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The medically unschooled and scientifically untrained President Donald Trump has signed an executive order that absurdly declares that the U.S. government will officially recognize only two sexes — male and female — that are not changeable. According to Trump, he’s going to put an end to any federal efforts to “socially engineer race and gender into every aspect of public and private life.” There is so much to unpack there, and none of it is good or helpful to the people of the United States.
Let’s begin with this: Trump can say whatever he wants about sex and/or gender, but science has proven indisputably that there is more than merely “male” and “female” when it comes to sex. Trump is apparently unaware of the existence of intersex people. (I won’t speak for you, but I would much prefer to rely on the learned opinions of respected scientists and doctors who spend years training and researching these issues rather than on anything Trump might have to say about the matter. He is hardly an expert on scientifically based sexual categories. Trump can sign an executive order stating that the sun doesn’t rise in the east, too, but that doesn’t make it so.) The important thing to understand is that sex is not always binary. The evidence for that is overwhelming.
And then there’s this “social engineering” misinformation that Trump is spouting. Have you personally seen anyone attempting to “socially engineer race and gender into every aspect of public life”? Seriously? Where is that occurring other than, perhaps, in the dark recesses of Trump’s mind? Educating the public about the significance of understanding race — and especially America’s sordid history when it comes to race — is something that many conservatives fear and dislike. It makes them uncomfortable when someone talks about this nation’s long, repugnant history of slavery and racism, probably because some conservatives would dearly love to return to an era when slavery was legal and socially permissible.
Also, the federal government is not engaged in any sort of social engineering with regard to gender. Educating the public about the complexities, nuances and numerous manifestations of gender is a good, wise and healthy thing, and it has nothing to do with “social engineering.” Science continues to discover that people are vastly complex creatures and that their gender identification can be manifested within a remarkably wide range of possibilities. Trump can try to simplify gender’s complexities down to a bumper sticker level — and that’s exactly what he’s working to do, because he knows it will resonate with his voter base — but that doesn’t change the reality of gender’s immense scope.
It is beyond disgusting that America’s federal government — an institution that is presumably supposed to be the protector of our people, not the perpetrator — is now working adamantly to eradicate the civil and human rights of transgender, nonbinary and gender-diverse citizens. Unfounded bigotry has become the order of the day, egged on by people who eschew facts, science, reason and human decency. Not that it will make any difference, but perhaps someone should try explaining to the current occupant of the White House and his supporters that trans/nonbinary/gender-diverse people are American citizens, too.
Trump can say whatever he likes — and he will. We can be assured of that. He will create chaos and he is already ushering in a new era of hatred and prejudice toward anyone who is benignly different. He will do much damage and will harm many, many people. In the long run, however, it won’t work for him. Trump’s empire of irrationality and bigotry will eventually crumble, and this is why: It has no moral or ethical core. Movements that are hollow will always ultimately turn to dust because they are unsustainable.
This post was originally published on here
