The Dictionary Society of North America (DSNA) is devoted to supporting scholarly and professional activities relating to dictionaries, lexicography, and lexicology.

In the summer of this year, the DSNA announced that it had voted to change the wording of its constitution to remove exclusive language. The previous constitution defined the category name of “joint membership” as belonging to a “husband and wife.” The newly revised definition stipulates that the category name pertains to a “member and partner or spouse.”

According to the report issued on the DSNA website, these terminological changes were made in advance of the US Supreme Court ruling that laws prohibiting the marriage of same-sex partners are unconstitutional.

Transgender individuals frequently mark their transition by exchanging their birth name for a new, self-chosen name.

In recognition and celebration of this significant personal transformation, many progressive religious institutions have begun to offer members special re-naming ceremonies. The Congregational Church of San Mateo (CCSM) holds special baptisms for its congregation. As one CCSM member who was recently re-baptized revealed in an interview with the New York Times: “It was pretty powerful and moving […] to be able to say ‘My name is Constance’.”

Outside the United States, in an effort to better respond to the pastoral needs of the Christian transgender community, Reverend Newlands, the Vicar of England’s Lancaster Priory, has petitioned the General Synod to officially allow re-baptisms.

Nestled in the forests of upper New York State is Paul Smith’s College (PSC). The College of the Adirondack’s owes its name to Phelps Smith, a generous 19th century hotelier, who agreed to give a sizable donation to the college on the condition that it forever carry the name of his father Paul Smith.

Nearly eighty years later, the college, which specializes in forestry, was offered another sizable endowment on the condition that it change its name to honor a new benefactor, Joan Weill, the wife of Wall Street billionaire Sanford Weill. Although many PSC officials were eager to swap the institution’s original name for the $20 million gift, New York State Judge, Justice John T. Ellis, ruled that the renaming condition was unacceptable as directly violated the college founder’s will.

In a statement released to the New York Times, the loss of the Weills’ gift was tragic as the majority of PSC students depend on financial aid. The shock waves of the ruling extend far beyond the Adirondacks. As Doug White, Director of Columbia University’s MS program in Fundraising Management noted, the ruling serves as a warning to organizations tempted to accept donations tied with perpetual benefactor naming agreements.

The nonprofit organization Little People of America (LPA) started an online petition to encourage Illinois officials of Freeburg community high school to change the name of their athletics symbol, the Freeburg Midgets.

In an interview given to USA TODAY, Andrew Lehman, the Superintendent of Freeburg district, explained that the name has been part of the school’s history since the 1930’s. According to Freeburg lore, the nickname came from a cheeky reporter who praised the feisty basketball team’s record, despite the fact that many of the players were smaller than average.

Since then, the name “midget” has been identified by many as being offensive. However, the school has refused to remove the name, stating that doing so would not only remove a beloved symbol, but would also be exceedingly costly. LPA members counter that the continued use of the name helps to create a dehumanizing environment. As Megan Sabourin, a Freeburg native with dwarfism, explained to The Guardian, after being made to suffer the derogatory moniker as child, what is hurtful as an adult is the fact that some residents staunchly refuse to see the name as negative.

After three months of intense scientific deliberation and public consultation, the New Zealand Geographic Board (NZGB) announced late in 2014 that it recommended the correction of several misspelled indigenous place names.

This Autumn, the Land Information Minister, Louise Upston, announced the decision to correct the spelling of 12 place and feature names in the Ōpōtiki District. Among those names on the list for correction are the Waiotahi River, Waiotahi Forest and Waiotahi Knoll, which will all have the misspelling of Waiotahi replaced with the correct, original Māori name ‘Waiotahe’.

Despite the popularity and international recognition of place names featuring the form Waiotahi, officials, scientists, and activists agree, correcting the spelling of these and other toponyms is essential to protecting and respecting New Zealand’s cultural heritage. As Minister Upston stated in a recent interview featured on Radio New Zealand News: “New Zealand has a rich and diverse cultural history and I am pleased we are able to help safeguard the place naming traditions and heritage that have been brought here by our various communities.”