WHAT IS A WOMAN?

 

It has come to my attention that many people, including many in high elected or appointed office, cannot say what a woman is. This extends even to Congressional testimony. Just two days ago, Secretary of Education Miguel Cardonas couldn’t or wouldn’t answer the simple question “What is a woman?” in a Congressional hearing.

 

He also couldn’t or wouldn’t explain the term “equal access” in Title IX. You know, the law that protects women and girls from discrimination based on “sex (including pregnancy,) sexual orientation, and gender identity in any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.”

 

He can’t explain it but HE’S IN CHARGE OF IT! Perhaps leading one to ask, “Then what the hell are you in charge OF?” Or, more to the point, “Then what the hell are we paying you for?

 

There are definitions out there in the wild. As Casey Stengel so often said, “You could look it up.” But I, your humble scribbler, will save you the trouble by offering this definition:

 

A woman is a mature female individual of the species homo sapiens. She may be specifically identified by the two X chromosomes in her genetic makeup, as opposed to the male of the species, which has X and Y chromosomes.

 

You may quote me.

 

Women are often assigned social roles. These are notoriously flexible. Cute, or lovely, or dainty, perhaps. Sometimes they pick them themselves. Square dancer, teacher, distance swimmer, infantry soldier, biker bitch. Regardless of social assignment or choice, women are, fundamentally, female specimens of homo sapiens.

 

Sometimes people pretend to be the gender they are not. There have always been drag queens. They are tolerable in the society in which I live because they have the same rights that the rest of us have. That’s just fine. “You be you and I’ll be me. Go in peace.”

 

Who I find intolerable are persons who pretend to be the other gender - there are only two, count the X chromosomes - in order to take advantage of the weak. A recent example is a violent male criminal who pretended to be a woman so that he would be assigned to a women’s prison. The not-so-shocking result was that he impregnated two real women. Fox, meet hen house.

 

Another phenomenon is men who pretend to be women in order to win things. William (Lia) Thomas pretends to be a woman and has won national honors and fame in women’s swimming. He was previously non-competitive in men’s swimming where he had tried for years. There are too many other examples. What’s the harm? Allow me.

 

The federal gummint awards money to institutions for women’s sports programs. Fair enough and OK with me. The harm comes when men pretending to be women benefit from that money at the expense of real women who need it. It is a sexual insult and harm and violates, at minimum, the intent of Title IX. It becomes, “Here’s a bunch of money to protect women’s sports. Male athletes, it’s OK if you take it.”

 

I remember the women’s rights movement and the advocates for Title IX. They were right. Where did those people go? Why did they stop advocating for women? When did they change to the cry, “Women’s rights are trans rights.” Really? Based on what? A superior ability to win things? The ability to impregnate incarcerated women?

 

I am opposed to this trend. It violates basic principles that I was taught and have practiced all my life. If we refuse to recognize basic genetic truths, then what’s next?

 

May I suggest that life is next? It’s already happening. The big-city rioters we see on TV demonstrate no respect for human life. They also vote, or soon will, and political parties will court their votes. Is it so outrageous to think they will vote for politicians who have no respect for life or who have no basic human morality, who share their value void? It is only outrageous to think they won’t.

 

We can’t seem to define life without reference to birth. Why is that?