After Roems election, Va. GOP leader wants to do away with Gentlewoman title

[brooklynite]

Source: Washington Post

With Virginia’s first openly transgender elected official preparing to take her seat in the House of Delegates, the Republican leader of that chamber says it is time to end a tradition of addressing lawmakers by formal male and female pronouns.

Instead of the “gentleman” or “gentlewoman” from a given jurisdiction, lawmakers will all be referred to as “delegate” if Republicans maintain control of the chamber, House Majority Leader M. Kirkland Cox (R-Colonial Heights) said through a spokesman Tuesday.

Conservative lawmakers hailed the change as a way to avoid what they said could be a potentially awkward situation. But one of the longest-serving House Democrats called the decision “shameful” and said lawmakers “ought to be big enough to get over these hang-ups we have.”

Cox’s office said he had been considering the change since shortly after he was chosen as the party’s designee for speaker, a title he would assume if the GOP retains control over the House after three close races are decided.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-politics/after-roems-election-va-gop-leader-wants-to-do-away-with-gentlewoman-title/2017/11/21/62290076-cee1-11e7-9d3a-bcbe2af58c3a_story.html

[sandensea]

1. I'm with Cox.

None of these unreconstructed Confederationists in the GOP should be addressed as “gentleman.”

[lagomorph777]

18. Just address them as Greedy Old Perverts.

[sandensea]

19. Perfect.

They earned it like nothing else in their lives.

[George II]

2. I'm all for it. Why introduce gender into addressing a member of a body? As chairman....

....of one of our town commissions, I refer to all members as "Commissioner" regardless of gender.

[itsrobert]

4. Chairman?

"Chair" will suffice.

[George II]

5. Hah! You got me, I unconsciously screwed up. Yes, I DO refer to the person in charge as the "chair"

[Rollo]

3. On the surface this seems reasonable, however...

It is obviously in reaction to the reluctance of conservative lawmakers to refer to a transgender delegate by the address specific to their chosen gender.

As such it's somewhat a deplorable proposal. The change should have been proposed long before a transgender person was elected to the House of Delegates.

[Beartracks]

6. Republicans always cloak their proposals in something that sounds "reasonable." n/t

[sweetloukillbot]

9. How does Roem identify?

Because this sounds like a subtle transphobic dig to me - now that a transwoman is in the body, let's stop using the term woman so we don't have to describe her as such.

[3catwoman3]

16. Or not so...

...subtle.

[mwooldri]

8. Agreed, but it is progress.

The way it got there wasn't the best, but it's progress.

Mind the American practice of numbering their constituencies seems odd to me.. "I call upon the delegate for district 12..." Still used to the UK parliamentary system, where MPs are referred to as "the member for (geographical name for constituency)" and "the honourable" and "the right honourable" being appropriate elevated titles for certain non government MPs... But UK House of Commons usually doesn't use personal names for elected MPs in house.

[crazycatlady]

13. With the way districts are drawn

It makes sense to say "the delegate from district 12" as opposed to "the delegate from Fairfax County" (Note-- I have no idea if district 12 is in Fairfax county, I just threw a random county in VA that I knew out there).

Especially when some larger population counties most likely have more delegates than others. If you're in the NY assembly, there's definitely more than one assembly member from Manhattan.

[GulfCoast66]

17. Most of our legislators are too stupid and lazy

To learn the place names in their state. Numbers or names is about all they can handle.

[Grins]

20. A solution in search of a problem... N/M

[Honeycombe8]

7. Congress long ago dispensed with gender titles. It's Congress Person usually, now. Makes sense.

It's that way in business, usually. Chairman is now Chairman or Chairperson, both terms referring to either gender.

With women being more integrated into the business and political world now, it makes sense to do away with gender titles. In the old days, that was a way of distinguishing the male...and the "not male."

What's in a name? A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.

[oberliner]

12. That's not true

They refer to gentleman and gentlelady in Congress as well as saying Madame Chair and such.

[Honeycombe8]

15. Yes, it's true. Some still do it the old fashioned way, but many do not. & the media does not.

Most things are gender neutral now. Or they refer to both genders as "Congressman."

[pressbox69]

10. How about

if Republicans are only addressed as "gentlethings", any problems with that?

[BumRushDaShow]

11. Except

there is nothing "gentle" about the GOP. "Things" would suffice for them.

[crazycatlady]

14. gentlecritters?

I've used the term "Congresscritter" to describe many members of congress.

(I don't want to insult critters)