A Failing Strategy

by on

More:

Andrew Sullivan blogged:

Lia Thomas’ triumphs at the NCAA swimming finals are never going to be treated as completely fair by most people. Inclusion is important and trans athletes need to be treated with dignity. But the core biological differences between men and women simply cannot be wished away, and when we’re talking about high-level competition, the unfairness is simply unmissable. Yelling TRANS WOMEN ARE WOMEN! will not persuade anyone, and it isn’t designed to. It would be wonderful if this were true in every respect, but it isn’t. Ask yourself: if you knew nothing else but the interview above, what would you think was going on?

Maybe it’s worth trading off fairness for inclusion. I’m open to that idea. But activists need to understand that demanding people not believe what is in front of their ears and eyes is a mark not of a civil rights movement, but a form of authoritarianism.

9 Comments

Yes, This Is Happening

by on

De-transitioning is not comparable with going ex-gay. Quite the opposite; many de-transitioners are abandoning the effort to mutilate their bodies so as to live as heterosexuals and reclaiming their true, gay identity.

2 Comments

Gender Ideology and Homophobia

by on

There’s a lot of denial about the implications of radical gender ideology on gay and lesbian identity, and especially the messages being directed at gay kids. I don’t agree with Andrew Sullivan about all things political, but he’s been at the forefront of warning about what’s going on. In Britain, feminist Kathleen Stock has risked her academic career to do the same.

5 Comments

Florida Bill: ‘Don’t Say Gay’ or Protecting Gay Kids from Gender Jacobins?

by on

The Florida bill, if passed, would bar teacher-led discussions of gender identity and sexual orientation in kindergarten through 3rd grade. The restriction is debatable but should be viewed in light of teachers instructing 6 and 7 year olds to reconsider their gender identities if their behavior doesn’t conform to stereotypes for boys and girls. So, is it really a “don’t say gay” bill, as the Human Rights Campaign charges (think fundraising), or a move that will protect lesbian and gay kids from being told they’re in the wrong bodies.

Today’s gender ideology is premised on the widespread assertion of gender identity drawn from gender stereotypes, and is far distant from anything to do with the small number of people who might actually be considered transsexual.

Wright backs up his argument:

Gender activists believe that being a man or a woman requires embracing stereotypes of masculinity or femininity, respectively … A recent New York Times piece refers to “men, women and gender nonconforming people,” as though gender nonconformity were incompatible with being a man or a woman. According to the Genderbread Person, a popular educational tool for teaching young children about gender identity, the properties of “man-ness” and “woman-ness” include certain stereotypical “personality traits, jobs, hobbies, likes, dislikes, roles, [and] expectations.”
The clear message of gender ideology is that, if you’re a female who doesn’t “identify with” the social roles and stereotypes of femininity, then you’re not a woman; if you’re a male who similarly rejects the social roles and stereotypes of masculinity, then you’re not a man.

3 Comments