Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a bill last week that makes certain legislative language in the state gender-neutral, and thus, more inclusive.
The story: The bill that was passed by the legislature in Illinois primarily addressed the next year’s primary elections as it sought to postpone the 2020 Illinois primary election until June, instead of February. However, the legislation also removes certain gendered language.
Provisions mentioned towards the end of the bill targeted official titles and proposed dropping “alderman” for “alderperson,” as well as “congressman” for “congressperson.”
What they’re saying: “We see a lot of ‘hes’ and ‘hims’” in state statute, said Democratic state Rep. Maurice West said earlier this month, according to Chicago-based PBS affiliate WTTW.
West co-sponsored the bill with Democratic state Rep. Kelly Cassidy.
“And now we have, you know, not just women in office, but we have people who may not identify with any gender. We want to make sure that our voting and our election cycle process is inclusive for everyone,” Cassidy added.
Not a first: Earlier this year, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) put forward a proposal to remove gendered language as part of the Rules for the 117th Congress.
It read: “Strike ‘father, mother, son, daughter, brother, sister, uncle, aunt, first cousin, nephew, niece, husband, wife, father-in-law, mother-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, stepfather, stepmother, stepson, stepdaughter, stepbrother, step sister, half brother, half sister, grandson, or granddaughter’ and insert ‘parent, child, sibling, parent’s sibling, first cousin, sibling’s child, spouse, parent in-law, child-in-law, sibling-in-law, stepparent, stepchild, stepsibling, half-sibling, or grandchild.'”
The rules were adopted with the passage of H.R. 8, which prompted criticism, mostly from conservatives. The change altered the text of Standing Rules where gendered terms were replaced by gender-neutral terms.
Pelosi was later ridiculed for using gendered language in a speech on the House floor where she argued in favor of impeaching former President Donald Trump.
“I stand before you as a wife, a mother, a grandmother, a daughter,” she said.
.@SpeakerPelosi, apparently forgetting about her prohibitions on “gendered" language: "I stand before you as a wife, a mother, a grandmother, a daughter. A daughter whose father proudly served in this Congress." pic.twitter.com/s2KzkxTNAw
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) January 13, 2021
