Gender Ideology In Everyday Life

The mark of any successful ideology is one which can embed itself into everyday language and culture without anyone noticing that it has happened. Gender identity ideology, through a large number of incremental shifts over recent years, has done exactly that.

The very fact that the acronym ‘LGBTQ+’ roles off our tongues so easily demonstrates how deeply engrained this language has become. For many, they cannot even conceive the ‘LGB’ without the ‘T’. To them it would almost feel as if there was an empty void. Even though, in reality, these letters and the individuals beneath them have been thrown together without consultation or approval.

We are all shaped by our environments. Our children, during their formative years, can be heavily influenced by their surroundings. What are some of the most prominent examples of gender identity having infiltrated our everyday lives?

Pronouns

This is possibly the most striking example and the most surprising, given how long it can often take for a lexicon in society to change. Within the last few years, we have seen the use of pronouns in everyday life spike in such a way as to completely change the way our dialect operates.

It is estimated that trans individuals make up roughly 1% of the entire population. The real success as far as this ideology is concerned is the fact that the use of pronouns has now become fashionable and more commonplace amongst the 99% who do not identify as trans. Businesses are encouraging or sometimes even mandating the use of pronouns in email signatures. Third sector organisations provide free pronoun badges to wear while you are out and about. It is not uncommon to see non-trans individuals list their pronouns after their name during Zoom calls. Certain social gatherings begin by introducing oneself and formally stating your pronouns.

Studies show that human beings are extremely good at recognising those who are male or female, even from the quickest of glances. We find ourselves in the strange position in which individuals who align with their sex and to whom everyone else can clearly see is male or female, still feel compelled to let us know their pronouns, just to be on the safe side.

Some aspects of pronoun usage have been slower to catch on. For example, the use of the plural pronouns ‘they/them’ in the singular feels grammatically clunky. Equally, it does appear is if new pronouns are simply being made up every day. I recently came across the pronouns of ‘ae/aer/aers’ and ‘ze/zir/zirs’ for the first time as part of a PowerPoint presentation for primary school students. Whilst these may not catch on for some time, the mere fact they are being taught to our children is striking.

For a young child discovering the world around them, simply hearing everyone introduce themselves with their pronouns sends a message to that young person that everyone must have unique set of pronouns based on how they feel. It adds a new complexity for that young person to contend with, even if previously they had felt completely content and at ease with their sex. Equally, a young person in a group in which everyone introduces themselves via pronouns will undoubtedly feel a pressure to conform, for fear or being judged or of not fitting it.

Flags

Historically, the flags that would fly from buildings around the country, particularly public buildings, were generally limited to either the Union Jack or indeed the EU flag. It is not uncommon to see such expressions of patriotism in any country.

However, in a move towards political correctness and ‘allyship’, over recent years we have begun to see the ‘Progress Pride’ flag (specifically designed for the inclusion of trans) being flown above many buildings, as well as more recent creations, such as the standalone ‘Trans flag ‘or the ‘Non-Binary flag’. On the face of it, this sends a message of adherence to a particular ideology.

I have been struck by the use of these flags in different forms. For example, I recently went back to visit my old university campus. As I was walking about, I discovered several ‘LGBT’ crossings on the road. I learnt that these were in fact permanent fixtures. My university is not the only one. Universities and indeed towns and cities up and down the country have introduced trans and even non-binary flag road crossings.

Unlike flags, which may come and go, there is something more concrete (pun intended) about these road crossings. Again, the influence is clear. There is also something particularly interesting from a psychological point of view in the act of forcing someone to engage with an ideological symbol. By combining these symbols with pedestrian crossings/traffic lights, are we, in essence, forcing individuals to walk across them and therefore consciously or subconsciously demonstrate acknowledgement and adherence?

Educational Materials

I have written extensively on the concerning ideological materials that are being snuck in under the radar into teaching materials in both primary and secondary schools up and down the country.

Given that our children are spending a significant portion of their waking hours in the classroom, these materials are undoubtedly influential.

Teaching should of course be neutral, balanced, and free from the subjective or biased views of a particular school or a teacher. However, when it comes to gender identity ideology, this principle appears to go out the window completely. The clearest example of this is the fact that many schools are teaching their students that ‘sex is assigned at birth’. This is not only factually incorrect, but also potentially dangerous.

It immediately puts the question into that young person’s head – “well if everyone is assigned a sex at birth, how do I know I haven’t been assigned the wrong sex?”. If we couple this with the regressive ideas being taught around male and female stereotypes, we are potentially introducing the idea to our children that they may be trapped in the wrong body.

“Transphobia”

The term transphobia has, unfortunately, become extremely commonplace as an accusation and indeed a slur. The threshold that must be met to be called transphobic is extraordinarily low. Simply asking for dialogue or consideration of research and evidence, expressing concerns about the welfare of children or supporting the rights of women will almost certainly lead to that slur being hurled at you. To underline the point I am making, in response to recent negative reviews for the Mermaids’ podcast ‘She Said, They Said’, one of their hosts blamed it on ‘“transphobia”.

Those who are old in the tooth as regards this issue may be able to brush off this label. However, again we must put ourselves in the position of someone not immersed in Twitter culture or indeed a young child at school. If the term ‘transphobic’ is ever leveled at you, that will almost certainly signal a death knell to your social standing, irrespective of whether the allegation is true or not. This partly explains why so many bystanders are willing to go along with the demands of this ideology in their everyday lives – they fear the mob’s onslaught if they dare voice their concerns.

It is easy to see why gender dysphoria is often referred to in ‘social contagion’ terms, given the way that our language, infrastructure and educational materials have shifted significantly but subtly over recent years.

If you drop a frog into boiling hot water, he will jump out. However, if you put it in room temperature water and slowly heat, he will eventually boil to death because he becomes used to it, gradually. As time goes on, I find myself wondering more and more, whether we have become the boiling frogs of our time.

James Esses is a regular writer for Genspect and a co-founder of Thoughtful Therapists.