This isn't so much an "English" problem, where "pilgrim" is gender neutral. But in German, for example, "Pilger" is the male, "Pilgerin" the female form. "Hospitalero" is male, "hospitalera" female.
While there are other approaches (like the 'x' ending used partially in the US, such as 'latinx' instead of latino/latina), Spain has settled largely on the @ sign, which does somewhat resemble an a inside an o, covering both.
For German, we settled on the colon ("Pilger:in") and for Spanish on the @ ("Hospitaler@").
Not everyone likes this, and this is probably one of the most communicated unhappinesses ("gender-gaga") we receive. So, let's put some words to paper as to why we are doing this...
You're included!
The main reason we started Camino Now is precisely because we wanted everyone to feel included, part of a community, part of something bigger. The very core of the app is openness, community, and being more than just a consumer product that productizes the pilgrim.
We talk about our development process, drink coffee with hospilaer@s and pilgrims on the Caminos, answer each and every email, phone call, text message, the way we'd talk with friends we've made on the Caminos. Because, well, you are. You're not an income stream, a revenue generator, an app analytic. You're one of us.
And if we do all that, being respectful and personal, the app has to be as well. This begins with being open to people's needs. No one's day is ruined by being called a "Pilger:in", but maybe, just maybe, if one person feels included now, it's a net win for us.
We're firm on this
We won't ever sell the app. We won't ever monetize you or the Camino (a donation link will come online later this year, so you can help us out financially, but it's never expected). And we'll use gendered language where needed to ensure everyone feels included. That's not "gender crazy", it's just us doing what we can. If there's more, let us know.
That's basically it. Not much to it, and you can now stop sending us emails asking us to remove the inclusive language.