New York just passed a bill that would replace the words "mother" and "father" with clinical gender-neutral terms in state law, and it's already drawing national attention.
Congressman Wesley Hunt (R-TX) was among the first to weigh in, posting on X and calling the move flat-out "insanity."
"New York Democrats just voted to erase 'Mother' and 'Father,'" he wrote. "This isn't inclusion, it's insanity."
The legislation, sponsored by State Senator Luis Sepulveda (D-NY), would replace "mother" with "gestating parent" and "father" with "non-gestating parent" across New York's family court and domestic law.
Paternity cases would be reclassified as "parentage" proceedings, and the longstanding legal term "putative father" would become "alleged parent" in official records.
Supporters say the updates make state law more inclusive of all family structures. The bill now heads to Governor Kathy Hochul's (D-NY) desk.
Hunt's Argument
However, Hunt argued that New Yorkers are already dealing with more pressing everyday concerns.
"While New Yorkers battle sky-high taxes, crime, and failing schools, the state is obsessed with rewriting biology and the English language," he said. "Real parents don't need woke bureaucrats redefining them.”
Still, Hunt was not the only one to express this view, reigniting a broader debate over how far government should go in updating legal language to reflect evolving society.
Backers of the legislation argue the existing terminology excludes same-sex couples and transgender parents who don't fit neatly into traditional legal definitions. Opponents say the changes are performative and disconnected from how most people talk about their families.
Nevertheless, Gov. Hochul has not yet indicated whether she will sign the bill. If she does, New York would become one of the first states to formally replace traditional parental terms across its family court system, a decision that will likely keep the conversation going either way.
“Reject this nonsense,” Hunt concluded.
