House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Massachusetts Rep. James McGovern announced proposed changes to the House rules on Friday that removes gendered language.
According to a statement about the Rules Package for the 117th Congress, “pronouns and familial relationships” will become gender neutral.
It promotes inclusion and diversity. That includes changes that would: establish the Select Committee on Economic Disparity and Fairness in Growth; require standing committees to include in their oversight plans a discussion of how committee work over the forthcoming Congress will address issues of inequities on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, age, or national origin; honor all gender identities by changing pronouns and familial relationships in the House rules to be gender neutral; make permanent the Office of Diversity and Inclusion to facilitate a diverse workforce that is reflective of our Members and the districts they represent; and survey the diversity of witness panels at committee hearings to ensure we are hearing from diverse groups of experts as we craft legislation. (Committee on Rules)
NEW: US House rules for new Congress require use of gender neutral language. And continues ban on lobbyists in US House Members gym in Rayburn Bldg pic.twitter.com/7PpyYJei4C
— Scott MacFarlane (@MacFarlaneNews) January 1, 2021
McGovern’s announcement said the changes “ensure we are inclusive of all Members, Delegates, Resident Commissioners and their families – including those who are nonbinary.”
The resolution replaces fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, husbands, wives, and in-laws with “parent, child, sibling, spouse, or parent-in-law.”
Twitter users blasted the changes as "reprehensible."
You’ve got to be kidding, Madam @SpeakerPelosi. https://t.co/KTxOr1lFqV
— House Judiciary GOP (@JudiciaryGOP) January 1, 2021
Ladies and gentlemen, this is what it feels like to be on the declining end of a once-great society. https://t.co/gTHTatOjVG
— Marina Medvin ???? (@MarinaMedvin) January 1, 2021
I could roll my eyes and laugh this off, but it’s a lot bigger than just leftist idiocy on gender. This is about the erasure of the family from not just language, but legislation, which means it will have real effects on your life. Parental rights are on the chopping block. https://t.co/izmg2lDjKV
— Allie Beth Stuckey (@conservmillen) January 1, 2021
The Left continues its war on the family. https://t.co/t8dTM58hUB
— Tom Fitton (@TomFitton) January 1, 2021
Wow. This is reprehensible.
— Jesse Michael (@JesseMichael111) January 1, 2021
I wonder what the Founding Somethings would say about that.
— cardoso (@Cardoso) January 1, 2021
The package will make the House of Representatives "the most inclusive in history," the statement said. It will be introduced and voted on when the new Congress begins.
"Thanks to the leadership of Chairman McGovern and our Members, Democrats have crafted a package of unprecedented, bold reforms, which will make the House more accountable, transparent and effective in our work to meet the needs of the American people," Pelosi said in a statement. "These future-focused proposals reflect our priorities as a Caucus and as a Country – including crushing the coronavirus, addressing economic disparity, combating the climate crisis, advancing inclusion, and promoting integrity in government.”
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