University of Houston's SGA Proposes 'Respect for Pronouns' Bill, Hits a Constitutional Snag

Does every “they” deserve respect? Some in a Texas university’s Student Government Association have insisted, “Yes.”

The University of Houston’s SGA recently proposed legislation putting words in members’ mouths. [SGAB]-5911 reads thusly:

Respect for Pronouns bill

Whereas, The University of Houston has an extremely diverse population with an extremely diverse set of gender identities.

Whereas, The University of Houston SGA strives to make their meetings an inclusive environment for everyone.

Whereas, addressing a person by the proper pronouns allows for a more inclusive environment.

Then comes the “therefore”:

Therefore, be it enacted by the Student Government Association of the University of Houston:

Name tags containing the proper pronouns will be given to every member of the Student Government Association, and it will be the responsibility of the Director of Public Relations to create these name tags. If the Director of Public Relations is unable to create the name tags, the responsibility will fall to the Speaker of the Senate.

Where online interaction is concerned, the legislation makes a stern suggestion:

Be it further enacted, while not required, the Student Government Association strongly recommends the usage of pronouns in SGA members’ names on Zoom.

Lastly, the Association wants to ensure adherence to our revolutionary third-party-reference rules:

Be it further enacted, members of the Student Government Association must refer to others by their respective pronouns, and respect people’s gender identity.

In 2023, pronouns make all other nouns look amateur:

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Students Decry College’s Paltry Pronoun Provisions — There’s Not Even a ‘Mushroomself’

Ivy League School Issues a Pronoun Mandate, Tells Students to Report Each Other for Infractions

In the Beginning, God Created ‘Hir’ and ‘Zir’: Christian University Converts to Pronounism

Christian Church Leads Prayer to the ‘God of Pronouns,’ the ‘Great They/Them’ Who Breastfeeds

In a short time, we’ve come a long way. Not many years ago, no one had a gender identity — because no one had a “gender;” the word was a grammatical term. Fast-forward, and we’re being simultaneously informed that gender is a social construct and we must adhere to it.

A contingent of the University of Houston’s SGA is committed to doing its part.

However, a snag has been hit. Following [SGAB]-5911’s motion, student Senator Mike Abel opposed it on First Amendment grounds. He took the issue to the SGA’s Supreme Court, the chief justice of which reportedly wrote the following on February 7th:

“[We] all agreed that the last sentence of the bill is unconstitutional.”

Mike noted to Campus Reform, “I think that compelled speech at public universities isn’t proper or constitutional regardless of what the agenda being pushed is. … The SGA’s bylaws incorporate the Constitution, and…compelled speech doctrine bars the government from compelling people to express things against their will.”

It’s a setback, but surely the pursuit for expressed respect will continue. Meanwhile, the University of Houston is otherwise adamantly looking out for the maligned and marginalized:

State University Offers Exclusive Housing for Trans Students and 'Voice Feminization' Serviceshttps://t.co/07SZxSKwJT

— Alex Parker (@alexparker1984) January 29, 2023