A bill that would require the use of gender-neutral and transgender language in state laws is advancing in both houses of the New York State Legislature.
Bill S.155-Krueger/A.1142-Kelles provides that “whenever words of the masculine or feminine gender appear in any law, rule or regulation, unless the sense of the sentence indicates otherwise, they shall be deemed to refer to persons of any gender.” This language is problematic; the use of the words “any gender” rather than “either gender” falsely implies that there are more than two sexes.
The bill would also require future New York laws, regulations, and ordinances to use the pronouns “they” or “their” instead of “his” or “her.” Furthermore, the bill adds that if future laws, regulations, and ordinances refer to specific individuals, “the language referring to such [persons] shall be gendered in accordance with the gender [identities] of such [persons].” In other words, if a future law mentions a man who self-identifies as a woman, that law would use “she” and “her” pronouns to describe that man. This provision is blatantly dishonest, and it is also a naked attempt to pander to “transgender” activists.
On January 17, 2023, the State Senate Judiciary Committee voted 12-0 to advance this bill. On February 28, 2023, the State Assembly Governmental Operations Committee voted 10-3 to advance the bill. As of March 2, 2023, the bill is on the Senate floor calendar and could receive a vote on the Senate floor on any session day.
The left’s insidious efforts to twist language should be exposed and opposed by Christians at every possible turn. The end goal of these kinds of proposals is to impose the left’s speech orthodoxy upon all the rest of us, and to marginalize anyone who does not fall in line. Accordingly, Christians should oppose Bill S.155-Krueger/A.1142-Kelles.