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Kyle Thiessen, the state of Washington's code reviser, looks at a shelf of pending legislation in his office in Olympia. The bill would change more than 3,500 laws currently on the books to make them gender neutral. (AP Photo/Ted Warren)

State Senator Jeanne Kohl-Welles defends gender neutrality law

BY Jillian Raftery  on February 5, 2013 @ 8:38 am

State Senator Jeanne Kohl-Welles was shocked at the number of calls and emails she got over the weekend, complaining about a lesser-known bill she sponsored to make all Washington laws gender neutral. They said they heard the news on The Dori Monson Show.

Senator Kohl-Welles came on the show to advocate for the bill that prompted such a huge outcry.

The 474 page bill was written to update more than 3,500 Washington state statutes that uses gendered phrases "penmanship," "longshoreman," or "fisherman." The theory is to update the language to be more inclusive to women who have joined professions that were historically male dominated.

Since 1983, all state laws have been written with gender neutral language, but older laws and some local laws aren't written the same way.

The move toward gender neutrality is common, with about half of all states adopting gender neutral laws. Florida and Minnesota are the only two states that have completely changed their laws to reflect the changes, which is what is what's proposed in SB 5077.

In a time when state lawmakers are struggling to fund public education, Dori thinks this bill should not be a priority. He says it's a waste of time, since it's such a symbolic gesture.

"We have a member of the staff down there," said Dori, "who says he's been working on this project along with two attorneys since 2008. Of all the things we should be prioritizing, how in the world does this rise to the top?"

But Senator Kohl-Welles explains that it's not getting as high a priority as Dori thinks, since none of the people involved are working on the bill full time.

"The code adviser brings me a statute law and committee bill request sign-on sheet, I sign on, and then I go speak at the hearing," said Kohl-Welles. "And if the bill comes to the Senate floor I'll speak on it about two, three, four minutes. It's not something I'm spending time on."

She says that the process is also fairly simple, since they use a computer to search for the terms they are going to replace, rather than reading through thousands of pages word by word.

Senator Kohl-Welles actually agreed with Dori when he said that some of it seems frivolous. They agree that calling a student a "first-year" rather than a freshman won't make much of a difference. But Kohl-Welles still thinks the bill is worthwhile. She argues that men would want to change the wording it were the other way around, and men were lumped into a group of "firewomen."

Still, Dori thinks that even the symbolic value of the bill isn't worth the time legislators and code revisers are spending on it.

"We're changing language just for the sake of political correctness. And again, I ask, to what end?" Dori said. "What's the harm?"

But Kohl-Welles countered Dori in the same vein, asking what harm it does to update legal codes, if it's not taking up too much time and resources.

"Why is it that people get so rattled on this?" asked Kohl-Welles.

Jillian Raftery, Social Media Captain
Jillian Raftery is a social media captain for the Dori Monson Show. She loves the neighborly vibe of the Pacific Northwest and spends as much time as possible outdoors.
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Comments (15)


  • Add A Comment

  • HikerACE wrote...
    Waste is waste
    February 4, 2013 4:15 pm
    Olympia doesn't get it. The representatives think that a little waste is ok because it is not a big waste. Not ok anytime, let alone when we are in the midst of a budget crisis.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • codetalker wrote...
    Condescending Government
    February 4, 2013 4:44 pm
    I found Jeanne to be condescending. She remarked to Dori at about 10:45 "that's your opinion and that's not the opinion of other people." So Dori's opinion is not valid? Perhaps other people think it's a waste of time too.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • The Sailor wrote...
    More stupidity from those "leaders" in Olympia
    February 4, 2013 4:52 pm
    I agree with the others, this is an absolute waste of resources which SHOULD be spent on things like our budget! Are these idiots going to stop using 'woMAN' or 'woMEN' as well?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Wild Bill wrote...
    AT WORK,
    February 4, 2013 5:01 pm
    a local retail chain, we no longer say "rack," instead we say "display."
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Hectic wrote...
    Haha
    February 4, 2013 5:37 pm
    Dori sounded like such an idiot. She is obviously 100 times smarter than him. When he said, "A women who complains about being a called a fireman isn't strong enough to do the job", I actually felt embarrassed for him. What a fool. I know he's a misogynist, but attacking women firefighters? Come on Dori, that's even below you.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • murr wrote...
    Jeanne
    February 4, 2013 7:00 pm
    We are getting closer. An article said two days ago, almost as many woman as men are dying of a certain cancer. Were working on it. When do men get compesation, for being denied the chance to bear childern, stay home, have a few days off a month, because of some stupid cycle. Come on honey, lets be all the same. What a worthless cause. We are not the same. Go find a cause, and give yourself something to do. I dont want your help to be the same. I'll leave that for the weak, that need your gender equality help. Some people live a life on hand outs, where does your pay check come from.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • R L M 456 wrote...
    State Senator Jeanne Kohl-Welles defends gender neutrality law
    February 4, 2013 7:02 pm
    Gene (opps) Jean Kohl-Welles

    THAT explains it

    she (opps) "it"

    can't decide what "IT" is

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • nwskiergirl wrote...
    I'm a woMAN
    February 4, 2013 7:42 pm
    and a feMALE. I wish our government would put more time and money into the issues that matter like education. With better education our children would build more self-confidence and pride in themselves thus not needing to try to build themselves up by proposing such wasteful bills.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Mavila wrote...
    The Senator should...
    February 4, 2013 7:53 pm
    retire. She's obviously out of any worthwhile ideas.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • 1999thelastgoodyear wrote...
    This is shades of Portlandia...
    February 4, 2013 9:43 pm
    This Portlandia sketch says it better than I could. This is all very silly. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFKmzR5Aejg
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
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