House Rules Become Gender Neutral

The House of Representatives has made its official language gender-neutral in rules adopted today by newly-sworn-in members.

According to the rules as passed today, “chairman” will be replaced by “chair,” in many official rules, and in the many instances in which the Speaker of the House is referred to as “he,” the language has been change to say “the Speaker,” reflecting the leadership of Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), the first woman to serve in that position.

House Resolution 5, passed today, includes almost 11 whole pages of changes to the language of the rules to excise gender-specific language.

The 36-page rule changes have been criticized by House Republicans for other issues, notably for abolishing term limits for committee chairman and for limiting the opportunities for Republicans to offer alternatives to Democratic legislation.