The new administration serving under the leadership of Joe Biden has made recent changes to the official White House website. One of which is a contact form that offers a list of pronouns, a report stated.
Per the Christian Post, those who visit the White House website and access the contact form will be asked for their preferred pronouns.
The list of pronouns include: she/her," "he/him," "they/them," "other," and "prefer not to share."
In addition to the list of pronouns, prefix options have also been updated. People can now choose to identify as a gender-neutral "Mx" in place of "Mr." and "Mrs." or "Ms." A "Dr." has also been included.
Few hours after Biden was sworn in, pro LGBTQ group GLAAD announced on Twitter the availability of more inclusive pronouns in the White House website's contact form along with a screenshot of it. They were among the first to celebrate the changes.
"On day one, the Biden administration has taken immediate steps to include trans, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming people in the conversation," GLAAD president and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis told TODAY.
"Pronouns matter, and adding inclusive pronouns to a contact form is more than just a demonstration of allyship. Research has shown that recognition and respect of our pronouns can make all the difference for our health and wellbeing-especially when it comes to LGBTQ youth," Ellis added.
This 'revamp' on federal websites and pages is another undoing of the works done by former President Donald Trump and his administration. Back in 2017, LGBTQ contents were said to have been 'scrubbed' from the White House website. This was condemned by LGBTQ advocacy groups and sympathizers.
Links on other tabs are yet to be replaced to reflect the new administration's policies on other issues.
The Biden campaign has promised to "stand with the LGBTQ+ community to ensure America finally lives up to the promise on which it was founded: equality for all."
They also added that under the first 100 days of Biden's administration, they will "provide the moral leadership to champion equal rights for all LGBTQ+ people, fight to ensure our laws and institutions protect and enforce their rights, and advance LGBTQ+ equality globally."
So on his first day in office, Biden signed the "Equality Act" which states that no person should be discriminated against based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. The act also extends all forms of protection available under the federal civil rights law to the LGBTQ community.
In 2019, the House of Representatives initially passed the "Equality Act." This was opposed by the Senate and the White House for reasons including threat on religious liberty and considerations of women's welfare. For instance, sports. Trans-women participating in women's sports will put biological women at a disadvantage. Hence, the bill was not signed into a law.
According to The Christian Post, 21 Christian leaders have sent letters to the House, Senate, and Vice President Mike Pence expressing their opposition to the passage of the Equality Act.
"[T]he Equality Act would expressly do away with the Religious Freedom Restoration Act's application to its provisions, thereby precluding any religious freedom claims which clergy or others might bring," the letter said. "Under such restrictions, the pathway for the gospel would slowly be closed off."
Though Biden took the lead of signing the bill, he will have to convince conservative legislators. The Senate must also favorably vote for the "Equality Act" before it will officially become a law.
