Is the term "gender-neutral" ever used in English in such a way as to include "it"?  We're not talking grammatical gender, which English has not had in nearly a millennium.  The quotation was problematic as it was (a) not attributed (b) not clear whether it reflected scholarly consensus rather than the conclusions of Quark et al.  If it reflected consensus, then there's no need to quote rather than paraphrase.  If it doesn't reflect consensus, then it has no place in the lead.  🍁 ¡gobble!