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Opinion: Pelosi seeks to verbally neuter our language, says Louisville woman

Posted 1/17/21

To the Editor: Friday, January 1, 2021, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi proposed that the terms to be struck from clause 8(c)(3) of rule XXIII, of the House’s Code of Official Conduct include …

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Opinion: Pelosi seeks to verbally neuter our language, says Louisville woman

Posted

To the Editor:

Friday, January 1, 2021, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi proposed that the terms to be struck from clause 8(c)(3) of rule XXIII, of the House’s Code of Official Conduct include “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, stepsister, half-brother, half-sister, grandson, [and] granddaughter.”

These terms are to be replaced with “parent, child, sibling, parent’s sibling, first cousin, sibling’s child, spouse, parent-in-law, sibling-in-law, stepparent, stepchild, stepsibling, half-sibling, [and] grandchild.”

Is this an attempt to use “gender-inclusive language” or an attempt to neuter? How can it be gender inclusive when you deny the right of gender identity to the majority of Americans? What are the ramifications of this action?

Should we assume that all legislation written in the 117th Congress will be void of any real terms that give us an identity? Should we assume that this attempt to verbally neuter us will be carried down to the state and local level?

Should we assume that the House leadership will also seek to eliminate Mother’s Day and Father’s Day from our yearly calendars? Should I tell my children to refer to me as parent and not Mom, Ma or Mother? Should Hallmark discontinue the production of cards that reference the birthdays of our brother, sister, mother, father, etc.?

It has been about a year since the arrival of COVID-19 in the US. The economic and public health challenges that COVID-19 has created are enormous. Many businesses have been closed; many never to open again. Rather than try to unite Americans to overcome the challenges of 2021, Speaker Pelosi chooses to focus her attention on verbally neutering our language.

If you wish to congratulate Speaker Pelosi on this proposed change to the House rules, she can be reached in DC at 202-225-4965.

Nancy Foster

Louisville