The Ohio Supreme Court implemented a controversial decision Tuesday to stop using gender specific terms such as “husband,” “wife,” “father” and “mother” on all of rules and forms, opting instead to use gender neutral terms. In a statement released Monday by court spokesman Bret Crow, the decision came as a response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s legalization of gay marriage last summer.
“The terms husband, wife, father, mother, parent, spouse and others were to ‘be construed as gender neutral where appropriate’ and to remain in effect until the rules and forms were ‘amended to reflect the changes contained in this Order,'” Court News Ohio reports. “Ohio Supreme Court rules and forms that address marriage and the related topics of divorce, child support, guardianships, adoption, domestic relations, and domestic violence have been amended to remove gender-specific terms.” Last June, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in Obergefell v. Hodges that state level bans on gay marriage were unconstitutional. READ MORE
