By: Quod Libet
Fifty-something years ago, Marvin Gaye posed the musical question, “What’s going on?” That question is timeless and just as relevant today. Inquiring minds want to know what’s going on within the transgender movement, who’s behind it, where (and to what, exactly) are we being led, and is its sole purpose really for the benefit of humanity, or is there a hidden agenda that’s something less altruistic? Those questions leave many scratching their heads. Besides asking those questions, this editorial constitutes an endeavor to untangle, decode, ascertain, and spell out what’s going on. If one man’s answer to Marvin’s thought-provoking question interests you, pull up a chair.
Seven years previous to Marvin’s popular lyric, Julie Andrews (as Mary Poppins) famously lilted, “A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down.” Consistent with that axiom, if what the radical, social nostrum trans activists prescribe is a concoction of treacherous lies, coupled with ill-intended side effects that are thoroughly unwholesome, then a tincture of truth might be just what the doctor ordered. A sweetener of sorts, added sparingly to make utter nonsense a bit easier for right-thinking skeptics to swallow. Effective deceptions are typically big lies comingled with a modicum of truth. Like other historic frauds, transgender theory is a mélange of atrocious lies, lightly seasoned with a sprinkling of generic truths, implemented on purpose to mollify incredulity. The list of transgender lies is long, so let’s begin with the truths, the palatable amendments commandeered and administered (in part) to disguise some very bad medicine, indeed.
Truths: We are blessed to live in a free society, in which we are all entitled to think and speak freely, and to adopt whatever lifestyle(s) that we deem most appropriate for us, provided that no one is harmed by our actions. Compassion and tolerance toward others are virtues to which every decent American should aspire. Differences of opinion are inevitable. Still and all, disagreements and debates that are calm and respectful are favored over impolite kickups that beget acrimony, harsh words, and divisiveness. And no worthy purpose is served by our self-righteous judgment or condemnation of others. So far, so good?
Among conscientious people, these universal truths are essentially indisputable. They existed long before the advent of trans genderism and were misappropriated strategically by woke, trans activists to impart a superficial patina of credibility, propriety, acceptability, and even obligation to transgender theory and to the movement itself. Thus, the woke employ the aforementioned virtues as a semantic shield, to fend off any and all challenges. In the playbook of duplicitous transgender activists, everlasting truths are treated as nothing more than insincere talking points, linguistic smokescreens laid down as a line of defense meant to impede legitimate debate, derail any objection, and silence all resistance. A clever strategy indeed, albeit plainly disingenuous and totally predictable.
Despite this spurious aura of legitimacy excogitated to justify transgender theory, activists rarely dare to debate the dubious details and sketchy, scientific invalidity that inevitably undermine their false hypothesis. Legitimate and coherent challenges are routinely deflected and sidetracked via a pre-meditated detour. In other words, rather than attempting to defend the indefensible, transgender activists steer clear of penetrating discussions relevant to their own pet issue by a carefully choreographed evasive maneuver. But when the woke cannot avoid fielding our well-founded objections to their crackpot theory, they habitually dismiss criticism, turn the tables, and change the subject. Thus, the focus is shifted away from the glaring fallibility of trans theory and redirected to the character of those who question it.
The master weapon of the woke is a form of mealy-mouthed rhetorical jiu-jitsu, by which our reasonable misgivings are deliberately and deceitfully misrepresented. Then come the utterly false accusations that we are hateful, intolerant, and lacking compassion. Followed by the usual, hackneyed name-calling. We are not cold-hearted, trans-phobic bigots or intolerant of people or their freedoms. That is a rank, transgender lie meant to discredit anyone with the guts and the gumption to challenge transgender nonsense. Are there certain things we cannot tolerate? Absolutely! They are specifically: the fraudulent transgender theory itself, its shameful litany of overt lies, and the brazen, woke indoctrination of our impressionable children. These atrocities are thoroughly intolerable and one hundred percent non-negotiable.
Now the lies. Brace yourself: A man can become a woman, and vice versa. Gender is different than sex, and it is determined exclusively by one’s thoughts, with zero regard to the subject’s anatomy. A newborn child’s gender is unknown and indeterminable. Eventually, children will self-identify their gender, based totally upon their own notions, and entirely divorced from all of the biological evidence. There are as many genders as there are people. Gender is not fixed, and thus it is fluid. One may identify as a man, a woman, both, or neither at any given time. One’s gender can change again and again depending on one’s mental state. Trans men have menstrual periods, bear children, and nurse them. A trans man (a biological woman) can be either a mother or father (or both) to her children; the same for the partner or sperm donor. Some men need tampons. Puberty blockers, hormones, and cosmetic surgeries actually transform biological men into women, and vice versa. Biological men who identify as women are authentic women in every capacity, and as such they have no advantage in athletic competitions against biological (real) women. Pronouns are determined by the subject, and not by objective observers. Either the word “woman” cannot be defined, or the woke, transgender definition is: anybody (male or female) who identifies as a woman. Lies, all lies.
It’s next to impossible to review that long list of audacious, transgender lies and not be at least puzzled, if not extremely doubtful and more than a wee bit scunnered. And how self-delusory would a person have to be to believe it all? Anyway, the nagging question remains, “What is a woman?” You cannot define a woman by theorizing that a woman is anyone who identifies as a woman, that’s circular illogic. Obliquity like this is common among trans advocates and discernably too cute by half, implying ignorance, insincerity, and/or evasion. To paraphrase Einstein, “If you can’t explain it to a six-year-old, in plain language, then you either don’t know what you’re talking about, or you’re just plain wrong.” If you want to know what a woman is, don’t ask the woke, ask a six-year-old, or a wise grandma, they’ll know.
What makes a woman a woman? It used to be XX chromosomes and inside plumbing (still is, in all reality). Beyond and above that, no man is good enough to qualify for such a sublime, exclusive sorority. Part of the reason a woman is a woman is because she isn’t a man, and there are only two appellations (the undeniable male/female binary). It’s not nice to fool Mother Nature, but now, if you’re woke enough, womanhood has been reduced to a Shania Twain ditty, “Oh-oh-oh, I wanna be free yeah, To feel the way I feel – Man, I feel like a woman.”
I don’t think Shania meant that in a gender-ambiguous context. Nonetheless, transgender baloney presupposes that the singular domain of womanhood can be arrived at simply by a capricious state of mind, and thus, membership in that glorious, exclusive, all-lady coterie is now available to every human being, male or female. No need to call the plumber. Tosh! True womanhood encompasses certain unique cognitive and emotional traits that differ from those intrinsic to men. Thus, a woman can never be counterfeited by cosmetic surgical procedures, pharmaceuticals, feminized clothing, or by any means known to man. A father’s love may be essential, but no man will ever love the way a mother loves. And while we’re on the subject, Rudyard Kipling eloquently described what a real man is in the poem, “If.”
When I consider the women I’ve known, loved, respected, and admired, I conclude that the title “woman” is reserved exclusively for the selfless, carriers of life, the tender nurturers and caregivers. To borrow a line from the 70’s rock band Boston, womanhood is infinitely “More than a feeling.” The transgender lie that a man can be a mother is repugnant and utterly disrespectful to women. If anybody should be vocal in their opposition to transgenderism, feminists ought to be. But when you sign up for membership in the political left club, you agree to do as you are told, go along to get along, repeat the party talking points, and otherwise keep your mouth shut. How disgraceful.
Gender dysphoria is the psychiatric term for subjects whose gender self-identity does not correspond with their anatomy. Transgender tendencies are not physical, they manifest themselves exclusively in the mind. When thoughts of this nature present themselves, should healthy bodies be artificially and indelibly mutilated to mirror such illusory and often transitory self-perceptions? Wouldn’t a mental health approach be the most logical, first, and best option explored? One that is noninvasive, one that does not remove or destroy healthy tissues and replace them with grotesque, non-functioning imitations, one that is not permanently life-changing and irreversible, and one that is not a needless cause of sterility. The mutilation of children (and the haste to do so advocated by transgender activists) is self-evidently ill-advised, unethical, inhumane, and fiendish. Someday the world will seek justice for trans medical quacks. I’m seeking it now.
Do we humor anorexics by agreeing with them that they’re too fat, and need to lose weight? Do we immediately put them on a low-cal diet? No! When a patient’s body self-image/identity is detached from reality, we do everything we can to help them recognize and accept what is real. If a patient is convinced that a healthy limb must be removed, is it compassionate or even ethical for a doctor to amputate it surgically? Of course not. Wouldn’t that principle apply even more to a confused teenager’s breasts or genitalia? First, do no harm. Have you forgotten that sacred oath? Is the real mission of transgender activists to downplay, ignore, or even validate and legitimize a form of mental illness (gender dysphoria)? Are they motivated entirely by sincere compassion to humor the mentally ill, primarily for the sake of their feelings,? No, not exactly.
As detestable as unwarranted child mutilation is, the hidden agenda of the transgender movement is worse, much worse. Enshrouded behind a veil of feigned compassion the woke poison pill is an agenda so consequential and ruinous that it must be hidden from the unsuspecting public. Hence, the false mantra is oft repeated that every conceivable sex/gender notion, ideation, expression, and manifestation, is normal, healthy, and legitimate, and thus worthy of our respect, accommodation, approval, and even celebration. These lying subverters direct their energies toward advancing the transgender myth, all designed to obscure common sense, cloud discernment, and pave the way to the woke version of utopia. Failure to take transgender theory and activism seriously is a colossal mistake.
Transgenderism is much more than just a new installment in a series of libertine social degradations, and it isn’t just a passing fad either. So, do not underestimate its consequential implications. Without our own analysis and sober deliberation, we might tend to overlook (and dismiss) the significance of transgender social misdirection. Trans activists depend on certain reactions (or the lack of one) from us. Of course, many “useful idiots” blindly accept trans propaganda without question. For those who are not so easily convinced, but remain disinterested and neutral, trans activists will count that uninformed apathy in their favor, and applaud the quiet acquiescence.
If you’re a cultural radical, bent on “fundamentally transforming the United States of America” (to quote Barack Obama), then everything old must be utterly demolished, all the way down to its foundation(s). Ask Mao. His “Great Leap Forward” required the dismantling of every old tradition by decree, coercion, force, or the very real threat of death. Those who opposed the movement were shamed and intimidated. Sound familiar? Over the years, this political agenda with left-of-center origins has been advanced to one degree or another, right here in the land of the free. This treasonous mission has largely been accomplished, and it is ongoing because its zealous advocates never rest.
Transgenderism is an insidious form of psychological warfare, and one major component of a larger, sociopolitical movement, the goal of which is to destabilize and ultimately topple Western culture. This movement didn’t just originate yesterday, it’s been around for years. Left-wing ‘60s radicals didn’t chant “Bring it all down, brother” for no reason. Many of those SDS, Weathermen (Marxist) radicals are gone now, but some (and many others, like-minded) are still with us, and still committed to the same destructive goal, albeit armed now with a different, more subtitle approach. C’mon, “Bring it all down brother?” That was just puerile collegiate hyperbole, right? Nope, they meant every word of it then, and they still do, now more than ever.
To be continued, Quod Libet
