Now, Is the Tide Turning?
Open Discussion for Premium Subscribers
There does seem to be mounting evidence that the tide is turning. It’s definitely turning in parts of the UK, but, perhaps not in the US.
Just last week, new draft guidance from the government in England was released stating that gender identity theory should not be taught in schools. According to this article from the BBC:
Under the plans, secondary-school pupils will learn about protected characteristics, such as sexual orientation and gender reassignment.
But the updated guidance makes clear schools "should not teach about the concept of gender identity", the government says.
It said it was right to take a "cautious approach", adding teaching materials that "present contested views as fact - including the view that gender is a spectrum" should be avoided.
Meanwhile, in the US, Title IX has been rewritten to include “gender identity” along with biological sex, which would appear to undermine the original purpose of Title IX. However, there is a lot of vague language around sports and single-sex spaces, and it’s difficult to gain clarity, at this time, about what the impacts of this rewrite will be. We will be diving into this topic in a future episode of Gender: A Wider Lens, so stay tuned for that! Be sure to Subscribe, if you haven’t already, so you don’t miss that episode!
In the meantime, please share your thoughts on turning tides, or anything else you want to talk about this week, in the comments below.
Additionally, we use the phrase “turning tide” a lot and would love to hear your thoughts on other analogies that seem appropriate!
I fear there is a critical mass of people who, because of their personal circumstances, can never retreat from gender ideology. Think of all the parents who gleefully participated in the mutilation of their children. Imagine being a parent who willingly took part in having your daughter’s breasts cut off. If that were you, could you ever look into her bearded face and admit you fell for the lies of an insane cult?
I welcome this question, which is very much on my mind in anticipation of the forthcoming Genspect conference in Lisbon (that I will be attending).
I find the “turning the tide“ metaphor to be unfortunate. I feel the same way about a metaphor that was once more common -- the pendulum will swing back. Both metaphors imply that a correction to an unwelcome social trend is more or less to be expected, as if it followed the laws of physics. But it is not automatic; it depends on the concerted efforts of a wide range of actors at various levels of society, pushing against another set of actors, in this case a large and committed cadre of TRAs.
Success is by no means guaranteed. Some societies descend into a pathological and even totalitarian madness, with no correction forthcoming.
I find a similar kind of (lazy) optimism in the oft expressed view, “In ten (or twenty) years, we we will look back and ask, "What were we thinking?" In fact, while some social manias fade in importance, there is not necessarily a reckoning, with "lessons learned." Recovered memory syndrome is one example. Although it has faded in importance, it is not well remembered, and it even survives to a lesser extent. The same is true for Multiple Identity Disorder, which has been rebranded as Dissociated Identity Disorder, which, as noted in the WPATH files, survives among gender medicine practitioners, who have devised methods for obtained "informed consent" from each of a patient´s several alters, not all of whom are the same gender.
A more apt metaphor would be to ask if we are gaining traction. In Great Britain (Terf Island), gender critical activists have been gaining traction for some time, and can even point to forward progress, with the release of the Cass Report, as well as a significant shift in public opinion on the matter of self ID.
In the US, it would be fair to say that we are gaining traction in some arenas, but not in others. States legislatures in red states have passed legislation banning gender medicine for minors, but in blue states, gender medicine is proceeding apace. On the national level, whistleblowers have come forward but have received little attention from the mainstream media. There has been a shift in coverage in the NY Times, including (limited) coverage of the Cass Report, which is a clear sign of traction. But signs of traction in other media is spotty at best.
As far as men violating women´s spaces, there has been coverage, in particular, surrounding Lia Thomas, for example. But this attention has not deterred the Biden Administration from implementing harmful changes to Title IX. So, gaining traction? Yes. Overall, forward movement? Not yet.
It should also be noted how deeply entrenched gender ideology has been entrenched in the educational system, from primary school to higher education. Even with the increased public awareness we are now seeing -- a sign of traction -- it will not be easily displaced.
Let me be clear, I think we should be encouraged by the signs of progress in the last few years. But, at the same time, I think we should be clear headed about just exactly what we are up against. We are gaining traction, but even still, powerful forces are pushing back.
It´s a long haul.