly related, if not duplicate: Should RPG.SE enforce a specific standard for handling gender pronouns? \$\endgroup\$
    – nitsua60 Mod
    Sep 26, 2020 at 20:11
  • \$\begingroup\$ @nitsua60 Thank you - my background search did not find that. The link asks about highly visible comments suggesting edits rather than actual edits performed behind the scenes, but this is largely the same question and would understandably be considered a duplicate. Unless three years has been enough time to revisit the issue. \$\endgroup\$
    – Kirt
    Sep 26, 2020 at 20:18
  • \$\begingroup\$ No problem--it just rung a bell, so I was pretty sure we had at least something on edits solely to "neutralize" language. I agree that it would be nice to see fresh answers, so I haven't voted to close. Thanks for bringing it to meta! \$\endgroup\$
    – nitsua60 Mod
    Sep 26, 2020 at 20:28
  • \$\begingroup\$ You linked to Kirt's answer to the delaying level-ups question, not to PixelMaster's. I've fixed the link :) \$\endgroup\$
    – V2Blast StaffMod
    Sep 26, 2020 at 20:52
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    \$\begingroup\$ @V2Blast You did more than just fix the link. I'm still trying to figure out how to format things, and being able to see edits like yours is very helpful. Thank you. \$\endgroup\$
    – Kirt
    Sep 26, 2020 at 21:42
  • \$\begingroup\$ @Kirt: I just used the automatic link formatting in the editor - you can click the link button (2 overlapping circles, like a chain) above the text box, or just use the shortcut Ctrl+L (you can see what the shortcut/hotkey for it is by hovering over the button). The shortcuts/hotkeys are also detailed in the editing help page. Much easier than manually typing the markdown each time. (Though it only works in questions/answers, not comments or chat.) \$\endgroup\$
    – V2Blast StaffMod
    Sep 26, 2020 at 21:43

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