{"id":590190,"date":"2023-09-07T14:30:00","date_gmt":"2023-09-07T11:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/gender-identity-and-political-evil\/"},"modified":"2023-09-07T14:30:00","modified_gmt":"2023-09-07T11:30:00","slug":"gender-identity-and-political-evil","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/gender-identity-and-political-evil\/","title":{"rendered":"#Gender identity and political evil"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/07\/transgender_trans_flag_texas_05202021_AP_.jpg?w=900\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Friedrich Hayek, one of the foundational theorists of the American right, warned us about the demonization of transgender people.<\/p>\n<p>Gender identity raises a cluster of distinctive issues: locker rooms, bathrooms, health insurance, military service, prisons and homeless shelters. We oughtn\u2019t mush them all together. But there is a nasty common thread. In today\u2019s politics, even valid reasons for sometimes disregarding a gender-identity claim tend to morph into hateful efforts to eradicate transgender people altogether.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr1_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>The two most politically salient issues are medical interventions for children and girls\u2019 sports. They are distinct. Questions about what treatments are likely to produce the h<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>iest and best functioning adults have little to do with fairness to athletes and encouraging all children to be physically active.<\/p>\n<p>But contaminating both conversations, and many others as well, is a malign political tendency that is familiar in other contexts. A free society naturally engenders diversity, and this produces a distinctive set of opportunities for political evil.<\/p>\n<p>Hayek, in his classic 1944 book \u201c<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Road_to_Serfdom\">The Road to Serfdom<\/a>,\u201d observes that \u201cit is easier for people to agree on a negative programme, on the hatred of an enemy\u2026than on any positive task. The contrast between the \u2018we\u2019 and the \u2018they,\u2019 the common fight against those outside the group, seems to be an essential ingredient in any creed which will solidly knit together a group for common action.\u201d For politicians, this \u201chas the great advantage of leaving them greater freedom of action than almost any positive programme.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Thus, \u201cthe enemy, whether he be internal like the \u2018Jew\u2019 or the \u2018Kulak,\u2019 or external, seems to be an indispensable requisite in the armoury of a totalitarian leader.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In other words, it is hard to unify opinion in a democracy, but a strategy that sometimes works is to scapegoat a harmless and powerless minority, so that we all can unite in persecuting them.<\/p>\n<p>Transgender people are the latest victims of this ugly strategy, whose most successful practitioner is Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R). It has helped him to become the leading non-Trump Republican presidential candidate, with a promising political future even if he doesn\u2019t get the nomination this time. His self-proclaimed \u201cwar on wokeness\u201d is in practice a war on vulnerable people. He talks a lot about protecting children, but the laws he has signed have also <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/florida-transgender-health-care-adults-e7ae55eec634923e6593a4c0685969b2\">made it difficult or impossible for transgender adults to get treatment<\/a>, or even continue the treatment they have been receiving for years.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr2_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>The attack on transgender Floridians has focused particularly on schools and state <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2023\/08\/24\/us\/florida-anti-trans-law-penalties\/index.html\">colleges<\/a>, where teachers may no longer use their preferred pronouns in class and must use the bathroom designated for their biological sex as assigned at birth. Transgender visitors, including parents and students from other schools, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/slate.com\/news-and-politics\/2023\/08\/florida-ron-desantis-attacks-trans-students-teachers.html\">face criminal charges<\/a> if they use the bathroom on school premises that fits their gender identity. Such rules place transgender people at greater <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/Restrooms-Minority-Stress-Jun-2013.pdf\">risk<\/a> of <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hsph.harvard.edu\/news\/hsph-in-the-news\/transgender-teens-restricted-bathroom-access-sexual-assault\/\">assault<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>DeSantis\u2019s campaign <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.msnbc.com\/opinion\/msnbc-opinion\/ron-desantis-ad-video-trans-lgbtq-rcna92392\">reposted<\/a> a video which <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ErinInTheMorn\/status\/1658878032042393623\">approvingly quoted<\/a> a transgender activist accusing him of signing the \u201cmost extreme slate of anti-trans laws in modern history.\u201d His <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/slate.com\/news-and-politics\/2022\/03\/florida-dont-say-gay-censorship-republican-lies.html\">deliberately vague<\/a> Parental Rights in Education Act, derided as the \u201cdon\u2019t say gay\u201d law, targets transgender as well as gay people. DeSantis\u2019s press secretary <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/slate.com\/news-and-politics\/2022\/03\/florida-dont-say-gay-censorship-republican-lies.html\">claimed<\/a> that anyone who opposes it is \u201cprobably a groomer.\u201d When a poll showed that a majority of gay and transgender parents were considering leaving Florida because of these policies, she retweeted the <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news<\/a> with an <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ChristinaPushaw\/status\/1647374719409168384\">emoji of a hand waving goodbye<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>In short, thousands of people who have lived in Florida all their lives are being terrorized because <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/04\/16\/us\/politics\/transgender-conservative-campaign.html\">Republicans needed an issue to mobilize around<\/a>.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr3_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>There are some reasonable arguments for declining to defer to all claims about gender identity. Women and girls don\u2019t want to see penises in their locker rooms. Biologically male bodies can give transgender athletes an advantage in women\u2019s sports. <\/p>\n<p>Some issues are just hard and complicated. Yes, biologically male prisoners have <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/california\/californias-female-prisoners-feel-threatened-by-transgender-inmates-the-state-doesnt-care\/\">committed rapes<\/a> in women\u2019s prisons, for example. But transgender inmates in men\u2019s prisons are <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2021\/06\/23\/us\/trans-women-incarceration\/index.html\">particularly at risk<\/a> of sexual assault. And some women do not feel safe in homeless and battered women\u2019s shelters where there are biological males in residence, but it must be acknowledged that transgender people need refuge as well.<\/p>\n<p>These issues demand nuanced and sensitive judgment, but that judgment has to presume that the basic needs of transgender people matter. You cross a line when you boast that you have threatened people\u2019s existence and driven them out of their homes and communities.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr4_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>Sadly, nuance is in short supply, particularly with respect to the care of children. <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2023\/08\/16\/north-carolina-ban-gender-affirming-care-00111577\">Twenty-two states<\/a> have now enacted laws like Florida\u2019s, completely banning transition-related medical care for minors. The best argument for legal restrictions is that some clinics have improperly rushed such treatments. On those grounds, many European countries have <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/joshuacohen\/2023\/06\/06\/increasing-number-of-european-nations-adopt-a-more-cautious-approach-to-gender-affirming-care-among-minors\/?sh=6758e4397efb\">tightened eligibility requirements<\/a> and demanded that they take place in a controlled research setting. But the absolute bans are recklessly crude, ignoring evidence that such treatments are urgently necessary and have been <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/08\/23\/health\/transgender-youth-st-louis-jamie-reed.html?searchResultPosition=7\">spectacularly successful for some children<\/a>. The legislators who purport to be protecting them are oblivious to, and perhaps indifferent or even hostile to, those children.<\/p>\n<p>Not every denial of a transgender claim is a threat to trans existence. But transgender people are not wrong to feel that their existence is in question in every such conversation. Those politicians who have advanced their careers by vilifying their innocent fellow citizens should be ashamed of themselves.<\/p>\n<p><em>Andrew Koppelman, John Paul Stevens Professor of Law at Northwestern University, is the author of \u201c<\/em><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/andrewkoppelman.com\/books\/burning-down-the-house\/\"><em>Burning Down the House: How Libertarian Philosophy Was Corrupted by Delusion and Greed<\/em><\/a><em>\u201d (St. Martin\u2019s Press). Follow him\u00a0<\/em><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AndrewKoppelman\"><em>@AndrewKoppelman<\/em><\/a><em>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Copyright 2023 Nexstar <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Media<\/a> Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.<\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more News articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/opinion\/civil-rights\/4190175-gender-identity-and-political-evil\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Friedrich Hayek, one of the foundational theorists of the American right, warned us about the demonization of transgender people. Gender identity raises a cluster of distinctive issues: locker rooms, bathrooms, health insurance, military service, prisons and homeless shelters. We oughtn\u2019t mush them all together. But there is a nasty common thread. In today\u2019s politics, even&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":590191,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/07\/transgender_trans_flag_texas_05202021_AP_.jpg?w=1280","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[134417,70363,73798,138614,145594,73014,133498,134351,4947,29102,145291,138145,70291,141190],"class_list":["post-590190","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-blog-briefing-room","tag-civil-rights","tag-defense","tag-dont-say-gay","tag-friedrich-hayek","tag-health-care","tag-in-the-know","tag-morning-report","tag-opinion","tag-ron-desantis","tag-trans-rights","tag-transgender-athletes","tag-transgender-rights","tag-transgender-youth"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/590190","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=590190"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/590190\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/590191"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=590190"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=590190"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=590190"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}