First it was “mothers” and “pregnant women,” and now Democrats are targeting another two sex-based words: “husband” and “wife.”
Rep. Julie Brownley, California Democrat, introduced the Amend the Code for Marriage Equality Act, which would “strike gendered terms like ‘husband’ and ‘wife’ from federal laws” and replace them with gender-neutral choices like “spouse” or “married person.”
She said it was important that Congress “showcases its commitment to supporting equality,” especially with “an extreme Supreme Court and legislatures rolling back the rights of the LGBTQ community.”
“Although the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Obergefell v. Hodges that same-sex couples have the right to marry, there are many instances where the U.S. Code does not respect that constitutional right,” said Ms. Brownley, whose district is based in Ventura County, in a Friday statement.
The bill would also replace references to “husband and wife” with “married couple.” A “former husband” or “former wife” would become a “person who has been, but is no longer, married.”
This isn’t the bill’s first rodeo. Ms. Brownley introduced the legislation in 2021, 2019 and 2017, carrying the torch for now-retired Rep. Lois Capps, California Democrat, who brought the bill in 2015.
The 2021 bill had 39 cosponsors, all Democrats.
The legislation, which has little chance of passing the Republican-controlled House, comes with the Biden administration moving to supplant sex-based terms such as “mothers” with “birthing people” in an apparent nod to biological women who identify as men.
The bill makes revisions to federal laws including the Internal Revenue Code, Social Security Act, and Family and Medical Leave Act.
* Article From: The Washington Times