Let the foolishness begin. Now we don’t have mothers and fathers. I still haven’t recovered from the girl winning damages about 20 years ago for being called a water buffalo. Now we have this, and out of the State Department no less!
According to the Washington Post:
The State Department has decided to make U.S. passport application forms “gender neutral” by removing references to mother and father, officials said, in favor of language that describes one’s parentage somewhat less tenderly.
The change is “in recognition of different types of families,” according to a statement issued just before Christmas that drew widespread attention Friday after a Fox News report.
The announcement of the change was buried at the end of a Dec. 22 news release, titled “Consular Report of Birth Abroad Certificate Improvements,” that highlighted unrelated security changes.
I don’t care if gay people adopt children or have children by whatever means that happens. But, I am not willing to become parent 1 or parent 2 for the sake of a situation that rarely occurs. As far as I am concerned, the gay parents can just flip over who gets to be the mom and who gets to be the dad.
Fred Sainz, vice president of the Human Rights Campaign, a gay rights advocacy group, called the news “a positive step forward for all American families. It was time that the federal government acknowledged the reality that hundreds of thousands of kids in this country are being raised by same-sex parents.”
Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, blasted it as reflecting the “topsy-turvy world of left-wing political correctness.”
“This is clearly designed,” he said in a statement, “to advance the causes of same-sex ‘marriage’ and homosexual parenting without statutory authority, and violates the spirit if not the letter of the Defense of Marriage Act,” the federal law that defines marriage as between one man and one woman.
He called on Congress to take action.
I never thought, ever, that I would be agreeing with Family Reseach Council. But…I am. This new classification is just an example of why people dig in their heels and oppose everything that might be seen as civil rights for gays. Actions like this bring a new meaning to shooting one’s self in the foot. Gay parents are not common and getting a passport isn’t an everyday occurrence. The intersection of those who have gay parents who are getting a passport is not a large enough number to make a cultural shift of this magnitude. Shifts such as this cause far more harm to any cause than a hollow win like parent 1 and parent 2.
What are they thinking! People are really dumb asses. Why kill apple pie and motherhood and then try to make it a political victory.
My first reaction was to laugh. We spend so much time and money on foolishness. If I am a parent, I don’t care if they call me mother, father or Bullwinkle. What matters is that I am acknowledged and respected as the parent of a child, not what my label is.
Parents go through this kind of thing all the time because there are step parents, guardians, legal guardians, etc. We have had to work around the forms. Forms in general tend to misrepresent the masses. If any change is to be made, it should be even more generic, such as to “parent or legal guardian.” That covers everyone, doesn’t it?
Meh. I don’t think its important. This is just more CYA from the bureaucrats. They’re just trying to head off that one lawsuit by an offended person.
I’m waiting for the passports that say, Parent 1, parent 2, parerent 3, etc….
Ha ha – I can’t help thinking of the Coneheads and their parental units!
Another step closer to breeding centers….
I don’t know why it angered me so much. I could care less what people are actually called. I just think the logic of doing something like that is so incredibly stupid.
It angers me at some in the gay community also. People worked for literally decades to gain equality for gays. Then back to “nothing is good enough.” Some little group of fools has decided that they want more. So instead of keeping an eye on a goal….someone with a fat check book raises enough hell over what to call parents of gay kids. Talk about handing a power tool to those on the right (Cuccinelli comes to mind)!..Now they have all they need to tear back into gays and lesbians and their ‘hidden agenda.’
Going after what you call parents sort of attacks everything that family values stands for. It wins a battle but sets the entire war back to the crusades.
Stupid Stupid Stupid.
Maybe we can call parents “Thing 1” and “Thing 2” a la Dr. Seuss.
in spain new births registered at the state civil registries in the family book now fall under the headings of progenitor A and progenitor B.
I don’t know why the designations “parent 1” and “parent 2” couldn’t be optional while leaving the traditional “mother” and “father”. Give people four choices just as women can choose “Ms”, “Miss” and “Mrs.”. I can foresee some marital spats about just which spouse gets to be “parent 1” though. lol
@censored
I totally agree. I would insist on being parent 1. I gave birth to them.
I agree about choices. No one would care.
More importantly, how come bi-racial is still not an option when listing one’s race? Talk about being 30 years behind. Perhaps it has been added and I am just unware.
@e the Spain situation is even dumber.
@Emma–might as well.
Perhaps I am over reacting. And I think I do know why I feel the way I do. I just needed to verbalize it. Thanks gang.
They could always use the labels TOP and BOTTOM 😉
Heh. Back in 03 or 04 I was getting some paperwork processed so I could do some work for Bureau of Engraving and Printing. On my sheet for race I put “H” for Hispanic.
The lady who took my form came to me shaking and in a very scared voice told me that the US Government doesn’t acknowledge hispanics or latino as a valid race and that I’d have to choose White, Black or Native American. I laughed and asked which one gave better benefits. 😉
Why not have Parents 1-3? Somehow I can see that happening one day….
Cargo! TMI
Marin, who is the third parent?