New York Democrats passed a bill that removes “mother” and “father” from parts of state law because Albany clearly had a little spare time after solving affordability, crime, schools, taxes, migration costs, and the price of breathing near a utility meter.
The measure changes terminology across family court, domestic relations, social services, education, and other statutes. “Mother” becomes “gestating parent.” “Father” becomes “non-gestating parent” or “parent.” “Paternity” becomes “parentage.” “Putative father” becomes “alleged parent.” From the New York Post:
A “putative father” — also known as a deadbeat dad — would now be called “an alleged parent” in official state records, under the bill, which was sponsored by liberals Sen. Luis Sepulveda (D-Bronx) and Assemblywoman Amy Paulin (D-Westchester) and will go to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s desk for approval.
“It’s woke culture run amok. It’s one-upmanship,” said state Conservative Party Chairman Gerard Kassar, a former longtime state Senate and Assembly staffer.
“It’s an example of how out of tune the New York legislature is. It’s an unnecessary and wasteful use of time,” Kassar said
He said the gender-neutral bill is likely to lead to a stampede of others, and called state lawmakers’ priorities backwards — considering they were almost two months late in passing a state budget.
“Imagine people who are considering moving to New York seeing this and saying, ‘Do I need this silliness?’ This is a really weird group of elected officials. It comes out of left field,” he said.
Somewhere, a committee probably wonders whether “Mom” now needs a permit.
State Sen. Luis R. Sepúlveda, a Bronx Democrat who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, sponsored Senate Bill S9316. Assemblywoman Amy Paulin, a Westchester Democrat, carried the Assembly version. The Senate approved the bill 38-23 on June 2, after the Assembly had already passed its version.
🚨 New York Democrats just voted to erase “Mother” and “Father”.
Governor Kathy Hochul will be replacing “mother” with “gestating parent” and “father” with “non-gestating parent.”
This isn’t inclusion, it’s insanity.
While New Yorkers battle sky-high taxes, crime, and failing… pic.twitter.com/MBJzb9p2k1
— Rep. Wesley Hunt Press Office (@RepWPH) June 4, 2026
The measure now sits with Gov. Kathy Hochul, who has 10 days to sign or veto it. If signed, the language changes take effect Nov. 1.
Supporters say the bill updates legal language for same-sex couples, adoptive families, surrogacy arrangements, and assisted reproduction. They argue New York law already recognizes a broader range of parentage through the Child-Parent Security Act, which took effect in 2021.
Legal precision has its place, but so does a shovel, and nobody brings one to dinner unless something has gone terribly wrong.
Albany looked at a mother holding a newborn and decided the emotional core of the moment needed more paperwork.
Critics noticed the priorities. Republican State Sen. Patricia Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick voted no and argued lawmakers should focus on affordability, public safety, and family pressure instead of scrubbing words New Yorkers have used for generations. From The Advocate:
Perceived bias against men in child custody decisions has long been a talking point for men’s rights activists and conservative politicians. But how these changes may relate to fairness in child custody cases has been overshadowed by outcry from conservative influencers and New York Republicans who denounce it as an example of “woke” ideology breaking down gender norms and wasting legislative time.
“It’s woke culture run amok,” said Gerard Kassar, a former state legislator and chair of the Conservative Party of New York State, according to conservative tabloid the New York Post. “It’s an example of how out of tune the New York legislature is. It’s an unnecessary and wasteful use of time.”
The Senate bill also moves toward language more inclusive of LGBTQ+ people, using “gestating parent” instead of mother, removing phrases like “she and her husband,” and using gender-neutral pronouns throughout.
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, a Republican candidate for governor, called the change an attack on “Mom” and “Dad.” Conner Dunleavy, a Republican Assembly candidate, said Albany was ignoring record-high taxes, utility costs, and the broader cost-of-living squeeze while replacing plain family words with sterile labels.
The obvious question arrives wearing a clown nose. Where does the word-cleansing tour stop? If “mother” and “father” are too specific for legal documents, maybe dogs and cats need help next.
Perhaps “hot dog” becomes “processed cylindrical meal unit.”
How about “municipal outcome manager” instead of “mayor”?
Then there’s “Democratic governor,” which would become “non-accountable budget gestator.”
Albany could create an Office of Noun Safety and spend the next decade rescuing New Yorkers from words that worked perfectly well before graduate-school politics ran out of causes.
Families don’t talk like the bill writers; children don’t run into a kitchen and yell for their “gestating parent.” Fathers don’t teach bike riding as a “non-gestational mobility support unit.” Mothers don’t sit awake beside a sick child because the statute book has recognized their reproductive pathway. They do it because they’re MOTHERS. Fathers show up because they’re FATHERS.
The words carry history, sacrifice, tenderness, duty, and memory. Clinical labels don’t expand human dignity; they flatten it.
Albany defenders insist the bill changes only certain legal records and leaves daily speech alone.
Fine.
Nobody expected Gov. Hochul to dispatch grammar police to the front porch. The point remains, and the law teaches. Official language signals what leaders honor, tolerate, or feel embarrassed to name.
When lawmakers treat “mother” and “father” like old furniture headed for the curb, families hear the message. The state may not ban those words at home, but it has decided they’re not modern enough for its own books.
New York families deserve less jargon and more competence. They need safer streets, lower bills, better schools, and leaders who know the difference between governing and editing civilization with a red pen. Hochul can still veto the bill. If she signs it, Albany will have achieved a rare feat: it will make government sound colder, sillier, and more detached from real life—all at the same time.
The country has watched progressive leaders redefine words for years, then act shocked, SHOCKED!, when normal Americans laugh, groan, or revolt at the ballot box. New York Democrats just handed everybody another example.
Mother and Father weren’t problems waiting for Albany repair.
They were among the first words most children ever loved.
New York Democrats found a new emergency: the words “mother” and “father.” VIP members get the sharper read on the cultural fights hiding inside sterile government language. Use promo code FIGHT to save 60% today.
