During the March 15 debate, former Vice President Joe Biden made a commitment: “There are a number of women who are qualified to be president tomorrow. I will pick a woman as my vice president.”
Senator Bernie Sanders was a little more cautious, saying he would too, “in all likelihood.” But for Sanders, socialist policies are paramount: “For me it’s not just nominating a woman, it’s making sure we have a progressive woman. And there are progressive women out there. So, my very strong tendency is to move in that direction.”
Neither defined what they meant by “woman.”
Which raises a few questions: Who gets to decide what it means to be a woman? Aren’t these candidates excluding those who identify outside the “gender binary”? Would Biden or Sanders select a running mate who was born male but identifies as a woman?
Why not?
Think about the way so many have embraced “gender ideology,” which says that “gender” is a social construct, that people may choose their own gender, that they can switch between the two sexes, and that what’s inside a person’s head matters more than genes and biological reality.
This shift in thinking – from two sexes to multitude of genders – has been fast and furious. Just in the past few years, news headlines have trumpeted the following:
- The dad who gave birth: ‘Being pregnant doesn’t change me being a trans man’
- For transgender men, pain of menstruation is more than just physical
- Trans man has baby with non-binary partner, with the help of female sperm donor and trans doctor
Many transgender-identified individuals who live as the opposite sex really believe they are that sex. Despite the fact that every cell in a “male-to-female” transgender individual’s body is male, if he identifies as female, he really is female.
Here’s what one Connecticut transgender high school runner, who’s taken opportunities and medals from girls, says about himself: “I have faced discrimination in every aspect of my life and I no longer want to remain silent. I am a girl and I am a runner.”
One transgender-identified grad school student wrote about leaving the “transphobic” academic world because: “My gender is not up for debate. I am a woman. Any trans discourse that does not proceed from this initial assumption — that trans people are the gender that they say they are — is oppressive, regressive and harmful.”
These aren’t outliers. This is mainstream gender ideology.
It’s not just transgender activists who believe this, it’s many of their allies in politics, news, entertainment and education. Here’s a tweet from a New Zealand journalist about a weightlifter, born male, who now wins women’s competitions: “Laurel Hubbard is a true New Zealand hero – a weightlifter, a woman and a champion for a better society.”
Given the Democrat Party’s allegiance to transgender issues, Biden and Sanders now must contend with the question of what it means to choose a “woman” for Vice President. But the pair have other questions to answer, as well. The “transgender umbrella” doesn’t just include those who believe they are the opposite sex. It includes those who consider themselves a different gender altogether, something outside the “gender binary.”
In sticking with male or female candidates, aren’t Sanders and Biden excluding all the other “genders”? What about a VP who identifies as agender or polygender or androgyne? Or someone who identifies as two-spirit or pangender or genderqueer?
It’s complicated.
With all these options, it’s no wonder Biden and Sanders avoided the topic and stuck with the old male and female “binary.” It’s easy to get confused about all this.
In fact, Biden got hung up on the “gender” question last August, when an Iowa college student named Katie asked, “Mr. Vice President, I’m a student here and I’m wondering, how many genders are there?”
“Pardon me?” asked Biden
“How many genders are there?” she asked again.
“There are at least three,” Biden answered.
“What are they?” asked Katie.
“Don’t play games with me kid,” challenged Biden, turning away from her. Then, he turned back, grabbed her, and said he was the first one to come out for same-sex marriage.
That’s a different topic altogether, Joe.
Related:
Menstruating “Men”: NBC News Laments the Emotional Pain that Transgender “Men” Endure
Will Men Who Think They’re Women Compete in Women’s Sports at Tokyo Olympics?
Transgender Cyclist Takes Another Title from Women – Says Competing as a Woman is a “Human Right.”
Transgender Man Gives Birth to a Child Using a Transgender Woman’s Sperm
