Hey, LinkedIn, Stop Asking for my Pronouns

Note: There was a time in my life when I would have been way too afraid to post something like this. In my early blogging days, I wrote a lot about culture and politics… and that ruffled a few, very mean feathers. It takes a lot to offend me but everyone gets beaten down after time. Plus, working at a rather left-leaning school as a conservative *did* put a target on my back, so I stepped away from the writing. But, I’m finally at the ripe of age of 36, self employed, and am, frankly, sick of the current narrative. If I may pose a contradictory message on my little piece of the Internet and it makes one person stop and think, I’ve done my part.

Seemingly every time I sign on to LinkedIn, a pop-up reminds me to add my pronouns. After several weeks of annoyance, I tried to write “please assume my pronouns” in the space. Unfortunately, that didn’t meet the LinkedIn criteria. So, it remains blank.

Have you ever noticed how quickly the trans movement or “trans revolution” has gained traction? (And, yes, putting your pronouns in your bio *is* entertaining the whims of the trans activists.) I always believed that people *surely* were not this stupid; that critical thinking did still exist and that this will right itself. Alas, I was mistaken and the “What are your pronouns?” question, despite being blatantly obvious is the vast majority of cases, has become mainstream.

Allow me a small discussion on why this is problematic. If you would like a more detailed explanation, check out Why Gender Matters by Dr. Leonard Sax, MD, PhD. and Irreversible Damage by Abigail Shrier.

Those who claim to not be female or male are outliers.

Despite what Elliot Page would like you to believe, someone who is *truly* transgender is extremely rare… And I’m not the one saying this. Kenneth Zucker, a Canadian psychologist, sexologist, (at one time) leading trans-activist and long-term researcher wrote an influential academic journal article in 2012 entitled, A developmental, biopsychosocial model for the treatment of children with gender identity disorder. (Note: The DSM V did change the name of “gender identity disorder” to “gender dysphoria” but that was after this journal was published). In this article, he said that all psychiatric disorders must first be eliminated before a diagnosis of gender identity disorder can be made. In other words, he said that disorders such as schizophrenia can cause a man to think he’s a woman when, in fact, it’s the schizophrenia causing the delusion. When this standard of care is taken, those who are truly trans are fewer that 2 in every 1,000. You would never think that today, when people with ze/zip/zer/zebra (OK, I’m exaggerating) pronouns are at every turn…

And Zucker got cancelled. Today, a quick Internet search will paint him and a transphobe anti-science person. Mind you, he was a trans activist and many of us probably wouldn’t agree with him on a lot of things. If he can get canceled, anyone can.

“Gender affirmation” is a reflection of ideology over science.

Even though science, through empirical studies conducted largely by Zucker and colleagues, has found that the vast majority of gender dysphoric children will grow out of it, the push today is to solely affirm someone’s gender dysphoria.

So, for example, if a five-year-old-boy who only has big sisters, prefers purple to blue and stuffed animals to toy trucks, the “caring” thing to do is to allow him to present as a girl (if he asks) rather than explaining to him that there is more than one way to be a boy. Fast forward to puberty, this hypothetical little boy has been wearing dresses for the majority of his life. It’s time to consider a puberty blocker injection, followed by female hormone pills. This now-teenager, therefore, has been permanently altered, causing potential infertility and definite changes in physical development, due to a kindergartner’s preference for stuffed animals. In females, it’s even worse. If a girl decides she wants to be a boy, receives a puberty blocker and takes testosterone, it is extremely likely that she’ll be rendered infertile and will never be able to climax during sex. (sorry to be graphic, but it’s true)

Call me a bigot all you want, but I do not believe parents have the right to take fertility and the ability to enjoy sex away from their children.

“What are your pronouns?” makes gender the problem.

No matter how we like to kid ourselves, children are extremely observant. When the question, “What are your pronouns?” becomes mainstream, it leads kids to second-guess their gender. It also makes those who “identify” with their “sex assigned at birth” boring and conformist, while those who are trans or non-binary are seen as enlightened. From my own observation, I have seen middle school students (who are often socially awkward) in particular cling to the notion of being trans. The result? A public school community that elevates his/her social status by having “Trans Visibility Days” and speaking about their “bravery.” Research has shown that children who are not comfortable with their genders are more anxious and depressed. A study conducted in Sweden showed that 19% of trans teenagers were hospitalized for psychiatric disorders compared to 4% of the control group… And those are just the ones who were hospitalized.

Using the phrase “sex assigned at birth” is dead wrong.

I really appreciated how Dr. Sax explained that there are certain “abnormalities” in human development that would be considered normal variations. For example, being left handed would be considered a normal variation. At one time, people who were born left-handed were forced to write with their right hands. Today, we know that even though it is a minority of cases, it is perfectly normal to be left-handed. Likewise, evidence is showing that being gay, particularly for gay men, is a normal variation (and no, the studies do not appear to be confirmation bias). Being trans, however, is not a normal variation because appearing as the opposite sex requires medical intervention.

When a baby is born and the doctor says, “It’s a boy,” she is not “assigning” the boy a gender; she’s simply acknowledging a fact.

Men don’t get to tell me what it means to be a woman.

I hate to sound like an uncharitable ass here, but the trans movement has, in many ways, turned back the clock on women’s liberation. In an effort to be “inclusive,” many colleges and universities have banned the performance of The Vagina Monologues not because they’ve all of a sudden become prudes… But because it’s exclusionary to “women who don’t have vaginas.” You truly can’t make this shit up.

On a similar vain, an NCAA swimmer who was a man until a few years ago (therefore has the muscle composition of a man) recently won the title. Women have fought for Title IX for decades and continuing down this path will completely eradicate it.

It’s *almost* as if biological men are telling me what it means to be a woman. To say that that is more than slightly insulting is an understatement.

Being a woman is a beautiful thing but there’s more than one way to do it. Today I’m into fashion, doing crafts, getting Botox and everything a typically-girly 30-something would enjoy. However, there was a point in my life that I loved playing in the mud, catching frogs and refused to wear dresses. If I was a frog-catching child today, would some “caring” adult plant in my head that I was actually a boy? Perhaps, and that possibility is truly terrifying.

So, no, LinkedIn, I will not add the she/her pronouns to my profile. My name is Brittany, I have long hair and eyelashes that are constantly caked with mascara… You go right on and assume.