What the Bill Actually Does

New York Senate Bill 9316, sponsored by Democratic State Sen. Luis Sepúlveda of The Bronx, would make the state's family court and domestic relations laws gender-neutral. That means swapping out 'mother' and 'father' for 'gestating parent' and 'non-gestating parent.' The word 'paternity' would become 'parentage.'

The bill passed the State Senate earlier this week after clearing the Assembly back in March, according to Fox News reporting. It now sits on Governor Kathy Hochul's desk.

Hochul told reporters she isn't familiar with the proposal. 'I have until the end of the year to review them and make a decision, so I won't be commenting on pending legislation,' she said.

Who's Behind It and Why

Sen. Sepúlveda introduced the bill after a nearly identical version failed to pass the Senate in 2025. Supporters argue the changes are necessary to legally recognize LGBTQ+ families — specifically same-sex couples — in state law, according to The Advocate. Under current New York law, some statutes use terms that technically only apply to one biological parent configuration. The goal, as framed by bill backers, is to make the law work for families that don't fit the traditional two-biological-parent model.

Courts deal with adoptive parents, same-sex couples, and other non-traditional arrangements every day. Updating legal language to cover those cases isn't inherently radical.

What the Critics Are Saying

George Washington University constitutional law professor Jonathan Turley mocked the timing on X, posting: 'Just in time for Non-Gestating Parent Day' — a reference to Father's Day on June 21. He added, 'For my part I look forward to June 21st for a day of grilling and non-gestating.'

New York-based minister and social media influencer Jordon Wells called it 'pure insanity,' arguing it attempts to reverse a naming convention that has existed for 'six thousand years.'

Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman jumped in with a political shot: 'In Kathy Hochul's New York, mom is now defined as gestating parent. Not when I'm governor!' U.S. Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY) piled on, writing on X: 'The party that can't define a woman is now rewriting New York law to erase mothers and fathers.'

What Both Sides Are Getting Wrong

Right-leaning coverage — including Breitbart — frames this entirely as cultural warfare and language manipulation. The framing captures part of the issue, but skips the genuine legal question: do outdated gendered terms in family court create real problems for non-traditional families? They sometimes do.

Left-leaning coverage, meanwhile, makes its own logical leap. The Advocate's headline frames this as conservatives being hypocrites — noting that many on the right have complained about anti-male bias in child custody decisions for years, and that gender-neutral language should theoretically help fathers. But 'gestating parent' and 'non-gestating parent' are NOT the same as gender-neutral. They replace clear, universal terms that every human being on earth understands with clinical jargon that most people find alienating. There's a massive difference between updating legal language for clarity and replacing 'mother' with 'gestating parent.'

Legislators could create a legal framework that covers all family configurations without erasing the most universally recognized family terms in human history.

The Real Question

Why does ANY of this require the word 'mother' to disappear?

Legislatures in other states have addressed non-traditional family recognition in court proceedings by ADDING definitions — not by deleting existing ones. New York lawmakers could define 'parent' broadly for legal purposes, cover same-sex couples and adoptive parents explicitly, AND keep 'mother' and 'father' in the statute where they apply to biological and adoptive parents respectively.

They chose NOT to do that. Sepúlveda should be asked directly why.

What Hochul Does Next Matters

Hochul has political cover to veto this. She's already said she hasn't reviewed it. She's facing a gubernatorial race — Republican Blakeman is already using this against her. A veto lets her look reasonable without changing any law that currently protects LGBTQ+ families, since those protections exist through other statutes.

A signature, on the other hand, puts 'gestating parent' into New York law — a phrase that will appear in court documents, school records, and official government communications across the state.

The Outcome

This isn't about whether LGBTQ+ families deserve legal recognition. They do, and New York law already provides substantial protections. This is about whether 'gestating parent' is an improvement over 'mother' for anyone — including the same-sex couples this bill claims to help. Most parents, regardless of sexual orientation, call themselves moms and dads.

If Hochul signs this, New York will be the first state to officially replace 'mother' with 'gestating parent' in family law. That would be a bureaucracy deciding it knows better than plain English.