Republican Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders issued an executive order at the Arkansas state Capitol on Thursday, targeting the removal of specific contemporary terminologies from state documents.
This decision stemmed from her reservations about phrases such as “pregnant people,” “birth giver,” and “laboring person,” which she describes as modern or contemporary jargon, as covered by Kark News.
Accompanied by several women during the signing of the order, Sanders stated, “We’re addressing contemporary jargon head-on.” She commented, “Some believe the term’ woman’ has become controversial, leading to the alteration of fundamental biology and linguistics.”
The directive mentions, “There are unique roles and experiences only women undergo, like giving birth,” and stresses the government’s role in upholding language that acknowledges women. It also advises against the use of phrases like “womxn,” “chestfeeding,” or “menstruating person” in official state paperwork.
The directive clarifies its purpose: “The administration’s policy is to refrain from using terminologies that some view as sidelining women for official state government matters.”
Meanwhile, in Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis has also been confronting issues he perceives as being influenced by modern societal views, which continue to move Florida’s political spectrum towards a more conservative stance.
DeSantis has also introduced the Stop the Wrongs to Our Kids and Employees (W.O.K.E.) The act is a legislative initiative aimed at providing workers, businesses, children, and families the means to counter certain contemporary ideologies.
The Stop W.O.K.E. Act is set to be among the most rigorous laws in the country, targeting both corporate trends and Critical Race Theory. This initiative further extends Governor DeSantis’s previous efforts to prohibit Critical Race Theory and the New York Times’ 1619 project in Florida’s educational institutions. DeSantis has labeled critical race theory as “government-endorsed prejudice” and described associated training as “indoctrination.”
Republican Governor Greg Gianforte has endorsed a bill stipulating the term “sex” in state legislation to mean male or female solely. This legislature aligns Montana with Kansas and Tennessee, which have comparable statutes. LGBTQ+ proponents contend that these laws may overlook the identities of nonbinary and transgender individuals.
