Illinois Governor Signs Bill Making Laws More 'Gender-Inclusive'

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed a law on Friday making government documents more “gender-inclusive.” Gone will be titles like “alderman” and “congressman.” They will be replaced by “alderperson” and “congressperson.”

I prefer calling a member of Congress a “congresscritter” — more cockroach than human. And what I prefer to call most Chicago aldermen can’t be published on a family news site.

“We see a lot of ‘hes’ and ‘hims’” in state statute, said Democratic state Rep. Maurice West, who co-sponsored the bill.

“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.”

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi introduced new congressional rules in January that included language to strip all mention of gender-specific pronouns and terms such as “man,” “woman,” “mother” and “son.” This elicited an incredulous tweet from GOP Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy.

This is stupid.

Signed,

– A father, son, and brother https://t.co/bG9SlRAy6N

— Kevin McCarthy (@GOPLeader) January 2, 2021

Daily Caller:

References to fathers, mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, husbands, wives and in-laws would be changed to “parent, child, sibling, spouse, or parent-in-law,” according to the resolution. Extended family members would be referred to as “child’s parent” instead of aunt or uncle, stepparents, and siblings-in-law.

“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.

But wouldn’t we still think of the politically incorrect terms even if we used the more hip “sibling” to describe my brothers? Why yes. Yes, we would. So why make the change in the first place? Do advocates really believe that changing what we call our relations will change the fact that they are still brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, husbands, and wives?

Do they believe that if we use the new terms long enough we’ll forget we have a “mother” and simply think of a “parent”?

Language is power. Controlling the language — words, definitions, usage — is an exercise in ultimate authority. Look no further for a reason to change meanings.

This is a sop to the gender warriors who don’t really care if we take the new language to heart. Their goal is not to change minds or hearts. Their goal is to upend society in every way possible, down to the language we speak and even the language we think.

If they’re dumb enough to try it, more power to them.