Starting today, new Wisconsin parents who don’t identify as either male or female can choose a gender-neutral option for their child’s birth certificate.
Gov. Tony Evers and the state’s Department of Health Services announced Monday that as part of their “trans-inclusivity” initiative the forms that generate birth certificates will include “parent-parent” combinations, in addition to the “mother-father” distinction.
“This change reflects my and my administration’s commitment to gender-neutral terminology and to recognizing that Wisconsin families are diverse and should be valued and respected,” Evers said in the statement on Monday.
As we celebrate #Pride, @DHSWI and I are excited to announce that, starting Thursday, Wisconsin parents will have a gender-neutral option for parents. This change reflects our continued commitment to recognizing that every family deserves to be treated with dignity and respect.
— Governor Tony Evers (@GovEvers) June 28, 2021
“I am glad to see this change being made as we continue to update our state policies and procedures to better reflect the Wisconsinites we serve,” he continued.
The press release also identifies additional gender-inclusive language such as “parent giving birth” as another option for “mother.”
A hospital closely connected to the initiative was among the first to praise the change.
“Families have told us that a birth certificate that doesn’t accurately reflect their growing family can take away a piece of the joy when welcoming a new baby,” said Sue Erickson, president and CEO at local hospital UnityPoint Health-Meriter. “We are so pleased that Wisconsin created a more inclusive birth certificate form to reflect the families of our state and community. This change allows all birthing parents to focus solely on their newborn.”
The move has been met with expected opposition from conservatives.
Rep. Gae Magnafici, chairwoman of the Assembly Family Law committee, said the new policy “is something that even the best satire writers cannot imagine.”
“The far-left liberals are at it again. Instead of acknowledging something as simple as a baby coming from a mom and dad, they deny science,” Magnafici, R-Dresser, said. “As the Assembly chair of Family Law, a nurse and a mom, I am insulted. I’m calling on Gov. Evers to stop downplaying womanhood, stop downplaying motherhood and stop downplaying settled science.”
Todd Starnes, conservative commentator, author and radio host, identified the far shift culture has made from the long-accepted views on sexuality while highlighting the “irrefutable truth” of conception.
“Try as they might, the radical sex and gender crowd still can’t undo one God-ordained, irrefutable truth: it still takes a mommy and a daddy to make a baby,” he wrote.
The new forms will be available in English, Spanish and Hmong. Families who would like to have their children’s birth certificate updated to reflect the sexuality distinction will now be allowed to do so. {eoa}
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