Who's To Blame For The Rise Of Trans Ideology?

Feminists? Christians? Everyone Except You?

I shouldn’t have to keep saying this, but every single thing I write in this substack has NOTHING to do with any organization, employer, family, etc that I am connected with. Unless I tell you differently, assume I am speaking for myself and NO ONE ELSE. Now let’s get started!

I’m sure you’ve heard Matt Walsh swear up and down that feminists are to blame for “transgenderism.” If you can refrain from throwing something at your computer screen, take a look:

He says that feminists claim men and women are the same except for anatomical differences and that sex differences are social constructs. He’s wrong because gender ideology asserts that certain behaviors and physical appearances makes one a woman. Radical feminists want to abolish gender. He seems to suggest that trans ideology is new rather than “old and ancient.” He’s wrong again because the idea of men and women transforming into the opposite sex is in fact old and ancient. The technology and medicine we have today didn’t exist for centuries but the idea itself is not new. I will discuss that later. He also uses the Masai tribe in Kenya as proof that gender roles exist but transgenderism does not. Here’s a little bit about life for Masai women/girls:

Like most poor women in African nations, the majority of Maasai women in Kenya are destined to live a life of poverty and cultural oppression…Typically, Maasai girls are circumcised between the ages of 11 to 13 and soon afterwards married to a man chosen by her father in exchange for cattle and cash.

I find it interesting that Walsh propped up a sex-based oppressive culture as a shining example of the importance of gender roles that don’t include “transgenderism.” I personally would never champion a culture that pushes child marriage, female genital mutilation, etc but that’s just me I guess. It has to be reformed first before I can feel positively about it. Do you know what else exists in Kenya? Feminism and a famous women’s separatist community called Umoja. Women in the west, do “take note” of these villages…

Blame Christianity?

There is one informal theory I heard that says homophobia leads to transgenderism. Judeo-Christianity isn’t generally known to be lesbian/gay affirming. I know that Christians do not all agree about same-sex relationships. My purpose here is NOT about that and I will NOT enter that debate. I do know that the fear of hell is real and can be paralyzing for those that believe in it. With that said, many Christians believe and teach that homosexuality is a sin and Biblically speaking, sin leads to hell. Take a look:

Romans 1:26 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their [i]women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. 27 Likewise also the [j]men, leaving the natural use of the [k]woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due. 28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, [l]sexual immorality, wickedness, [m]covetousness, [n]maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, 30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 [o]undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, [p]unforgiving, unmerciful; 32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.

What does this passage say to you? When I look at it, I see it’s speaking on many things but it has been used solely against lesbians and gays. Again, the fear of hell can be paralyzing. It can be so paralyzing that I believe SOME gays and lesbians feel that “transforming”into the opposite sex may be their “ticket” away from hell. I don’t think it’s unusual for LGB people to hear that they are dirty, disgusting, and hellbound Sunday in and Sunday out. I’ve heard similar sentiments in the church circles I grew up in. But seriously, how do you think that may impact someone?

1 Corinthians 6:9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,

The word “effeminate” is translated from the word “malakos” which has a number of definitions but all are closely related. Some accept that it means a male prostitute, a promiscuous homosexual male OR a homosexual male whether promiscuous or not. If one believes it’s the latter, it makes sense that a gay teen wanting to escape the “wrath of God” may want to change his sex…we know that’s impossible but still. 

Christians pushing gender stereotypes as Godly

One thing I notice about patriarchal Christians is that they claim gender roles are biblical but they never provide support for their claims. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard Christians push the “Proverbs 31 Woman” as what all women should aspire to be. All women must be virtuous, they say. All one has to do is read the passage to know that this woman defied the very stereotypes that Christian patriarchs push. She’s shown as a physically and emotionally strong business woman…NOT AT ALL  the stay at home wife and mother Christian patriarchs try to shove down our throats. Do they not even realize that the word “virtuous,” as used in verse 10, is the exact opposite of feminine. It implies she’s fierce, brave, ambitious, etc. So allow me to translate for you: A good wife who is a smart, physically and mentally strong business woman is far more valuable than rubies. No where in the passage is a submissive, stay-at-home mom mentioned. Does that mean being a SAHM is sinful? The difference between myself as a Christian who is a radical feminist and a patriarchal Christian is that if I can’t find clear biblical support, I have no business making the claim. So don’t be silly. There is nothing wrong with being a SAHM if you truly want it. 

Patriarchy pushes the idea of beauty but biblical texts place far less importance on it. Consider the following:

Jeremiah 4:30

New King James Version

30 “And when you are plundered,
What will you do?
Though you clothe yourself with crimson,
Though you adorn yourself with ornaments of gold,
Though you enlarge your eyes with paint,
In vain you will make yourself fair;
Your lovers will despise you;
They will seek your life.

To be clear, this was NOT addressing a specific woman in a specific situation but a symbolic or prophetic utterance about a specific group of people. I think it’s interesting because I can totally see someone looking at this verse and connecting it to glamorous women who are victims of violence. Beauty is meaningless because it won’t save us from male violence. 

Then there’s this: 

2 Kings 9:30 KJ21

And when Jehu had come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she painted her face and attired her head, and looked out at a window.

This passage shows that Jezebel performed femininity by putting on makeup and styling her hair, something men in womanface do and a practice forced upon women under patriarchy. It doesn’t matter if this was her last act of defiance, it did nothing to change her fate. I acknowledge this passage was and is often used against Christian women that want to wear makeup but making women feel that they aren’t enough without it is just as bad. That makeup burden is a characteristic of gender pushed by patriarchs whether traditional or queer. 

Here’s the Proverbs 31 woman again:

Proverbs 31:30 

Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing,

But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.

A woman’s charm and beauty, two of many oppressive gender requirements, are futile in the Biblical grand scheme of things. The docile, submissive homemaker isn’t even revered in biblical texts but Christian patriarchs swear by it. It all comes down to their insecurities as men. That’s there problem and it should NOT be ours as women.

Is Goddess Worship to Blame?

Ok, I absolutely do not believe that feminism is to blame for the rise in transgenderism. I do however notice something very concerning. I’ve met many radical feminists that worship a goddess and some of them abhor Abrahamic religions believing them to be the root of women’s oppression. At the same time, they rightfully and fearlessly fight against trans tyranny and FOR women’s sex-based rights. I’m a woman who is a researcher at heart. I explore what other’s believe even if I have no intention of adopting their belief as my own. That leads me to a conclusion that might be offensive to women I consider allies in this fight (that is NOT my intention). The conclusion?

An argument can be made that the very source that provides some radical feminists comfort, goddess worship, might also be a safe haven, a home for transgenderism…the worldview that has the potential to deal a fatal blow to women’s sex-based rights. Take a look at section 115-131 of the Hymn of the goddess Inanna/Ishtar. Pay close attention to the bolded sentence: 

^115-131To run, to escape, to quiet and to pacify are yours, Inana…To destroy, to build up, to tear out and to settle are yours, Inana. To turn a man into a woman and a woman into a man are yours, Inana. Desirability and arousal, goods and property are yours, Inana. Gain, profit, great wealth and greater wealth are yours, Inana. 

Where have you heard this sentiment before? TRA’s, right? This must be what they are referring to when they say transgenderism has been around for centuries. If a TRA wanted a religion, they’d find sanctuary and validation in goddess worship, much more so than in Abrahamic religions. I wonder if similar themes occur throughout goddess worship… 

I believe that all religions, including Christianity, have elements that are unsettling to feminists and others. It’s dishonest to think other belief systems and even secularism are problem free. When writing this piece, I actually thought that atheism was the only worldview that can escape the “transgender blame game.” But if you really ponder that atheism is a lack of belief in a deity, authoritative text, etc, who is to say you can’t support gender identity ideology? There’s no text saying you can’t support men in women’s spaces, men calling themselves women, women calling themselves men, etc. You might be thinking, the science backs up the claim that sex is immutable. Atheists believe in science so that leaves them off the hook. I hear you, but there are people within science arguing that “sex is more complicated than what most people understand.” Even if an atheist believes that sex is real, it’s possible for her/him to support people having the right to live as they choose, including as the opposite sex. There is no authoritative text saying they can’t.

My point is, no group is perfect and this blame game will get us nowhere. Let’s focus on winning this fight.

All biblical passages can be found at Bible Gateway.