“Masculine” is the new favorite word of mainstream media to describe Gov. Tim Walz, vice president candidate, and Doug Emhoff, spouse of current vice president and now presidential candidate, Kamala Harris. MSNBC, CNN, Time Magazine, People, and NPR have all babbled about it. Headlines from the Washington Post and The New York Times include, “Doug Emhoff, Modern-Day Sex Symbol,” and “Tim Walz’s Superpower.”
Meanwhile, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson cannot give a definition for “woman.” On this, liberal media outlets give a pass.
It’s a bit of a disconnect.
But now that these media establishments opened the door on what it means to be a man, we can finally talk about what it means to be a woman.
History was made when Harris ascended to the office of Vice President of the United States. It was the first time a woman secured that position. Now she’s running for president. If she wins, she will again make history as the first woman to do so.
Make no mistake, mainstream media will go on and on about it. Not because of her human being qualities, but because she’s a woman. It tells us that, in the political world, a person’s sex is important.
If obsessing and focusing on the sex of those running for the highest office in the land is appropriate, it seems sensible to think about it in other arenas.
Like sports. Just like in the political world, a person’s sex is an important piece of the conversation in the sports world. It means something.
But the Biden-Harris administration wants it to mean less. It is actively trying to change Title IX protections for girls and women—legislation that created equal high school and college sports participation opportunities for the female sex.
The original text of “Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972” states, “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance…”
Clear and straight-forward language.
The Biden-Harris administration wants to muddy that language and redefine sex by adding the words, “gender identity.” New text reads, “A recipient institution that receives Department funds must operate its education program or activity in a nondiscriminatory manner free of discrimination based on sex, including sexual orientation and gender identity.” In other words, a man who identifies as a woman would be able to compete with women in college and high school sports, share locker rooms and showers with women, have access to female bathrooms, and strip women of scholarship opportunities.
Men are physically stronger and faster than women. This is not a statement of weakness. It’s truth-telling. It’s Biology 101. When men who identify as women compete with women in sports, women will lose. The 1972 law prevented this from happening. Because of the current administration’s meddling with Title IX, women will be denied benefits and protections that this law once provided.
It’s unfair and unjust.
The Pew Research Center conducted a survey in 2022 on the 50th anniversary of Title IX. Unsurprisingly, a majority stated that competing in sports had a positive impact on their health, confidence, and self-esteem. The next generation of female athletes deserve to discover the good things that come from fairly competing in sports, too. It might even help develop leadership skills that will take them all the way to the White House.
Certainly, all people can benefit from competing in sports—including transgender people—but it cannot come at the expense of female athletes. Perhaps a third division is needed where men who identify as women can compete with other men who identify as women.
In high school and college athletics, too many women are losing to men identifying as women. It sure seems like a no-brainer to address and remedy this situation.
People make mistakes. Wise people learn from them. If wisdom is a necessary trait for the presidency, Harris must show she has it by reversing her call to redefine sex to include gender identity in Title IX.
Harris wants to be known as the first female president of the United States while also gutting Title IX benefits and protections for female athletes.
There’s no way to connect the dots on that one.
Moving the Conversation Along 