Transgender Confusion…or is it Manipulation?

When rules are designed to impact critical and consequential decisions, then those rules should be based…as much as possible…on facts that are provable and indisputable.  For example…my reservations regarding capital punishment are not based on the sacrifice of one’s life for a heinous crime; but rather the credibility of our justice system to guarantee the guilt of the one being put to death.  The more impactful the decision will be, the more important that it be correct.

 

This is perhaps the biggest problem that permeates the transgender discussions taking place at all levels of our culture and society.  The biological test for the classification of male or female is proven science; it is reliable.  It is simple and understandable.  The fact that an individual might identify as male or female is entirely unreliable and open to question.  Experience has shown us that in many cases, when a determination is based on terms that are subject to circumstance or opinion as opposed to proof…the personal motivations and emotional state of the person making the decision play a large part in the reliability of the choice.  This reality is apparent in many areas of human behavior that extend well beyond those of gender identification.

 

Our nation is seemingly captivated by the Lindsay Clancy trial.  In that trial, the critical issue is not whether or not the mother killed her children…it is whether or not she was in control of her actions when she killed her children.  Her defense is that she was not.  Whether or not she was is the entire point of this trial and the jury will decide her fate.  My point is that what she claims to be truth…that being her lack of control…is not reliably provable and must therefore be legally considered and adjudicated.  Even then, when the final verdict comes in, you can rest assured that there will be much discussion about how valid that verdict is. 

 

The human mind is a complex, onion-like organ that mankind, in spite of all our wondrous technology and medical advancements, still does not completely understand.  No doubt, some accused individuals in the past have used the Clancy defense premise in a false and devious way to escape accountability for their crimes.  Some might have been valid; some might not.  When societal circumstances demand it, criminal law addresses this gray area as best it can…leaving the final answer open to the determination of a jury.  The law does this because there is no universal and indisputable response to the legal question; so it must remain open in order to account for all possibilities. 

 

This situation may exist in criminal law, but it does not exist in the overwhelming number of cases where gender identification is being debated today.  Accommodation for gender confusion can be accomplished without reinventing and disrupting existing mores, habits, and realities.  If we cannot always be certain about what is going on in our own heads…how can we be certain about what is going on in other’s?

 

America’s professional sports leagues have become infected with social posturing and virtue signaling to a point where it is oftentimes difficult to watch and enjoy the product they exist to promote…sports.  The NFL was for a long time the worst actor in this foolish charade with their kneeling, end zone logo and helmet messaging, and their general attitude towards all things being acceptable in a social context.  But the NFL has clearly been displaced by the WNBA as the most notorious violator of common sense.  The WNBA’s rules clearly state that its players must be women; but it somehow cannot bring itself to define precisely what a woman is.  This is madness.

 

Apart from providing boundless opportunities for entrepreneurs to make money, the WNBA exists to provide opportunities for young, female athletes to make a living playing professional basketball.  While this is a noble and righteous cause, the WNBA somehow struggles to bring itself to clearly defend that for which it stands.  The ownership and general management of the league and the teams predominantly insist on using their popularity and visibility to promote every social cause under the sun…sometimes to the detriment of the young, female athlete.  It is the height of stupidity to ignore the fact that in the main, male athletes are physically superior to female athletes.  It is equally moronic to ignore the likelihood that a male athlete might simply identify themselves as a female, in spite of their biological gender reality, simply to take advantage of the WNBA and the financial opportunities it offers to young women. 

 

The legal implications of the federal Title IX law mandate equal and fair opportunities for both genders, male and female, in schools that receive federal funding: https://familypolicyalliance.com/savegirlssports/ .  The law is clear, concise, based on a fundamental premise of equity and reason, and should not be open to debate about who and how it impacts people.  Most rational and reasonable people have come to terms with this and run their organizations in compliance with its principles.  Most notably, future Olympic Games will not permit biological males to compete in female events.  The WNBA has taken a marvelous product and perverted it to promote the radical ideals of a few powerful and influential individuals.  It is a damn shame that something with so much potential and promise for young women is being tarnished and trashed by blatant stupidity.

 

As in most things human and civic, tolerance is a precious and necessary quality for all of us to possess.  None of us…not one…has sufficient wisdom and knowledge to determine the absolute right and wrong in all things.  But the need for humility and tolerance should not negate the application of simple common sense and reason when it can be integrated into the process.  Gender identification is one of those areas where common sense and reason has been carelessly…or intentionally…disregarded.

 

A child cannot vote.  A child cannot view an R-rated movie.  A child cannot purchase liquor, beer, or guns.  A child cannot drive a car.  A child cannot do many things in our culture and society because we as a collective realize that they are not yet sufficiently mature in an emotional and developmental sense to make responsible decisions concerning their own welfare.  Why in heaven’s sake are we allowing our children to be subjected to extreme, biologically altering surgeries because they might think they are somehow put together incorrectly? 

 

These brutal, sometimes barbaric gender-altering surgeries are irrevocable.  They are most times based on the opinions and decisions of people who are not even vested in the welfare of the subject; they are not parents or guardians.  Why would we, as responsible adults, allow our children to make decisions of this consequence when we know….when it established through our existing laws and practices…that they are not competent to make a decision this important?   Why would we want our culture and society to permit decisions and actions of this magnitude to occur outside the realm of the traditional family structure?

 

Our nation is based on the Constitution and that document provides essential rights which in turn require essential tolerance.  But that tolerance has limits.  Those limits should be applied judiciously and equitably, but they must be applied.  An individual’s personal decision to pursue their desires and private agenda is properly permitted within the realm of our Constitution.  But when the pursuit of that personal desire adversely affects the freedoms and liberties of other individuals, then there must be guardrails and safeguards to insure co-existence and fairness.  To me, gender identification falls squarely in this zone.  Every person, when they achieve competence to make such a decision, has the right to call themselves whatever gender they desire.  What they cannot do is demand of others the same denial of certain realities, especially when that denial limits the freedoms and opportunities of the others.  The tail cannot be allowed to wag the dog.  A small minority should not be permitted to dictate to a larger majority.

 

Gender identification issues have likely existed since Adam and Eve, but they have only recently risen to such a high and visible stature in our culture and society.  In July of 2021, the U S Census Bureau added voluntary questions to its data requests regarding sexual orientation and gender identity.   It should be noted that the response to these inquires are based entirely on self identification.   As discussed before, when the implications of the action have far reaching impacts, we should adhere as much as possible to absolute truths and not opinion. 

 

The U S Census data clearly has such far reaching impacts.  Since 2021, the Census Bureau has made several changes to this gender identification information gathering effort which have, in effect, recognized the fact that they were not only attempting to apply certainty to an uncertain supposition…but they were also opening up an immense can of worms in an area best left alone.  Bearing in mind that these statistics are based on self identification, consider the following national statistics for gender identification.  Decide for yourself how valid these numbers might be.

 

What does it mean to be transgender?

According to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention page, “transgender” is an umbrella term for people whose gender identity or expression is different from their sex assigned at birth.

On the other hand, “cisgender” is a term for “individuals whose current gender identity is the same as the sex they were assigned at birth.”

 

What percentage of the US population is transgender?

About 0.95% of the nation’s adult population identifies as transgender, according to Household Pulse Survey data collected from May to September 2024. This is equivalent to approximately 2.3 million adults.

Most of the adult population (97.35%) self-identifies as cisgender. Another 1.70% do not identify as male, female, or transgender — these people may use terms like non-binary, intersex, or gender non-conforming, depending on the individual.

 

Transgender Population in the United States

The most recent authoritative estimates — combining U.S. Census Bureau Household Pulse Survey data with Williams Institute modeling — show that about 2.8 million people aged 13 and older in the United States identify as transgender  Williams Institute+1. This represents roughly 1.0% of those aged 13 and older.

Breakdown by Age Group

·         Youth (13–17): ~724,000 people, or 3.3% of this age group  Williams Institute+1.

·         Young adults (18–24): ~483,000 people, or about 2.7% of this group  snuggymom.com.

·         Adults (18+): ~2.1 million people, or 0.8% of the adult population  Williams Institute+1.

·         Seniors (65+): ~186,000 people, or 0.26% of this group  snuggymom.com.

Gender Identity Distribution Among Adults

Among the ~2.1 million transgender adults:

·         Trans women: ~698,500 (32.7%)

·         Trans men: ~730,500 (34.2%)

·         Nonbinary: ~707,100 (33.1%)  Williams Institute.

Context

·         The U.S. Census Bureau began collecting gender identity data in 2021 via the Household Pulse Survey, which is now the primary source for national estimates  USAFacts.

·         These figures are based on self-identification and do not include people who may not have responded to the question.

·         Younger age groups show significantly higher identification rates than older ones, reflecting generational shifts in language, safety, and visibility  snuggymom.com.

In summary: About 1% of U.S. residents aged 13 and older identify as transgender, with the largest shares in youth and young adult populations.

 

------------

While acknowledging that there are individuals who are legitimately confused about their gender and oftentimes this confusion is in conflict with their biology, it is also important to recognize that gender identity…when not based on science or biology…is a self identified condition.  Self identification is as nebulous as the wind.  We might today be a Democrat and tomorrow be a Republican; today an addict, tomorrow a recovering person; today optimistic, tomorrow depressed and morose; today buttoned down, tomorrow grunge; today married, tomorrow divorced.  Are we not all somewhat subject to the innate desire to be included, recognized, and part of a specific group or clique and this need drives many of our social choices?  Is there any doubt that when considering a child or an adolescent, this desire is even more powerful and oftentimes drives a person to make decisions or take actions that are later greatly regrettable? 

   

Gender identity is a personal crisis for many and should be recognized with compassion and empathy.  But it serves no useful purpose to expand this crisis to those who are not involved with it and who might even be harmed by its broader applications.  Compassion and empathy are not mutually exclusive from common sense and reason.  We can be caring human beings without practicing nonsensical and ill-conceived solutions to problems that simply do not exist, or more importantly…misapplying those solutions in ways that create collateral damage to innocent victims.