Sorry girls!

Girls in college sports have something big to celebrate: they will no longer have to compete against male bodies at University of Pennsylvania. 

A former U Penn student and swimmer says “As a former UPenn swimmer who had to compete against and share a locker room with a male athlete, I am deeply grateful to the . . Administration for refusing to back down on protecting women and girls and restoring our rightful accolades. I am also pleased that my alma mater has finally agreed to take not only the lawful path, but the honorable one."

In negotiations, U Penn agreed to these actions: 

• Formal apologies will go out to the girls who wrongfully lost wins and records. 
• Trans athlete Lia Thomas (photo) will be stripped of his accolades won in girls' sports. 
• U Penn will stop violating Title IX and use biology-based definitions of female and male. 

 from NY Post

She let it go 2

(cont'd from yesterday's post)

Larissa wasn't talked into changing her view of the world. No one argued her out of the radically feminist viewpoint. She wasn't talked into embracing genuine differences in women's and men's roles as a practical, workable solution to life.  But that's how she sees the world now.

It happened in a natural way.When she and her boyfriend started living together, they split the bills proportionately and the chores (laundry, housekeeping, etc.) evenly. But things changed when they became parents (image). 

Instead of going back to work, she stayed home and they married: "leaving that soft little creature who fit so snugly into my arms . . felt deeply wrong. I wanted to provide for this baby what he needed, and that was me. To do this, I needed Chris [her husband] far more than a bicycle or anything else."

They fell into doing the "tasks that made the most sense." Essentially she began to scoff at some feminist principles, like refusing to allow a man to hold a door for her. She gave up on male-coded tasks she had always tried to do.

They found that building a home and family was so hard that each had to do whatever they were good at. They needed each other.

from "How I Became a Wife"

She let it go

Larissa's mom gave her, a sixth-grader at the time, a framed print that said, "A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle." She absorbed her mom's view of the world. It seemed to her that wives in general were sad, overwhelmed, repressed, miserable. Conclusion: you have no need of a man (image), so never marry.

Confirming that opinion, every marriage she knew about as a child ended in divorce including her that of her parents. Marriage was a trap and there was little or no important difference between women and men. She read books by feminists "who were busy deconstructing every idea foundational to family life, from gender roles to monogamy . . ."

"Why would girls play at mothers or wives when they could sit on the Supreme Court or fly to the moon?" It seemed "small and backward and insignificant."

But Larissa let it all go, all that training she had received as a child and then a young adult. She became a wife, by choice. How could that happen? Glad you asked.

 from "How I Became a Wife"

 (cont'd tomorrow)

We see you, NCAA

XX-XY Athletics launched a video last October to ask Nike to support biological women's sports: "Will you, Nike?"

Now they've launched a new video that includes Riley Gaines: "We see you, NCAA." 

NCAA has linked their definition of who may qualify as female in women's sports to a birth certificate. But that does not yet actually protect women in the view of XX-XY Athletics. Birth certificates can be changed in 44 states.

No one wins?

"A game no one wins," that's the hopeless view that this woman has of the most normal roles of American women. Her piece was published in the NYT last November.

Why is a married heterosexual mother doomed to be a loser in life? From an analysis in this article, the main problem seems to be that mothers do more homemaking chores than their husbands. 

"A recent Bureau of Labor Statistics survey reported that women spend 47 more minutes per day on housework than their spouses (and this number does not include childcare, grocery shopping, or errands)."

It begs the question: if time spent in housework were perfectly equal for both husband and wife, would wives have a chance of a happy life?

from Substack

(cont'd tomorrow)

Trans suit

In October of 2023, a surgeon decided not to publish the results of her own study on puberty blockers. The problem? It didn't support her gender transition therapies. The study found that blockers did not improve the mental health of children with gender distress.

Author J.K. Rowling, publicly opposed to transgenderism, tweeted about this surgeon's irrational decision to withhold the study's findings:

"We must not publish a study that says we're harming children because people who say we're harming children will use the study as evidence that we're harming children, which might make it difficult for us to continue harming children."

As it turns out, this surgeon is now being sued by a former patient of hers. The patient, a girl, was given puberty blockers at the age of 12, then received testosterone at the age of 13 and a double mastectomy at the age of 14. At the current age of 20, she now wants to de-transition.

Maybe this madness is starting to end.

Girls' sports

Do most Americans think it's a good idea for girls' sports to include transgendered male bodies? A study reveals what every one of us should know:

"Experts and critics believe trans girls and transwomen who have experienced male puberty hold an advantage over their biological female competitors." 

Duh.

from NYPost

Dear Nike

A new athletic apparel company started up last March. They have a goal in addition to selling clothes: "We are here to protect women's sports and spaces," to protect women and girls from a travesty like what happened here, here, here.

Their name is "XX-XY Athletics," and their new ad is terrific. I want everyone to see it, so here is "Dear Nike" . .

Pink XX bands

Some parents of girls playing high school soccer in New Hampshire don't want them playing against male-bodied athletes. Well, who would? Answer: the school wants it.

Objections from the parents went nowhere. But they did not disrupt the games in any way. All they did was to wear pink wristbands with XX on them.

 

The school went ballistic. "They stopped the game, demanded the pink armbands be removed, and issued police-enforced “No Trespassing” orders against at least two parents."

"My daughter’s playing in the homecoming game this weekend, and I’m banned until the 23rd,” said Anthony Foote of Bow, N.H. “I can’t watch her play in homecoming — which is ridiculous.”

It's ridiculous, it's unfair, and it has to stop. How any otherwise rational human being can force girls to compete against male-bodied opponents is really beyond me. Read the account.

from New Hampshire Journal

Wait, donates?

It's been reported that Elon Musk is donating millions of dollars to the non-leftist candidate for president. But that's not exactly accurate. As my post of last week says, the donation is going to an organization, not to the campaign itself.

A little more clarity is provided in this interview below. He says that the America PAC (political action committee) was formed to support some core values of America:

• Meritocracy - "you get ahead as a function of your hard work and skill," not because of nepotism (favors/payback) or aristocracy (your privileged family/dynasty)
• Freedom - "the least amount of government intervention possible"

Peterson goes on (12:00) to call the medical professionals who support transitioning of minors "contemptible cowards" who should go to prison. "This is the worst medical and psychological malpractice I've ever seen anywhere." 

Why, he asks, does Elon agree? Elon was persuaded ("tricked") into allowing one of his sons to transition to a girl, told the boy might otherwise commit suicide. "I lost my son, killed by the woke mind virus."

CA vs family 3

(cont'd from yesterday's post)

A citizen-led move to require parent notification before a school changes a child's gender identity (also banning puberty blockers and gender surgeries for minors) got over 400,000 signatures, but not quite enough to get the proposal on a ballot.

One upset mom sued her school district for pushing transition on her 11-year-old daughter, who today, at age 13, doesn't want to be a boy anymore. After being a lifelong leftist, the mom has changed her political party.

Frightened parents are looking for allies. Elon's public stand against these policies makes him a sort of hero. "Family Talk" commends him for taking a solid stand for children and families. He followed through on his vow to take his companies to Texas if the new law passed.

image

from The Free Press

CA vs family 2

(cont'd from yesterday's post)

"Break the parent-child relationship" -- yes, it has come to this. The Left claims the right to stand between parents and children when parents want to protect their child and have broken no law. 

Author Abigail Shrier recognizes a pattern in the California government's new law, a pattern she's seen before:

"Child predators follow a common playbook: target the victim, gain their trust, fill a need, and, crucially, isolate the child from her parents. For several years, this has also been standard California state protocol with regard to school children questioning their gender identities. On Monday [July 15], this scheme became law."

image

Just a few years ago, parents could organize at the local level to re-assert their own values and keep their school boards from deceiving them. They can't opt their kids out of gender identity training anymore, either, because it's in the required bullying curriculum, not in the sex ed classes. A lot of parents are alarmed and upset.

from The Free Press

(cont'd tomorrow)

Trans issue 4

(cont'd from yesterday's post)

In addition to the medical and scientific evaluation in yesterday's post, there is a paper evaluating what scripture says about transgenderism, today's subject.

As pro-LGBT-and-transgender Christians put it, there is no Bible verse banning transgenderism (a non-existent term when it was written, though there is an Old Testament passage prohibiting a man or woman from presenting as the opposite sex). 

But humans are created as male or female, that's clear, and the gay lifestyle is not approved. Those verses are scattered and numerous (see the article for specifics). Most Christians who want to affirm gay lifestyle and transgenderism therefore have to argue that modern opinion trumps Bible authority. That's a different issue for a different post.

image

Their conclusion continues the love/truth theme: "We can't be silent about minors being subjected to medical transitioning, or girls being required to share locker rooms with anatomical males. The simultaneous roles of ministering compassionately to transgender individuals [while] opposing transgenderism requires that biblically faithful ministers act lovingly and speak truthfully at the same time."

from Transgenderism and the Bible

Trans issue 3

(cont'd from yesterday's post)

Is "transition" to the opposite gender a good idea? If we Christians are going to adhere to both truth and love, we should put some effort into understanding what science can tell us because:  "Part of loving and speaking the truth in love is knowing what the truth is. "

Four MD's at Reasons to Believe have just published white papers on transition and gender identity to reveal which treatments really help and which really do not.

Exploding numbers of people with gender dysphoria (GD) in recent years resulted in an explosion of gender clinics. Most are guided by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH), adhering to the Gender Affirming Model (GAM) of care. The patient's self-diagnosis is affirmed by professionals. There is no exploring of any underlying factors like mental health, sexual abuse, family issues. Transitioning is encouraged. 

photo

After considering studies of GAM outcomes, they find that "support, time and psychotherapy are wiser approaches in these difficult situations than permanent, harmful medical and surgical interventions."

from A Scientific and Medical Evaluation of Transgenderism

(cont'd tomorrow)

Trans issue 2

  (cont'd from yesterday's post)

Pastor Micheal changed his attitude. He realized that gay/trans people are still people whom he's responsible to love and minister to. Today his son understands that his dad loves him regardless of the fact that he can't endorse his behavior.

We as Christians believe in the truth of evidence-based science (genetics), so we don't think a man or woman can become the opposite sex by wishing it. We must speak what is true. But the Bible tells us to also speak in love. So this author stopped making fun of gay people and switched over to reaching out to them.

This is the Christian life. When God puts his finger on something and tells us to change it, we don't cling to the old habit. We are open to being changed by the wisdom of God. Pastor Micheal showed us what that looks like in real life.

from The Stream

Trans issue 1

Maybe you remember this story from last year, a pastor's story. He reined in his reaction to Pride Month and gay people in general--to bring his life into line with the Bible:

"Speaking the truth in love," that's our mandate as Christians. Not just truth, not just love, but both of them together. Here's one man's story of how he learned to practice that mandate when transgenderism came to his own home.

Pride Month happened in his city every year, and this author would make fun of it. But it got personal when his son told him that he was gay and considering transition. Grief and shame replaced mocking. The dad is a pastor in a Christian church.

photo

Loneliness came as well, because he and his wife at first wouldn't tell people what was going on. Their son thought his dad hated him because he wouldn't approve of this lifestyle. That's the narrative in our cultural moment: if you love someone, you will endorse all their choices (a principle that doesn't really work in any relationship).

But God was at work in Pastor Micheal's life.

from The Stream and a personal conversation with the author

(cont'd tomorrow)

Speak up 3

Follow-up to these posts

"Speak up!" is urged by a number of people I've written about on this blog. Speak up when you want to dissent, to tell the truth, instead of taking the easy way out. Speak up, even when you know certain people won't like it and may try to make you suffer for it. (But use the good advice of Kay Coles James when you do it.)

You probably have a "community" of like-minded people--call them your "tribe"--who agree with you on important things. What you might be surprised about is that a lot of Americans outside of your tribe agree with you on the importance of speaking what you believe. (A point that I've heard Vivek Ramaswamy make more than once.)

For example, a gay man writing for FAIR objects strongly to the assumption that he's defined by a mythical "LGBTQ community": "it reinforces an us vs. them mentality, and . . fuels division at a time when Americans desperately need to come together. . . and is frequently conjured as a cudgel wielded by the left to blame and shame." He doesn't like cancel culture, either. 

image

Don't just assume that other people are woke or leftist. Sometimes Americans of other tribes believe, as you do, in telling the truth and speaking up. 

from Foundation Against Intolerance and Racism

Men adrift 7

(cont'd from yesterday's post)

Creating the beautiful story of his life is all about a man's choices. 

If he's resigned to a boring life without decisions and risk, he will have a life without the joy of growth that comes with taking responsibility for a career, for a family, for a community. "Today’s depressed couch potato scrolling YouTube and watching porn" is building nothing, creating nothing.

As a child I was told more than once not to get my hopes up, which meant that I should expect defeat in the things that interested me. It was confusing. Why be interested in anything then? We need our young men to get a better message than that.

"Make men interested again! Interested people are interesting people." What is there to be interested in? Not much, except "woodworking, art, politics, science, creative writing, naval warfare, cooking, water polo, ornithology, engineering," aviation, trains, law, friendships, management, teaching, hunting, farming-- the ideas are endless.

Let's tell them that it's great to pursue their interests.

photo

from "Make Men Interested Again 

Men adrift 6

Follow up to these posts

"[T]he men aren't all right," and now honest scholars are admitting it. Compared to what used to be typical, fewer men go to college or trade school, fewer get married, and fewer even have jobs. 

Aspiration is good, the hope of achieving something. When too many of our men in the prime of life don't aspire to anything, it's a downward spiral. 

Too many young men in the West "are settling for resignation, a sense that because a man is no longer needed or appreciated in society, the obvious thing to do is to abstain from participation." Sociologists have documented "a trending loss of life satisfaction."

 One financial expert calls it "a crisis of the American male." The Barbie movie character "Ken" isn't a healthy role model. 

from Salvo

(cont'd tomorrow)

"Toxic war" 2

(cont'd from yesterday's post)

Nobody considers mass murder to be traditionally masculine. But that phrase, "toxic masculinity," has become a "catchall explanation for male sexism, dominance, and violence. Men today feel discouraged, devalued, and demoralized."

Cadets at West Point were asked to describe the traits of a "good man." They easily identified "honor, duty, integrity, sacrifice, be responsible, do the right thing, be a protector and provider." The hero of yesterday's story was using his traits to save lives.

Masculine traits are not inherently toxic; they are good when directed to good ends, as the hero showed. 

Then they were asked to describe a "real man." Their answer was "Oh, that's completely different! Tough, strong, win at all costs, get rich, get laid, never show weakness." That's the tension we feel in today's culture, that a real man is not a good man.  

The Washington Post ran this article by a college professor: "Why Can't We Hate Men?"

from The Toxic War on Masculinity

(cont'd next week, how did we get to this point?)