One of the topics that seems to permeate not only the Internet but news cycles as well, is that of identity. It’s now common, or at least the public is lead to believe, that a persons declaration of identity is paramount to how they may be viewed by the general public. Women may decide they are men and vice-versa, without any attempt show that they are transgendered or even any evidence that they suffer from gender dysphoria.
There are those that claim to be non-binary. which means, I think they are neither male or female in a genetic sense. It’s become so pervasive that on some employment applications, a potential candidate is given the opportunity to state  how they prefer to be identified, no matter what their appearance.

I’ve read stories where an employee at a company had been disciplined for misgendering another employee. I can’t vouch for the validity of any of these I’ve read, and I’ve read several. but it doesn’t surprise me in the least. We’ve come to a point in society in general where anyone can become anyone just by saying so. Remember Rachael Dolzeal? She was the white woman that claimed to be black, and was even the director of her local NAACP, until her two white parents claimed that she had no African-American blood as far as they knew and even provided photos of her growing up -white.

Then there was this story a few years ago where a white man, wanted to be Filipino, and actually went to court to have his preferred ancestry validated. It’s now become, it seems that any of us may, at our own discretion, identify as anything we wish. I’m waiting on the story where someone wants to be identified as a rabbit, or a goat, or maybe a cat. When I first read of some of these stories, I did what any other person might do – chuckle. Not so much anymore.

Most disturbing over time, has been those that have decided, even though they were born one way, have no symptoms of gender dysphoria, that they want to be the opposite gender and the most horrifying are those parents that take their children, as young as 6 or 7 years old to have hormone replacement therapy, deciding that their little boy is actually a girl, and again, vice-versa. I don’t normally care what adults do, as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone else, but when a parent forces a child into another identity? My patience has run its course. Locales and states now allow individuals to self identify as any gender they prefer and in some instances, there may be penalties when someone mis-identifies another. Seriously.  New York City, as an example recognizes 31 genders and violating this ordinance could result in a fine up to $250,000. Yes, that wasn’t a typo.

Some people ask, how does this hurt anyone? It’s a relevant question and the answer is that it may indeed be hurting some people. Gender identity has been portrayed, at least in the media, as an LGBT issue. A couple I’ve known since I moved here in 2005 disagrees. Cheryl and Kate (not their real names) have told me on multiple occasions that the rush for government to recognize Gender Identity Politics (as they referred to it) is setting back all the gains their community have achieved over the past 20 or 30 years. That the media describe this as an “LGBT issue”  has done more to affect how gay and lesbians are viewed (negatively) then they have in the recent past.

Those that advocate for ordinances. as in the one in NYC, or state laws against discrimination due to someones self generated identity, to where mis-gendering may cost someone their job, seem to be blissfully unaware that most people in fact don’t care how you identify, as long as that person realizes that not everyone they meet, or work with, may agree. No sane person is going to refer to another as they., or Xir, or whatever the contrived nomenclature decides. No one is going to go out of their way to ensure that another may not be accidentally insulted being mis-gendered.

Go ahead. Identify as what you will. If your choice is another ethnicity or race, or another gender, even no gender, no problem. Just don;t expect anyone else to bow to the demand to navigate through multiple genders, ethnicities, and races, before addressing you.