Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders Bans Gender-Neutral Terms in State Documents

Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders issued an executive order banning the use of 12 gender-neutral terms, such as "pregnant people" and "chestfeeding", in official state documents, claiming they are "exclusionary and sexist". Critics argue these terms provide recognition for non-binary and transgender individuals.

Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders has issued an executive order banning the use of 12 gender-neutral terms, such as 'pregnant people' and 'chestfeeding', in official state documents. She argues these terms are 'exclusionary and sexist', and seeks to protect 'women’s perspective'.
The banned terms are ones often used in more inclusive and gender-neutral contexts, aimed at recognising non-binary or transgender individuals who experience childbirth or pregnancy. Instead, gender-specific terminology such as 'birth mom' and 'breastfeeding' is encouraged in official state documents.
The decision has attracted controversies, with proponents saying such terms recognize that cisgender women are not the only individuals who can breastfeed or become pregnant. Critics argue it risks erasing or undermining the recognition of non-binary and transgender individuals.
While Governor Sanders describes these terms as a 'woke nonsense' and a trend started by a few grad students that has seeped into corporations, the healthcare industry, and state government, the National Institutes of Health's style guide lists gender-neutral terms as inclusive alternatives.
Despite the backlash, Sanders is determined to reject 'language that ignores, undermines, and erases women'. She asserts that the move is not about keeping a tally of instances of these terms being used, but rather about a broader commitment to stop language she perceives as 'demeaning to women'.