NEWNow you can listen to Fox News articles!
Today, in alarming numbers, men who identify as women seek access to sororities, sports, rape crisis centers, and prisons. Ordinary Americans are shocked by this attack on women's spaces, but feel powerless to do anything about it.
We are not. And we can start by eliminating the word “gender” from our vocabulary.
Contrary to popular belief today, the words “sex” and “gender” are not synonyms. You may be invited to a “gender reveal party” for a pregnant friend or family member, but it's the unborn baby's responsibility. sex What you will discover at this party.
Sex is an immutable trait that is biologically determined. It is engraved in every cell of a baby's body. (Alexander Pohl/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
“Sex,” of course, refers to either of the two categories of individuals (male or female) that occur in many species for different reproductive purposes. (No doubt, a small percentage of humans are born with chromosomal or genital abnormalities. But they are not a third sex. They are the exception that proves the rule.)
OHIO BANS 'GENDER-AFFIRMING CARE' FOR MINORS, RESTRICTS TRANSGENDER ATHLETES DESPITE GOP GOVERNOR'S VETO
Sex is an immutable trait that is biologically determined. And it cannot be changed by altering appearance, undergoing surgery, or taking cross-sex hormones. Sex is recorded in every cell of a baby's body.
The word “genre” comes from grammar. In some languages, such as Spanish, words can be masculine (“the boat”) or feminine (“the house”).
As Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia once noted, “gender is to sex what the feminine is to the woman and the masculine is to the man.” Feminists of the 1970s used this concept of “gender” to refer to cultural norms regarding the appearance, interests, and lifestyles of men and women.
Therefore, “gender” is shorthand for “sex roles.” Yet somehow, in an effort to avoid saying “sex” (which can refer not only to physiology but also to intercourse), our neo-Victorian culture has adopted the word “gender” as shorthand for the categories of male and female. .
WHAT ALL MOMS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT GENDER CONFUSION
For many years I followed the game. “Gender” just sounded less rude. But by saying “gender” when I meant biological sex, I (and others my age) inadvertently opened the door to leftist claims that sex is culturally determined, that the categories of man and woman are arbitrary constructs, and that children as young as preschoolers can choose whether they are male, female, or something completely different.
This incorrect use of “gender” has led, perhaps ironically, to a resurgence of regressive sexual stereotypes.
The notion that a girl who likes to play with boys, likes sports, and experiences common pubescent discomfort with her body is in fact a boy reflects sexist stereotypes about women's choices and bodies.
THE BATTLE FOR PARENTS TO BE NOTIFIED IF CHILD CHANGES GENDER IDENTITY AT SCHOOL IS BEGINNING, ADVOCATE SAYS
Likewise, the idea that a child who likes to dress up and paint his nails is a girl ignores the normal play of development and adopts outdated and often homophobic notions of masculinity.
In this way, gender ideology limits the freedom of children and adults to live in a world free of assumptions and prejudices.
It also erodes fundamental civil rights protections. Significantly, both Title VII, which prohibits employment discrimination, and Title IX, which prohibits discrimination in education, use the word “sex,” not “gender.” Both statutes are based on the notion that it is unfair to treat similarly situated people differently on the basis of an immutable characteristic.
TRANS INCLUSION IN WOMEN'S SPORTS BECOMES A MORE SONG TOPIC IN 2023
But while both race and sex are immutable, men and women are not in a similar situation with respect to biology. So while employers or schools cannot provide indoor toilets for men and only latrines for women, they can can require men and women to use separate indoor facilities of similar quality.
Not for long, if woke progressives have their way.
Taking advantage of our collective apprehension about the word “sex,” these radicals have convinced federal bureaucrats (and even some courts) to interpret our fundamental sex discrimination laws as requiring employers and schools to allow anyone who identifies as a woman to access women's spaces.
CLICK HERE TO REVIEW MORE FROM FOX NEWS
What can we do to stop this? We can ensure that we define sex in law in a way that is consistent with biology. But we can also do our part by resisting the temptation to say “gender” in everyday conversation and calling out others, even conservatives like former Vice President Mike Pence, who continue to say “gender” when referring to physiology.
And the next time you're invited to a “gender reveal” party, tell them you'd be happy to attend, as long as they reveal the sex of the baby.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
