Here are some key concerns:

⚖️ 1. Legal Ambiguity and Interpretation Issues

• Established legal terms often have gender-specific language for a reason (e.g., “husband and wife” in marriage law).

• Changing those to “spouses” may lead to confusion or reinterpretation of intent, especially in areas like family law, inheritance, and parental rights.

• It could also lead to litigation if courts have to re-interpret laws with new language that changes their original meaning or scope.

📜 2. Undermining Traditional Institutions

• Language like “mother” and “father” reflects biological reality and complementary roles in parenting.

• Replacing these with gender-neutral terms like “parent 1” and “parent 2” may undermine the God-ordained family structure of a mother and a father raising children.

• This could affect laws and policies surrounding adoption, custody, and education, potentially excluding or marginalizing traditional families.

💡 3. Philosophical and Ideological Shift

• These changes often stem from a broader push to redefine gender, moving away from biblical and biological definitions toward subjective, identity-based views.

• It could normalize ideas contrary to biblical teaching on human identity, sexuality, and the created order (Genesis 1:27).

• It may open the door to future laws based more on cultural trends than on enduring truths.

💸 4. Cost and Administrative Burden

• Amending all statutes is a massive undertaking. It would require:

• A review of thousands of legal provisions

• Updating legal forms, training materials, and administrative policies

• Funding to retrain staff and educate the public

• All of this diverts public resources from more pressing needs like homelessness, education, or infrastructure.

🗣️ 5. Silencing or Marginalizing Biblical Voices

• Gender-neutral language may seem harmless, but it often paves the way for restricting speech that affirms male and female distinctions (which are biblically grounded).

• If traditional, faith-based language is seen as outdated or discriminatory, it could limit the ability of churches, ministries, and schools to teach biblical truth freely.

❤️ Conclusion – Responding with Truth and Aloha

From a biblical worldview, language reflects God’s created order and moral clarity. While Christians are called to love and respect all people—including those who identify differently—truth and love are not mutually exclusive.

Efforts to “modernize” language should not come at the cost of clarity, truth, or freedom. And for Hawai‘i, where family, culture, and faith are tightly woven together, we must ask: Does this change serve the people of Hawai‘i—or an outside ideology?