Last Updated on October 17, 2020
Just moments after Se. Maize Hirono (D-HI), chastised Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett for using the phrase “sexual preference,” the Webster’s Dictionary redefined the term as “offensive” to the LGBTQ individuals.
During questioning that involved the identity politics issue of gay marriage, Judge Barrett used the term “sexual preference.” Almost immediately, Sen. Hirono pounced on Barrett for using an offensive statement.
“Let me make clear, ‘sexual preference’ is an offensive and outdated term,” Hirono said. “It is used by the anti-LGBTQ activists to suggest that sexual orientation is a choice. It is not. Sexual orientation is a key part of a person’s identity…So if it is your view that sexual orientation is merely a ‘preference,’ as you noted, then the LGBTQ community should be rightly concerned whether you will uphold their constitutional right to marry.”
As if to quietly bolster the Progressive Senator’s position, Webster’s Dictionary quietly updated its definition of “preference.”
Democrats Smear Barrett for Saying ‘Sexual Preference,’ a Term Used by Biden and Ginsburg https://t.co/4cu3IIRk34 via @McCormackJohn pic.twitter.com/hfmsbS5q7J
— National Review (@NRO) October 15, 2020
Prior to Hirono’s questionable outrage, the fifth definition listed under “preference” linked to the term “sexual preference” in Webster’s Dictionary read “the universally used phrase to refer to those with whom a person chooses to have sex.”
Since Hirono’s aggressive outburst, the definition reads not just that the word is “offensive,” but that the phrase is “widely” believed to be considered offensive. It was not listed as offensive by Webster’s Dictionary until after Barrett used it.
“The term preference as used to refer to sexual orientation is widely considered offensive in its implied suggestion that a person can choose who they are sexually or romantically attracted to,” Webster’s now claims.
According to most in the scientific community, there is no specific scientific evidence that supports the theory that genetic code concretely determines how attraction among people is determined, including to what gender someone is attracted.
Both Joe Biden and the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg used the term proudly; Biden in May of this year Ginsburg in 2017.
