Officials in America's largest township are pushing back against a New York Democrat-backed bill that would replace "mother" and "father" in state law with gender-neutral parental terms, passing an emergency resolution to preserve those terms.
Officials in America's most populated township are taking urgent action to stop a Democrat-backed bill that would replace "mother" and "father" in New York State law with gender-neutral parental terms.
The emergency resolution from Hempstead Township comes just days after New York State Legislature passed a bill that would replace "mother" with the term "gestating parent" and "father" with "non-gestating parent." It would also change "paternity" to "parentage."
Democrats say the measure is an effort to be more "inclusive" of the state's residents with non-traditional "gender identities." It is now awaiting action from Democrat Gov. Kathy Hochul.
Hempstead Township Supervisor John Ferretti told Fox News Digital the legislation is "woke nonsense."
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman stands with Town of Hempstead Supervisor John Ferretti, Town of North Hempstead Supervisor Jen DeSena, and other local officials to provide a public safety update and share tips with residents ahead of an approaching winter storm on Jan. 23, 2026 in Mineola, New York. (Howard Schnapp / Newsday RM via Getty Images)
"As a father of two, it was an insult to me and to my wife," Ferretti said in an interview on Tuesday. "As soon as I learned, the first thing I did was bring my wife into our bedroom and say, 'Look what they did up in Albany. They're eliminating the terms mother and father from state law.'"
His nine-year-old daughter overheard the conversation and got upset, asking Ferretti: "Can I still call you dad?"
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