The Metropolitan King County Council on Monday approved sending to the voters in November a proposed charter amendment to replace gender-specific language in the King County Charter and the King County Code with gender neutral language.
“Today’s action will allow voters the opportunity to ensure the language of the King County Charter is inclusive and does not reflect bias,” said Councilmember Jeanne Kohl-Welles, the prime sponsor of the ordinance, in a county media release.
“Words carry weight and guide us in our practice and policy making,” said Councilmember Larry Gossett. “The voters will now have the opportunity to change the wording of the county’s ‘constitution’ to reflect our changing world.”
If adopted by the voters, the proposed charter amendment would adjust identifications in the County Charter such as “councilman” and “chairman,” to gender-specific neutral terms such as “councilmember” and “chair.”
The council’s adoption of the legislation places the charter amendment on the Nov. 8 general election ballot.
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