A War on Reality (2)

In the first post in this series, I raised the question of how we got to a situation when intelligent people of good will could subscribe to the mantra Trans women are women, particularly when 'transwomen' includes a very diverse range of people, from those deserving our sympathy, to those deserving to be locked up.

One of the ironies of this situation is that many of those who are pushing back against this are people who identify as feminists, and particularly as lesbian or gay. For, amongst other things, the trans activists' manifesto undermines what it means to be a woman, what it means to be same-sex attracted, and so on.

I say this is an irony, because it seems to me that the trans activists have followed precisely the same path as the Pride movement before them.

The Pride movement has been remarkably successful in changing social attitudes to same-sex attraction, and it has done so by promoting untruths (not least with skilful sloganeering), by institutional capture, by using salami slice tactics, and by exploiting public sympathy for atypical (but appealing) examples.

Few people now will dare to dispute the idea that some people are 'born gay.' But there is no evidence to support this claim: there is no gay gene. There may be a slight genetic disposition in some individuals, but how genes are expressed is very much a result of environment. As far as patterns of sexual attraction are concerned, nurture (in the broadest sense) is a much larger factor than nature.

Few people now will dare to acknowledge that same-sex attraction is a disorder. Yet it was in the DSM (the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) until relatively recently, and was removed, not because of any advances in scientific or medical knowledge, but as a result of a political campaign. It is certainly clear that active male homosexuals have worse physical and psychological health outcomes on a number of measures: this is not healthy behaviour. Yet to raise such issues is to be met with howls of 'homophobia' just as surely as questioning the appropriateness of a (trans-identifying) man winning a female sports competition will be greeted by cries of 'transphobia.'

Further, there is a massive conflation of meanings hidden under the word 'gay.' Activists love this ambiguity. Thus they claim that it was a crime to 'be gay' until recently, which is simply not true. Certain actions were criminal, but not same sex attraction itself. But the elision is deliberate, both because it serves the purpose of creating a victim-myth, and also it implicitly denies the possibility of being same-sex attracted and also chaste. 

As a result of this, few people will dare to point out that adopting a gay identity and lifestyle is in fact a choice. There are other possible responses to same sex attraction.

But does any of this matter? you may wonder.  Isn't it kinder not to raise these issues? After all, what business is it of ours what people do in their bedrooms?

Well yes, it does matter. For a start, any research into helping, or worse still attempts to help, people to free themselves from unwanted same sex attraction is entirely beyond the pale. The rhetoric around 'conversion therapy' is every bit as vehement as that around 'trans rights.' It may well be true that some people have been hurt by attempts at helping them in this way. But that is true of all therapies as they develop. We do not abandon the search for cancer therapies merely because initial trials show that some approaches risk doing more harm than good: we seek to learn from the trials and improve the therapies.  No, the reason for the hostility to such a therapeutic approach is two-fold: one is that it acknowledges that (at least) unwanted same sex attraction is a disorder that may be capable of being cured; and the second is a fear that an effective therapy may indeed be found. But in the current climate that is almost unthinkable.

Further, children are taught that they 'have a sexuality' and must be 'true to themselves;' with the real - and often realised - risk that a passing phase, such as having a crush on someone of the same sex, means that they believe that they are homosexual. And such a belief risks becoming self-fulfilling.  It is no coincidence that so many homosexuals report early sexual liaisons with people of the same sex; and it is no coincidence, either, that those promoting homosexuality so often campaign to reduce the age of consent; and that a staple of homo-erotic literature (until they cleaned up their act in the pursuit of their political agenda - see Kirk & Madsen After the Ball for details) was the seduction of boys by homosexual men.

Moreover, the kind approach to this issue laid the foundations for the kind approach to the trans issue: with the result that thousands of young women have now had unnecessary double mastectomies, for example. How kind is that?

As to what business is it of ours?... it is clear that private behaviour affects public behaviour, and that those who want rights in private today, want to be proselytising for them tomorrow.  It is also clear that caritas and veritas are never truly opposed. 

It results in lies being embedded in the law and society, such as the lie of equal marriage; when it is clear there is no real equivalence between a homosexual pairing, and the marriage of a man and a woman that will give rise to a family. These two things are different in kind, and to pretend that they are not is dishonest, and undermines our ability to understand what marriage truly is.

And all of this proceeds by way of salami slicing.  I remember the outrage at Section 28 in the 1980s.  It was alleged to be homophobic, as it implied that people might want to promote homosexuality in schools, which was, we were told, a complete lie.  Fast forward 30 years, and we see books promoting homosexuality in our schools.  And so on.

For the curious, who wish to know more about this, see The Global Sexual Revolution, by Gabriele Kuby, and Making Gay OK, by Robert Reilly, as starting points.

But I don't want to stop my analysis there: my agenda is not to blame same-sex attracted people. Rather, I think we need to look in the mirror, and that will be the subject of my next post in this series.

A War on Reality (1)

I can't remember when I first heard that some people were aiming to 'smash heteronormativity.'  Good luck with that one, I thought.  Because heterosexuality is normal. Simply on a statistical basis, there is no arguing with that reality.

How wrong I was! It turns out that something being obviously, demonstrably, objectively true is no defence against the onslaught of ideology. Orwell is increasingly cited these days, and with good reason.

We now live in a society where serious and intelligent people expect us to believe the mantra Transwomen are women. By transwomen, they mean men, of course; the only absolutely necessary criterion for being a trans woman is to have been born male. This is absolutely on a par with Orwell's War is peace etc.

How did we get here?  I think it is a complex story, going back to the gay pride movement, the 'sexual liberation' of the 60s, the Catholic reaction to Humanae Vitae in 1968; and beyond that, to the Lambeth Conference of 1930; and beyond that, to that incident of the fruit in the Garden of Eden.  I will explore some of these links and causalities in future posts.

But first, I wish to explore the current confusion.  For the situation is confusing, and that is, I believe, deliberate. 

The label trans is being used, quite deliberately, to conflate a number of different groups of people; in order that our sympathy for one group may provide a cover for many others.

The first group is those people who suffer from severe dysphoria. John, later Jan, Morris was a classic example of this.  It is by no means clear that the change from John to Jan provided much relief for the dysphoria, either in this case or in other similar ones. But one can only sympathise with people so profoundly disoriented from the reality of who they are.

The trouble (for hard cases make bad law...) is that the accommodations extended to them are also used by others in a number of ways.

Transvestites, that is, men who get sexually aroused by dressing as women, are now counted as trans; some seem to delight in taking photos of themselves in women's facilities, sometimes performing obscene acts, and sharing them on social media. Some drag artists also seem to fit this category; and disturbingly are given access to young children, whose natural boundaries of normality and decency are eroded, placing them at risk of grooming. 

Some narcissists also find that claiming a trans identity gives them power over women - forcing them to [pretend to] recognise them as women - even whilst they remain bearded men.

Some malign men, who for reasons that may include exploitation or voyeurism, adopt the trans identity in order to gain access to vulnerable women in places that are meant to be safe, such as women's refuges.

Some men prosecuted for offences against women suddenly identify as women so that they can be placed in the women's estate in the prison system.  Some are even brazen enough to identify as men again on release.

Some young men who are only moderately good at sport suddenly discover their true identity as women, and (would could predict this?) subsequently win prizes and medals at the expense of female athletes; whilst also degrading them by forcing them to pretend that they see this as fair, and also sharing their changing facilities etc.

Some influencers, (and behind them some doctors and pharmacists who stand to make substantial profits) have created a whole social trend amongst vulnerable children; particularly, it seems, girls with other problems, such as autism. Persuaded that their anxieties as they approach adolescence will be alleviated by becoming boys, they bind their breasts, risking lasting damage, and take puberty blocking drugs, again risking lasting damage. They are 'love-bombed' and taught to mistrust their parents or anyone else who suggests that this might not be the magic panacea. And the evidence is that once on puberty blockers, most go on to irreversible surgery, resulting in sterility and a lifelong dependency on drugs; whereas those who are the subject of watchful waiting, largely recover from their dysphoria (real or imagined) as they grow up.

And then there are younger children, whose parents 'recognise' that they are trans. Whether this is Munchausen's by proxy, or driven by some other pathology, it has been well said that if your cat is vegetarian, we know who is making the choices...

And my point is that we are expected to categorise all of these as 'trans', and to affirm that Trans women are women - and that many seemingly intelligent and well-intentioned people go along with this. And anyone who questions this extraordinary and counter-factual ideology, (and particularly any woman who does so, which is telling...) risks the wrath of the mob, being denounced to their employers and the police, and having their livelihoods threatened. 

For the social justice warriors who campaign for inclusion, tolerance, freedom from shame,  and diversity are extremely intolerant of anyone who diverges from their self-righteous ideology, and will seek to shame and exclude them until they comply. 

But my question is, how did we get here?  And to that I shall turn in future posts.

Breaking my silence

I have been quiet (in this space at least) for a while. But I believe that the time has come to speak up again, and in particular on two issues. One is the current mayhem being unleashed on the Church in the name of synodality; the other is the current mayhem being unleashed on the world in the name of diversity.

So in the coming weeks, if I can find a few moments, I will share my reflections on both of these topics, that have been welling up (maturing seems too great a claim) over the last years.

It is easy to wonder if we are approaching the end times: the Church seems rocked to its foundations when there is mass episcopal betrayal and the Holy See is either silent or ambiguous, or worse; and the world seems given over to its own devices, with abortion rampant, and the war on humanity leading to the destruction of both minds and bodies by ideologies, such as the transgender cult, that are as inimical to reason itself as they are to human flourishing.

Yet it is not for us to know the time set by the Father Himself; whilst we should always stay awake and stay ready for the Second Coming, we should also learn from history that many previous generations have thought that the end was near, and were mistaken.  So we must also prepare for the long haul, and in particular equip our children and our grandchildren to deal with the grim future that we bequeath them, and do whatever we reasonably and legitimately can to leave things in a better state than they are now.

For there is no doubt that we are beset by demons; and I suspect that this kind can go out by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.

Too little, too late

If it is true that Made in God's Image is to be revised, to bring it more closely into line with Catholic teaching, that is good news. And if that is the result of bishops realising the deficiencies of the document, and demanding that such changes be made, that is more good news. On top of the restoration of (some of) our holy days, it suggests that the bishops are moving in the right direction.  However, due to the culture of silence that pervades the CBCEW, we don't actually know...

But in the meantime, great harm is being done. Several Catholic schools, such as Sacred Heart, Hammersmith (the school my sisters attended many years ago) are now adopting trans-positive policies. Is there a connection between this and the CES's apparent endorsement of the Stonewall agenda? It seems probable. Note the head mistress' language on the topic: 'Every child at our school is made in the image of God...' Whilst a self-evident truth, the use of that phrase in this context suggests the baleful influence of the scandalous CES document.

This is very bad, for both theoretical and practical reasons. At the theoretical level, Stonewall's philosophy is antithetical to Catholic truth. You cannot serve both God and Tatchell...

But at the practical level, not only is there the issue of corrupting the consciences of young people, but further, of laying the Church open to serious claims of harm in the future. For the affirmation of young people in transgender identities is something that the professionals are very wary of, and they are also wary of Stonewall's passionate advocacy of this approach.  I have quoted this previously, but I unapologetically quote it again, and in more detail, as it is so important. It comes from a meeting hosted by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health:

Peter Tatchell’s human rights rallying call after lunch felt incongruent after we had seen the sobering reality of what is actually done to the bodies of young people who ‘persist’ in gender dysphoric feelings. It was out of place in an event specifically about children and which was otherwise encouraging of alternative viewpoints. Who would dare raise any objections to the ‘affirmation’ approach after his tirade against ‘transphobia’ 

The presentation by Mrs Terry Reed, Trustee of the Gender Identity Research and Education Society (GIRES) in the morning similarly jarred in its certainty that transgenderism has a biological cause, during an event where professionals consistently emphasised the uncertainty in both the explanation for, and the treatment of, gender dysphoric youth. 

It begged the question of the place of advocacy groups at a medical and clinical conference such as this. Three of the breakout workshops after lunch were led by such groups, GIRES, Mermaids and the Intercom Trust, all groups certain of the need to ‘affirm’ trans-identified children.

For, as the report also notes: 

 There were also questions about the huge jump in referrals of teenage girls to the Tavistock, the group most likely to both suffer associated mental health problems and to progress to adult services. Absent an agreed etiology for ‘gender dysphoria,’ the question implicitly raised about these young people is: are they really ‘trans’ or are they simply non-conforming young people who have been presented with a new way to conceptualise their problems and a new tribe to join which provides them with acceptance and approval? 

The issue was inadvertently touched on by Professor Stephen Whittle of the Manchester Law School, showing slides of young people with slashed arms and commenting that this “didn’t happen in my day because it wasn’t presented as a possibility” and that “now kids learn quickly from social media.” It is only political sensitivities which prevent us from considering the same explanation for the sudden unprecedented number of teenage girls who bind their breasts and identify as boys. 

Professor Katherine Johnson, Reader in Psychology at Brighton University, showed slides of interviews with young people which were revealing of what a ‘trans’ identity means for teenagers: “Cis people think you should conform” said one interviewee. The binary of ‘cisgender’ and ‘transgender’ has come to represent ‘conformity’ v ‘non-conformity’ in the minds of young people: is a trans identity now the only way for teens to distinguish themselves as not conforming? In which case, what self-respecting teenager would want to identify as ‘cis’?

And perhaps more troubling still:

One of the leading researchers in this area, Thomas Steensma from VU University, Amsterdam, confirmed in his afternoon presentation that there is ‘no true data’ to support an ‘affirmation’ approach above one of ‘watchful waiting’ and that only a minority of gender dysphoric children persist in those feelings. He stressed the ‘need to be balanced and honest,’ admitted that ‘we don’t know a lot,’ advised that ‘we should keep all possibilities open’ and suggested a less prescriptive approach.

(Source: the whole piece is well worth reading.)

So the experts don't support the 'affirm' approach which Stonewall advocate, and which now some Catholic Schools are imposing on parents and children. 

This is important, as there is evidence that between 80 - 95% of children with Gender Identity Dysphoria find that these feelings decrease or disappear in time - unless they are put on puberty blockers, in which case (in the one study I know of) 100% went on to physical surgery. As children as young as 12 are being treated with puberty blockers, you can see that the risks of affirmation are serious and irreversible.

What do we know about trans-regret?Unfortunately, the research cannot be done, as it is politically incorrect. That in itself shows the way in which this agenda is being pushed for political reasons, not on the basis of any evidence. It is shameful that Catholic Schools - and indeed the CES - should have been swept along by Stonewall propaganda, rather than consulting the medical and psychological experts in the field; and even more damningly, without consulting the truths about human nature and human well-being of which the Catholic Faith is the guardian.

It will not be long - inside ten years, I dare wager - before troubled young adults are bringing actions against their schools and the Church for putting them on a path to transitioning that has permanently damaged them, physically and mentally. Apart from the huge injustice to the children (and also their peers, corrupted by this false ideology), this will be yet another blow to the credibility of the Church in this country.

Our bishops need to be aware of this likelihood, and take much more decisive action. Quietly amending Made in God's Image will be too little, too late. Please write to them, in charity as ever, and ask them to address this issue as a matter of priority.

And pray for them, as ever.