You Guys

"I hope you don't mind me pointing this out," she began, " and I'm sure you are not aware of this, but you say 'you guys' quite a lot." 

She was a participant in a two-day meeting. I was the facilitator.

"I thought you would want to know." As way of explanation she added, "I'm a facilitator as well and about a year ago people started mentioning that the term is really not appropriate. Look around," she instructed, "how many guys are in this room?"

There were approximately twenty-five people in the room. Three were male.

Checking Merriam Webster I was not in the wrong. Guy, according to the dictionary is a gender neutral term when used as a plural.

PERSON -- used in plural to refer to the members of a group regardless of sex <saw her and the rest of the guys>

Nevertheless, I wasn't going to use a term that someone felt was offensive.

Did it throw me off my game? It did a little. I decided to refer to the group as "Ladies and Gentlemen" and that did cheer me up--made me feel like I was the circus announcer in the big tent.

This was not the first time in my career that a participant had issue with a word I was using. Several years ago I was facilitating a workshop on branding to public health nurses. At one point I used the word "branding" to describe what we would be discussing that day.

During that break,my client advised me to use another word for "branding" because the group felt it was too violent.

I thought it was a joke. He was serious. The group took offense to how ranchers brand their cattle and he informed me that to use that word would be too upsetting to the audience.

It was easier to come up with a substitute for you guys.

Which brings me to the reason I use you guys in the first place. It was my substitute word for Y'all-- a term Minnesotans were not tolerant of when I moved her from Richmond, Virginia in the late 70s.

Should I go back to saying Y'all? Or use the now Y'all plural--all Y'all? Just say folks? Everyone? People?

What do you say, Party People?