New York Legislature Votes to Replace 'Mother' and 'Father' with Gender-Neutral Terms in State Law
The New York State Legislature passed bill A8382A/S9316, which removes the words 'mother' and 'father' from multiple sections of state law and replaces them with 'gestating parent' and 'non-gestating parent,' among other terminology changes. The bill now awaits action from Governor Kathy Hochul, who has until a June 12 deadline and whose office has declined to say whether she will sign it, describing it as addressing 'technical legal issues related to surrogacy and parentage.' The legislation has sparked significant debate over whether it is a necessary legal modernization for non-traditional families or an ideologically motivated erasure of foundational language.
The New York State Legislature passed bill A8382A/S9316 on June 2, sending it to Governor Kathy Hochul for her signature or veto. The bill systematically replaces 'mother' and 'father' with 'gestating parent' and 'non-gestating parent,' and substitutes 'paternity' with 'parentage' and 'putative father' with 'alleged parent' across the Family Court Act, Domestic Relations Law, child support statutes, and education law. Supporters argue the changes are a technical update to accommodate same-sex couples, adoptive families, and surrogacy arrangements, building on the 2021 Child-Parent Security Act. Critics, including commentators from across the political right, contend the bill goes beyond legal neutrality and constitutes deliberate linguistic substitution that erases culturally and biologically significant terms without adding new legal rights. Hochul's office has stated that 'mothers are mothers and fathers are fathers' but has not committed to a veto, with aides describing the bill as appearing to address technical issues. The bill passed both chambers with large Democratic majorities, though reportedly not by a veto-proof margin. Similar legislative efforts have occurred in other states, including Massachusetts, which passed comparable language changes in 2024.
What's missing
The articles do not quote LGBTQ+ advocacy organizations that backed the legislation, nor do they provide any independent legal analysis of whether the terminology changes would materially alter rights or court outcomes.
How coverage differed
All four sources are right-leaning outlets and uniformly oppose the legislation, framing it as ideological overreach or cultural erasure rather than a neutral legal update. The sources differ mainly in degree: The Federalist takes the most ideologically charged stance, linking the bill to broader attacks on the traditional family and surrogacy; the Washington Examiner frames it through a geopolitical lens comparing it to Soviet-era linguistic subversion; the New York Post focuses on political accountability and Hochul's leadership; and Reason/Sullivan emphasizes the tension between transgender advocacy and LGB rights.
What different sources said
- ReasonRight
"The TQ+ Threat To LGB Rights"
- New York PostRight
Hochul must halt New York’s ‘motherhood’ erasure — and step up for families
- The FederalistRight
Hochul Won’t Say Whether She’ll Sign Bill Erasing Moms And Dads From NY Law
- Washington ExaminerRight
Albany erased ‘mother’ and ‘father’ from state law. Here’s what that really means
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