Gender Follies
May 5, 2023 — John Hinderaker
Sadly, having large Republican majorities in a legislature does not guarantee sound public policy. A case in point comes from the current session in Texas, where conservatives are trying to stamp out the left-wing race and gender ideologies that have been institutionalized at the University of Texas. Texas SB 17 would defund and prohibit DEI departments, officers, employees, training, and so on in Texas state colleges and universities. The bill
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May 4, 2023 — Scott Johnson
We have followed the case of JayCee Cooper v. USA Powerlifting in a series of posts I call “A lift too far.” Ramsey County District Judge Patrick Diamond has held USA Powerlifting to be in violation of the Minnesota Human Rights Act by separating “trans women” from women in its weightlifting competitions. He has ordered USA Powerlifting to let “trans woman” JayCee Cooper compete as a woman. He (Judge Diamond)
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May 1, 2023 — John Hinderaker
A few years ago, when gender mania was still confined mostly to academia, a college student had a moment of fame when he told his school that he identified as a king, and his pronouns were “Your Royal Highness.” Such mockery is to be encouraged. The idea that a person can “identify” as something other than what he or she is, and demand that others accede to that “identity,” is
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April 25, 2023 — John Hinderaker
Anyone who has been paying attention knows that lots of liberals have been grooming kids in recent years. Generally, though, they don’t admit it: there are lots of good reasons, supposedly, why drag queens should invade little kids’ libraries, and ask children to stuff dollar bills into their G-strings at drag shows. Here in Minnesota, we have something different: the Democratic Party is officially coming out in defense of pedophilia
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April 23, 2023 — John Hinderaker
The National Institutes of Health is recruiting volunteers for a study on the effects of having one’s testicles amputated: The National Institutes of Health is funding a study via a women’s health grant… “Women’s” health. …that is recruiting people as young as 18 to uncover what it acknowledges as the “unknown” cardiovascular effects of surgically removing testicles on patients diagnosed with gender dysphoria. *** The observational study is looking for
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April 23, 2023 — Scott Johnson
I first read about the absurd case of JayCee Cooper v. USA Powerlifting in the March 1 Star Tribune op-ed column by Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve celebrating the court’s decision in the case. Ramsey County District Judge Patrick Diamond has found USA Powerlifting to be in violation of the Minnesota Human Rights Act by separating the men from the women in its weightlifting competitions. In her Star Tribune column
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April 22, 2023 — John Hinderaker
On March 27, nearly a month ago, Audrey Hale murdered six people in a Nashville school before herself being killed by police. Like substantially all mass murderers, Hale was deeply troubled. Among other things, shortly before her rampage she decided that she was, or wanted to be, a man. Her murders came immediately before a national “Trans Day of Vengeance” that was promoted with violent imagery. And the trans movement
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April 21, 2023 — John Hinderaker
In today’s Orwellian world, surgery that slices off or mutilates a child’s genitals, thereby negating his or her gender, is styled “gender affirming.” Crazy as it may seem, the mania to carve up children has seized control of Minnesota’s legislature. Today the Minnesota Senate passed a “trans refuge” bill that had already passed the House and will soon become law. The language of the law is, in my view, opaque,
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April 20, 2023 — John Hinderaker
The Daily Wire’s brilliant documentary What Is a Woman? stars Matt Walsh and was produced and directed by my friend Justin Folk. One might think that, after all this time, liberals would be prepared to answer that simple question. Not so. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona appeared before a House committee on Tuesday, and Congressman Andrew Clyde asked him that elementary question. Clyde couldn’t get an answer, although, to be
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April 19, 2023 — Scott Johnson
As the Babylon Bee frequently proves, reality is catching up with satire. In November 2019 South Park anticipated the case of JayCee Cooper v. USA Powerlifting. Ramsey County District Judge Patrick Diamond has required USA Powerlifting to recognize Cooper’s self-identification as a woman so that Cooper can compete with the ladies who are weaker than he is. Judge Diamond has found USA Powerlifting liable under the Minnesota Human Rights Act
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April 17, 2023 — Scott Johnson
Anheuser-Busch has released a feel-good ad seeking to undo the damage its association with Dylan Mulvaney has done. The ad made me laugh because it has the feel of an outtake from Mr. Ed. It should be titled The Return of Mr. Ed. Looking around online for a video of the ad I came across the parody below. The parody video includes a second or two of the original with
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April 9, 2023 — John Hinderaker
Lately, Democrats have tried to posture as free speech advocates by denouncing “bans” of various books. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz went on a tirade at a press conference, claiming that Florida–the Left’s bete noire these days–has “banned” various books like, for example, Of Mice and Men and Lord of the Flies. It turned out that Walz just made it up, as usual. More broadly, the whole “book ban” controversy is
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April 9, 2023 — Steven Hayward
Late last week the Biden Administration issued new draft Title IX regulations that would prohibit schools and colleges from banning “trans” athletes from competing on any teams that do not match their biological sex. On the surface this represents a massive override of federalism and state control of education and youth sports. But the fine print of the rule contains some equivocations that are a nod in the direction of
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April 7, 2023 — John Hinderaker
Riley Gaines is a champion swimmer, one of America’s best. She has spoken out eloquently against men competing in women’s sports, in part because she and other women were traumatized by being forced to share a locker room with “Lia” Thomas. If you haven’t seen her, you should check out this video: “The NCAA intentionally & explicitly discriminated on the basis of sex. Although the NCAA claimed it acted in
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April 7, 2023 — Scott Johnson
The trans movement may not be the culmination of the culture war. It probably isn’t. I just lack the imagination to discern what out next stop might be. If we haven’t reached peak madness, we have at least hit bingo on the trans insanity card. Happily ignorant of Dylan Mulvaney — the New York Post has a useful backgrounder here — I now learn that he has secured a deal
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March 31, 2023 — John Hinderaker
When it came out that Audrey Hale was transgender, news outlets fell over themselves in their eagerness to refer to her as “him.” But CBS News has followed a different path. Executives at CBS have barred reporters from saying that Hale was transgender, or thought she was, or aspired to be: “The shooter’s gender identity has not been confirmed by CBS News,” the network’s executives insisted in a Tuesday memo
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March 29, 2023 — John Hinderaker
There is much that could be said about the murders committed by Audrey Hale on Monday, but for the moment I want to address just one issue, in a series of related observations. * Police say they found a “manifesto” written by Ms. Hale, and apparently other writings as well. So far the contents of these writings have not been disclosed. I assume they will come out in due course,
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