In yet another example of today’s ongoing war on the “gender binary” (meaning, dividing the human race into male and female), the University of California has announced that incoming students will be able to choose from six different categories of gender identification: “male, female, trans male, trans female, gender queer/gender non-conforming and different identity.”
Presumably, a “trans male” would include biological women who identify as male, regardless of how they “present” themselves and regardless of whether they have had sex-change surgery, with a “trans female” being the opposite, while “gender queer/gender non-conforming” would seemingly cover all other options. After all, what else is there beyond “gender non-conforming”?
But even that is not sufficient, hence the additional category of “different identity,” just as Facebook’s 50 ways to choose your gender were not enough, forcing them to add “fill in the blank.”
So, rather than the University of California recognizing that we are dealing with a growing epidemic of gender confusion, pointing to a real need in our society and calling us to look for ways to help those who struggle, the school system is instead codifying perception as reality.
One can only wonder what impressionable 18-year-olds who have come of age in the “Caitlyn” Jenner era will put down for their gender identity. And what will some of them write under the category of “different identity”?
Will they be like the high-school kids who choose not to identify as male or female but instead, in their rebellion against the dominant culture, want to be called “Tractor“?
Will they be like the “otherkin” (or “therian”) who identify as part human and part animal (suffering not from gender dysphoria but species dysphoria)?
It would be one thing if the university wanted to chart emotional or mental problems experienced by their student body. Instead, “The identity choices, officials said, are intended to help serve the student body of each campus.
“‘When a university has better information on their student population, better decisions can be made about allocating the resources to support students,’ said Kate Moser, spokeswoman at UC’s office of the president.”
In other words, we will cater our realities to meet their perceptions.
But this is just one example of today’s increasing societal madness, and I say that with full understanding that there are concrete issues faced by people who are intersex and that the struggles of those who identify as transgender are often very intense and deep, causing terrible distress, sometimes to the point of suicide.
I do not diminish these struggles in the least, but as I have stated many times before, we cannot surrender the importance of gender distinctions or, worse still, join in the ever intensifying war on gender without grave social consequences. That’s why Principle No. 5 in my new book, “Outlasting the Gay Revolution: Where Homosexual Activism Is Really Going and How to Turn the Tide,” is “Celebrate Gender Distinctions.”
As I note in the book, “regardless of the culture, nationality, ethnicity, or skin color, every society has men and women, husband and wives, sons and daughters, boys and girls. This is another reason why the gay revolution stands on very tenuous ground: It is rendering gender meaningless.” (Trust me on this: If you’re disturbed by what you read in this short article, you’ll be even more disturbed by the shocking data compiled in the book. But we won’t leave you hanging there in despair. We’ll fill you with hope and give you a long-term plan for cultural change.)
How far will this war on gender go?
Here are two more examples, both from the last few days.
First, as reported Tuesday on American Thinker, “The University of Connecticut, which received state and federal funding, has a program to teach men who want to be pretend to be women how to talk like girls (and vice versa, of course – no discrimination there!).”
What’s with these universities?
As Thomas Lifson rightly exclaimed, “I am baffled. Here, the feminists have been telling us for decades that gender stereotypes are invidious relics of the past. But now, the cutting edge of the movement, the transgendered crowd, is striving to emulate those same gender stereotypes.”
Second, just two days earlier, USA Today reported that “Kids visiting Target will no longer have to consider their gender while shopping.
“The retailer announced Friday it will start removing gender-based labeling in several departments – including toys, bedding and entertainment – around the store. The company says the decision comes after feedback and suggestions from customers.”
In response, an official statement from Target announced, “We heard you, and we agree. Right now, our teams are working across the store to identify areas where we can phase out gender-based signage to help strike a better balance.”
As a result, USA Today explains, “The decision will change elements beyond just the signage in these departments. In the children’s toys area of the store, Target plans to remove pink, blue, yellow and green paper on the back of the walls to eliminate references or suggestions based on gender.”
The reality, of course, is that male-female distinctives go to the very core of human nature – indeed, they are what makes the world go ’round – and to create an environment that denies (or dramatically downplays) their existence is to engage in a social experiment that is sure to fail.
The bad news is that we could have a rough ride in the next few years. The good news is that God did, indeed, make us male and female (as the overwhelming, prevailing norm), and those who celebrate those distinctives and build relationships and families based on those distinctives will flourish.
This is another way that, with God’s help, we will outlast the gay revolution.
Media wishing to interview Michael Brown, please contact [email protected].
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