Posted on 10/06/2023 8:51:07 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
There are people born with biological or chromosomal abnormalities who do not fit perfectly into the male-female categories. They are called intersex (more precisely, those affected by disorders of sexual development, representing .018% of the population). They deserve our sensitivity and compassion, but they are the exceptions who prove the rule of the gender binary.
There are also people who, to the core of their being, feel that they are trapped in the wrong body, often experiencing internal conflict and pain for many years. They too deserve our sensitivity and compassion. But to call them “transgender” is to do them a disservice.
Simply stated, since transgender identity, in sharp distinction from the condition of intersex, is a psychological condition, that identity is a perception rather than a reality. Consequently, to refer to transgender identity as if it were a biological reality is to do a disservice to the sufferer, not to mention damage society as a whole and deny biological realities and gender distinctions. (Obviously, in saying this, I do not believe that, from birth, trans-identifying people have different brains than others. If that were true, then their condition would be biologically grounded after all.)
To those of you who agree with what I have stated, this is nothing new. I am simply preaching to the choir. Yet there is a reason for this preaching. (I’ll return to that shortly.)
To those of you who disagree with what I have stated, this is further proof of what you perceive as my deep-seated transphobia and religious-based bigotry. Yet you are still reading this article, so please do read on.
Let’s flesh this out for a moment in real-life terms, but using the hypothetical character Jane Doe.
Jane has been a famous actress for years, known to her followers as “she,” since, quite unambiguously, she is a woman.
But now Jane says that she identifies as a male and that, all these years, she has been suppressing her real identity. Jane is now John.
As a result, from the very moment of Jane’s announcement, before she has met with a medical professional or received any hormone treatment or had any body-altering surgery, “she” is now referred to as “he.” In fact, to fail to make the pronoun shift is an act of hatred, and on some internet platforms, it is grounds for exclusion and banning. (How dare we “deadname” or “misgender”!)
But two years later, John has had a change of heart and realizes that he is actually neither Jane nor John. He/she is now non-binary and must be referenced to as “they.” All clear! “They” it is.
But two more years down the line and “they” now realize that “they” are actually “she.” Jane is actually Jane again! Back to “she” we go, without questioning anything or wondering aloud if something might not be amiss.
Now, in cases where my hypothetical scenario is quite close to real life, my intention is not to mock or demean. It is simply to underscore that the entire “transgender” (or “non-binary”) identity of Ms.-Mr.-Mss./Messrs Doe had nothing to do with actual reality. It was entirely a matter of perception, not particularly different from those who identify as furries (part human, part animal) or those who suffer from Body Identity Integrity Disorder (BIID).
In each case, the feelings can be very deep and real, sometimes to the point of torment and potential (or actual) suicide and/or bodily harm.
But that doesn’t mean that, say, Dr. David Benaron, the inventor who laid the groundwork for the optical heart rate monitor on our smart watches, is actually part cheetah. (He has identified as “Spottacus” the cheetah for many years.)
And that doesn’t mean that Jewel Shuping, the BIID sufferer who blinded herself in order to keep with her lifelong perception of being sightless, was truly sightless before she destroyed her sight.
Obviously not.
To be clear, on a personal level, I have no point of reference for the experiences of people like Benaron or Shuping, or, for that matter, people like “Caitlyn” Jenner. I cannot begin to imagine what conflicts or pain or confusion they have lived with, nor do I pretend to understand.
But that doesn’t mean for a moment that we should affirm their perceived identities.
On the contrary, the moment we affirm the outward symptoms rather than continue to look for inward cures, we do what is convenient rather than what is best.
Not only so, but we turn biological and societal realities upside down, leading to ridiculous, oxymoronic references to things like “her male genitalia” as well as contributing to the deep-seated confusion of our children.
More significantly, we open the door to unfair practices, such as boys competing against girls in sports events. And we make possible downright dangerous social practices, such as imprisoning a biological male sex-offender who identifies as female in a women’s prison, where he proceeds to rape the female inmates.
Again, I understand that perception may feel like reality. But that does not make it reality, and it is high time that we take a stand for reality.
This means that, at the least, conservative news sites should stop using preferred gender pronouns, regardless of what professional guidelines call for. It’s time to buck the system. (It would be great if all news sites stopped using such terminology, but obviously, those who affirm transgender identity would have no reason to do so.)
It also means that those of us who share my convictions should no longer refer to someone as, say, “a transgender male” but rather as a woman who identifies as a man. If we do use the “trans” word at all, it should be in the phrase “trans-identifying.” That’s because transgender, as a distinct biological reality, simply does not exist. The sooner we accept this reality, the better.
I personally believe that, in the not too distant future, society as a whole will recognize this to be true. Why not, then, do the right thing today rather than simply swim with the tide when things shift in the years ahead? That’s what compromisers do. People of courage and conviction do the right thing today, regardless of cost or consequences.
And we can do this while working to help those struggling with these deep internal conflicts and while showing them love on an individual level, even if they are put off by our style of communication.
Love does what’s right even when it’s unpopular.
That’s because love is driven by reality rather than perception. Love is driven by truth.
Dr. Michael Brown(www.askdrbrown.org) is the host of the nationally syndicated Line of Fire radio program. His latest book isWhy So Many Christians Have Left the Faith.
Well said, Dr. Brown.
I don’t have the desire or the time to play these personal pronoun games.
If you look like a female to me, I shall address you as such. The same rule applies to males.
This is how I’ve operated my entire life.
The article is very good, with just my one different opinion:
“There are also people who, to the core of their being, feel that they are trapped in the wrong body”
I reject the “the very core of their being” idea, as that rejects the biological reality that is really at the core of their being. Yes, our “being” is not just spiritual but physical and that physical reality is every bit as much a par of it is the spiritual.
To accept that “core of their being” idea is to accept a grave and errant mental health condition - something that started and grew during social development - as “core” to us, instead of the mistake that it is.
The Bible compels me….male and female He created them.
I appreciate that the author addressed the tiny but real segment of people who are truly “intersex”.
He also makes the distinction between that condition and the psychological condition known as “gender dysphoria”, where the loving answer would be to address the dysphoria and not the things related to the person’s actual sex.
“Consequently, to refer to transgender identity as if it were a biological reality is to do a disservice to the sufferer, not to mention damage society as a whole”
This would be like having to refer to someone with multiple personality disorder (schizos) as separate, distinct individuals.
Delusion trumps reality.
I belong to two fitness clubs and there are a few 20-something males at both clubs that have "nancy-girl" hair buns.
It's really disgusting and quite repulsive.
Last week, there was one nancy girl going back-and-forth between two machines. I gave him hell and stated he must be someone special to have that privilege.
Well said
I think they call those things “man buns”. It’s the hairstyle worn by Sumo wrestlers.
They don’t look very manly to me, but I’m not Japanese.
It doesn’t matter how carefully or thoroughly you explain this issue. The reply will be simply a one word weapon.... such as transphobic.
In graduate school I took some Abnormal Psychology courses. We were told it is both cruel and dangerous to participate in a person’s delusions.
The whole is meshed with homosexuality and the current push for deviant ascendancy and recruitment.
Homosexuality is a transmittable mental disease and we are under assault.
University of Colorado Site Declares Misgendering an “Act of Violence”
Biden Admin Proposal Would Take Kids Out Of Foster Homes That Don’t Affirm Their ‘Gender Identity’
Ohio teacher forced to resign after refusing to call students by preferred pronouns: Lawsuit
[Ireland] Irish teacher suspended from school, jailed over transgender pronouns flap
Fairfax, Virginia Schools May Expel Elementary Students For ‘Misgendering’ People
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