To respond properly to the LGBT movement, conservatives need to articulate why gender is good.
Conservatives are great at railing against the woke agenda infiltrating corporations, government, schools, and cultural institutions. But they often fail to explain why the concept of gender that, until now, has been undisputed for millenniums is attractive. The culture so suddenly spiraled out of control that it sent many into defense mode. Others are afraid to admit that women and men are not the same. They shouldn’t be.
The Left is obsessed with gender but can’t define it. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul recently announced the state’s “historic step” of allowing the choice of an “X” gender marker on driver’s licenses, in addition to male or female. The announcement is part of the soon-to-take effect, and ironically named, Gender Recognition Act, which also makes name and sex change designations easier and allows birth certificates to be amended with gender identity.
Far from recognizing gender, the act erases it. A world where endless gender identities are possible is a world without gender. The meaning of the word has been effectively destroyed. Now is the time to step in and provide clarity.
We don’t need to compromise, adopt the movement’s language, or shrink at accusations of bigotry. As much as liberals want to celebrate the destruction of gender, we should celebrate the goodness of gender even more. A world of gender confusion is dangerous, and a world without gender is dull.
It’s good to be a man. Men are physically stronger, making them better able to protect and provide. They are better visual processors with brains equipped for tracking movement and multiple thoughts at once. As such, they gravitate toward thing-oriented careers, such as engineering and science. Men are fathers, whom children need to push them to take risks, prepare them for the world, and set up boundaries.
It’s good to be a woman. Women have the unique ability to carry and give birth to new life through pregnancy, giving them a crucial role in shaping the next generation. They are people-oriented, gravitating toward those kinds of careers even in the most egalitarian societies. Their brains are wired with verbal abilities that frequently outperform men on reading and writing tests, and they more easily access information from long-term memory. Women are mothers, who nurture their children and provide needed emotional care.
Men and women need each other and the complementary strengths each brings to the table. Yes, the norm will not apply perfectly every time. Some women may fill the role of provider or opt for a things-oriented career. Some men may choose to stay home as the primary caretaker or enjoy a people-focused job such as teaching. Both sexes can do many of the same things and compete on the same playing fields. But it’s not backward to acknowledge and appreciate, even celebrate, the biological, factual differences.
There is beauty in the distinction.
The gender ideology that has captured so many cultural institutions leads to brokenness. It’s important to point out the hypocrisy of corporations that spearhead pride initiatives and overlook human rights violations, the insanity of saying men can become pregnant, and the danger of giving puberty blockers to children — but don’t forget the reason for pushing back.
Gender is a God-given gift. Having to decide everything about yourself, down to your gender, is a heavy burden. Many will soon learn that not every biological limit can be ignored without dire consequences. People deserve to be told the reality and not pushed further into a destructive lie by halfhearted opposition.
Until we embrace the goodness of gender, we will continue to cede cultural ground.
Katelynn Richardson is a summer 2022 Washington Examiner fellow.
