Education department eliminates the terms 'mother' and 'father' in favor of less gender-specific 'parent 1' and 'parent 2'
- The move is a bid to better accommodate students brought up in gay households
- Conservative christian groups have expressed outrage
The U.S. Department of Education is replacing the terms ‘Mother’ and ‘Father’ on student loan forms with the less gender-specific ‘Parent 1’ and ‘Parent 2.’
The changes will be introduced on the 2014-2015 federal student aid form (FAFSA) and the move is designed to better accommodate students who are brought up in gay homes where there are two mother or two fathers.
‘All students should be able to apply for federal student aid within a system that incorporates their unique family dynamics,’ Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said in a statement.
The U.S. Department of Education is replacing the terms 'Mother' and 'Father' on student loan forms with the less gender-specific 'Parent 1' and 'Parent 2'
The move is designed to better accommodate students who are brought up in gay homes where there are two mother or two fathers
For the first time the department will collect income ‘from a dependent student’s legal parents regardless of the parents’ marital status or gender, if those parents live together,’ reports the Washington Times.
The announcement has already elicited an angry response from conservative Christian groups.
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‘As a mother, I find that deeply offensive,’ said Cathy Ruse of the Family Research Council.
‘I carried my children for nine months in my womb, I endured the pain (and joy) of birth, I nursed them for many months after they were born, and every morning they jump into my bed screaming, “Mommy!”’
All students should be able to apply for student aid in a system that incorporates their unique family dynamics said Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, while Cathy Ruse of the Family Research Council was the move was 'deeply offensive'
The changes will be introduced on the 2014-2015 federal student aid form (FAFSA)
‘But the federal government says I’m Mommy no more. I am Parent 1. Or maybe Parent 2. Mr. President, I dare you to tell my daughters I’m not their mother.’
According to education secretary Duncan the change is about more than being inclusive and will help the department to more precisely calculate federal student aid eligibility based on what a student’s whole family is able to contribute.
The change will help ensure that taxpayer dollars are better targeted toward those students who have the most need, she said.
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