Arkansas governor prohibits “woke” gender-inclusive wording in state documents
First posted January 10, 2024 4:33pm EST
Last updated January 10, 2024 4:33pm EST
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Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders issued an executive order forbidding the use of “anti-women” terms by the state government. The action drew significant opposition.
Key Players
Sarah Huckabee Sanders is the Republican governor of Arkansas and was a press secretary to former President Donald Trump.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is a nonprofit organization that advocates for the defense of individual freedoms.
Dr. Kay Chandler is the surgeon general of Arkansas.
Further Details
The executive order, signed Oct. 19, 2023, bans inclusive language about gender and pregnancy in government documents. Examples include terms such as “pregnant person” in place of “pregnant mom” and “chestfeeding” rather than “breastfeeding.”
During her announcement, with a handful of women standing behind her, the governor stated that the group had had “enough trying to erase women and girls” and “denying our biological differences from men.”
Sanders also called the banned terms “politically correct” and said that the language caused women to take a “back seat” to men.
Sanders confirmed only one specific example of the now-banned language being used in a document. According to Fox News, it was a memo released by the health department about the potential harm of PFAS to “pregnant people.” Sanders stated she had been informed about other instances.
“Does it matter if there’s one? Is that not enough? How many times should a woman have to be insulted before we stand up and say ‘We’ve had it?’” Sanders said.
Chandler spoke out in support of Sanders’ action, adding that the policy “stands up to those who are trying to erase women in the name of political correctness.”
Sanders previously banned the word “Latinx” in January 2023.
Outcome
ACLU condemns executive order
The ACLU said in a statement to THV11 that “Governor Sanders’ executive order is yet another attempt to erase trans people.” The organization also commented that the order uses “divisive rhetoric that only serves to stigmatize and exclude transgender and non-binary Arkansans, as well as those who do not fit within traditional gender norms.”