A legislator from West Fargo, ND, has proposed an utterly crazy law that says any organization that receives state funding must use the pronouns based on an individual’s determined sex at birth, male or female. If someone in a state-funded organization uses the wrong pronoun, there’s a $1500 fine. This is clearly aimed at schools, although I suppose it might apply to driver’s licenses and other things. I don’t know if the school board or the teacher would have to pay the $1500 fine.
Here's the explanation by the Senator:
“Say they’re a boy, but they come to school and say they’re a girl. As far as that school is concerned in this bill, that person is still a boy. If it becomes contested, the burden will be on the girl, the so-called girl, or the boy, to prove that he is a girl,” said Senator David Clemens, R-West Fargo.”
What tickles me is that Clemens is using the plural pronoun “they.” Isn’t he guilty of using the wrong pronoun to explain his bill? The other thing that bugs me is that Republicans always accuse Democrats of being against freedom. It doesn’t bother me that people have the freedom to choose their own pronouns. If this law passes, what is a school gonna do, make every student wait in line and show their genitals to the principal?
90 people gave testimony against the bill. Apart from the sponsor, absolutely nobody testified in favor of it. The ND Senate Judiciary Committee voted unanimously to give it a “do not pass” recommendation. The bill probably won’t pass. Which is good.
This is one more example of a crazy Republican who’s against freedom and in favor of government bureaucracy and interference.
Here’s a link to an article about this proposed law:
Bill would ban use of certain personal pronouns in ND