The Patriot Post® · The Tyranny of Pronouns

In 14 years of op-ed writing, not once did I think I would someday write a column about pronouns. But this crazy world keeps throwing curve balls, so here goes.

First, an essential caveat: this author does not condone bias, or prejudice, or discrimination. People who choose to take on the dress, roles, and behavior of the opposite sex must be able do so without fear of repercussion. We’re an imperfect society, but we’re learning to live and let live.

It’s a safe bet that just about everyone reading these words once thought he or she (pardon my presumptive use of everyday pronouns) had a clear understanding of the meaning of male and female. Then, seemingly out of the blue, that’s out the window. The new social dogma holds that sex and gender are not the same and that gender is a matter of personal choice (irrespective of one’s plumbing) with an infinite number of possibilities.

Who knew? Since the advent of humankind — millions of years ago, eons before sex education and gender studies and identifiable LGBTQ+ movements — our predecessors instinctively understood the complementary differences between men and women. They propagated the species, and here we are.

Liberal intelligentsia are all in with gender fluidity — the rest of us not so much. But while we’re chuckling at the concept’s absurdity, its proponents have been busily cementing it into our culture, our laws, and every aspect of modern life.

Among the first casualties is language — pronouns, for example.

In elementary school, we learned that pronouns are just substitutes for the names of things or people. They simplify conversation and writing. They were never intended to convey deep sociological meaning.

But now we’re told that pronouns are critically important, central to one’s gender identity. The list of gendered pronouns is (as of today) up to 73 and includes recently coined words (ve, xe, ze…); as the fad catches fire, the list will surely grow. We’re all expected to choose pronouns that match our chosen gender — and because gender is fluid, we’re free to change them at any time.

Confusing as that may be, everyone else (particularly supervisors, teachers, students) are required to learn and use our preferred pronouns. People lose their jobs for refusing or forgetting to do so.

For example, if I were an employee of a state agency, it would be OK (although rude) for my boss to refer to me as “the bald guy with the big nose”; but if the boss used “he” instead of my preferred “ze” or “she,” that could spell big trouble.

Pronoun fixation is everywhere. Last week my pre-appointment questionnaire for an eye examination asked for my preferred pronouns. Airline reservations do as well. Name tags for seminars and conferences often include pronouns — now we senior citizens not only have to squint to read the words “Hi, my name is…” but also to read he pronouns, and then try to remember them for more than 30 seconds.

Does it really matter? Can’t we just concede the silly obsession with pronouns and move on with life? No, because it’s already gone too far. It’s validating the fiction. We’re living the lie.

Pronoun craziness is currently the most visible element of the new gender regime, but it’s hardly the most troubling. Consider for a minute the absurdity of fighting for women’s rights — and at the same time being unable or unwilling to define the term “woman.”

Title IX rules recently unveiled by the Biden administration now prohibit discrimination based on gender identity, thus opening the door to participation by biological men in women’s sports and threatening women’s privacy in restrooms, locker rooms and showers — a change that over time will erase 40 years of remarkable gains.

And perhaps the most frightening is the practice, being pushed by teachers unions and many school districts, of encouraging pre-pubescent school children to make life-altering decisions regarding gender preferences. Deciding if one would rather be a woman than a man (or vice versa) would be tough enough for a mature adult; it would be virtually impossible for an impressionable child.

And now some activists are calling for prosecution of doctors who refuse to prescribe harmful puberty blockers or to mutilate minors via “gender reaffirmation” surgeries.

I’m trying to imagine people 50 years from now wondering what in the world we were thinking — how otherwise sensible people could have concluded that sex or gender is simply a matter of personal choice. Historically, there have been popular dead-end beliefs — flat earth is one — but in time, science and common sense prevail, and we get back on track.

We’ll see.