Gender inclusive? US congressman ends opening prayer with 'amen and a-woman'
The opening prayer for the first day of the 117th Congress in the US ended quite unusually with the words “amen and a-women.”
“We ask it in the name of the monotheistic God. God known by many names and by many different faiths. Amen, and awoman,” said Missouri Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, a Democrat and an ordained United Methodist pastor.
The prayer comes after a committee proposed changes in house rules to honor all gender identities and eliminate gendered words such as “mother,” “father,” “he,” and “she.” Instead, gender-neutral terms should be adopted according to the proposal.
Republicans have quickly scored Cleaver, saying that “amen” is not a gendered word based on its etymology.
In a tweet Pennsylvania’s Republican representative Guy Reschenthaler said “amen” comes from the Latin word meaning “so be it.”
The prayer to open the 117th Congress ended with "amen and a-women."
— Rep. Guy Reschenthaler (@GReschenthaler) January 3, 2021
Amen is Latin for "so be it."
It's not a gendered word.
Unfortunately, facts are irrelevant to progressives. Unbelievable. pic.twitter.com/FvZ0lLMDDr
