New pronouns for some old parchment.

• Author: Vilbig, Peter
• Position: Government - Changes to state constitutions make them gender neutral

When many state constitutions were written, in the 18th and 19th centuries, the idea of a Mrs. or Ms. Governor was as preposterous as, say, space travel. Many of those musty old documents refer to governors, legislators, and state officials all as "he." But times change.

Nowadays many more women serve as lawmakers, judges, and the like. New York and Rhode Island have recently made their constitutions "gender neutral"--substituting neutral, terms or "he or...