A Tennessee lawmaker wants to amend the state code to remove language that he calls "offensive."
State Rep. Darren Jernigan introduced a new bill that would amend the Tennessee Code Annotated, which guides the state's vocabulary in its laws, WKRN reports. As it currently reads, the code uses the phrase "deaf and dumb," but Jernigan hopes to replace it with the phrase "deaf and hard of hearing."
"In this case, the language 'deaf and dumb' still being on the books is very antiquated and it's very offensive, frankly," said Rep. Jernigan. "Words matter so we need to have the correct language, so we took 'deaf and dumb' and replaced it with 'deaf and hard of hearing.'"
According to the news outlet, a librarian reached out to Jernigan to make him aware that the term was still being used to refer to people with hearing disabilities. Once he learned that was the case, he decided to make a change to the code to help ensure people who are deaf or hard of hearing are treated with respect.
"Language matters, it reflects on who they are," he said. "When you're in a court system or you're bing recognized by Tennessee law, because you are hard of hearing or cannot speak, you're not dumb. That's not a characteristic of having a disability."
The house bill was passed in the Health Subcommittee, but needs to pass through two additional committees before it appears on the House floor. State Senator Becky Duncan Massey has also filed the bill in the state senate.