Male pronouns within Washington state constitution could be changed to gender-neutral terms

Sixty-seven women legislators – just one shy of last year’s record-breaking number – walk the marbled halls of the Washington State Capitol for this year’s session alongside male colleagues.

And yet, the Washington constitution very rarely mentions “she, her or herself” within its 32 articles and over 250 pages, strictly relying on “he, him or himself” pronouns when describing the rights and responsibilities of all Washingtonians.

Introduced to the State Government and Tribal Relations House Committee on Wednesday, chair committee Rep. Bill Ramos, D-Issaquah, proposed a resolution amending the use of over 100 male pronouns, replacing them with gender-neutral terms or titles.

“This just didn’t seem like something that was right, knowing that the constitution was written in 1889 when women didn’t have the right to vote,” Ramos said.

For example, article four, section 26 of the constitution states “The county clerk shall be by virtue of his office, clerk of the superior court.” The proposed resolution would neutralize the usage of “his office” to “their office.”

Women hold around 46% of legislative seats within the walls of the Capitol, making them nearly as prominent as their male counterparts. Just over four years ago, Speaker of the House Laurie Jenkins, D-Tacoma, was sworn in as the very first woman to hold this position.

Drafted and ratified (confirmed) in 1889, the constitution has been amended 109 times, most recently in 2019. The proposed resolution would bring this up to 110.

The resolution is a relatively easy and simple fix, Rep. Sharlett Mena, D-Tacoma, told The Spokesman-Review. Since Washington is constantly moving forward and making progress, she said it would be great to see this change reflected in the constitution.

Rep. Leonard Christian, R-Spokane Valley, told The Spokesman-Review the timing of the resolution is poor; not that there’s anything wrong with the proposal, but with a short 60-day session, there’s a slew of pressing issues like crime and drugs.

“Timing brings a whole lot of questions; why pass it now?” Christian said. “Maybe it would be better in a year where we have a longer session.”

Cindy Madigan, on behalf of the League of Women Voters of Washington, testified in support of the resolution.

“Eliminating outdated language that historically represented everyone with male pronouns will bring our constitution into the 21st century,” Madigan said.

If passed through the House and Senate with a two-thirds majority vote, the amendment would appear on the ballot, where voters could then decide whether to approve it.

If amended, Washington would join California, Hawaii, Vermont and New York, whose constitutions use only gender-neutral vocabulary. South Dakota’s decision to remove gendered terms will go before voters this year.