And, more importantly – what are we going to do about it?
Every couple of generations a new belief system comes along that catches on and quickly seizes the public imagination. The trendy belief system du jour is gender identity. But, just because a lot of people believe it to be true or think that it makes sense, does not make a belief system universal, much less science and evidence-based.
For that reason (oh! plus a little thing called the Constitution), religions, religious ideologies, and belief systems have no place in public schools or our government. They are not universal and we have a secular society where, supposedly, citizens have freedom of religion.
It’s time to give gender ideology a name and shine a light on it — and then get it out of our schools just like we booted Creationism (or as the proponents called it – Creation Science (sound familiar?) back in 1987.
So, how do we know it’s a belief system, not science?
Fact: A thing that is known or proved to be true.
Belief: An acceptance that a statement is true or that something exists. A firmly held opinion or conviction; something you personally hold to be true, that doesn’t need to be supported by factual evidence.
So, for example:
Fact: Water freezes at 32 degrees Fahrenheit.
Belief: The human being is an immortal, spiritual being. This spirit, known as the thetan, resides in a physical body. (Scientology)
So – let’s look at “gender identity”:
There is gendered soul, separate and distinct from the physical body that makes you feel male or female, regardless of your sex. If your gender identity doesn’t match your assigned at birth sex, that causes distress, and you should change your body to match your gender identity.
Not much provable about that, scientifically speaking. So – belief or fact?
Let’s put it this way—if these gender disciples had truly discovered a new natural law or a third sex, or say, demonstrated the existence of a gender identity, don’t you think that this would be big news? Nobel prize material? Subject of great scientific inquiry? Don’t you think it’s odd that, instead, this great revelation is taking place on Tumblr, Twitter, and Instagram and in LGBTQ+ activism efforts in schools?
It’s pretty clearly “belief” to this author but, to give the benefit of the doubt, let’s say that it’s debatable and therefore not established fact. There really can’t be a serious argument about that. It’s a theory at best.
So, why is it in school curricula? Why this, and not other beliefs? Why not all theories?
The reason lies in language. We have not yet successfully described Genderism as a religious belief system to the public. And, so, it is simply not recognized by most people as a religious system. And since most people don’t understand it, and are intimidated into feeling like bigots if they raise questions, disciples of the belief system are free to go around saying that it *is* fact, and anyone who disagrees is just ignorant.
So, let’s give it a name. Let’s shine a light on it. Time to call Genderism what it is: A religion, with a belief system and culture that encourages self-harm and body modifications.
For the sake of argument, let’s call this religion The Church of Gender. Followers are Genderites. The ideology is Genderism.
Genderites should be free to practice their religion, and to live within their belief system, just like all other religious practitioners in areas where freedom of religion exists. However, as with other religions, they should not be free to impose their beliefs on others, to codify these beliefs into law in secular societies, nor should they be permitted to infringe upon the freedoms and rights of their fellow citizens.
So, where are our civil rights rights attorneys, our constitutional scholars? Who’s ready to take on American schools for preaching a new religion to our children?
Originally published at https://pitt.substack.com/p/why-are-us-schools-teaching-genderreproduced by kind permission.
