OPINION:
I believe that just about everyone is either a male or a female in every cell of their body, and concerning the primary sexual organs with which they were born. I believe that God made almost every single one of us, either male or female; he’s the one who “assigned” us our genders. I think that men don’t become women by changing their clothes and putting on some makeup.
I don’t understand the phrase “biological male.” What other kind of male is there? Nor do I stutter and stammer and ultimately refuse to answer – like at least one current Supreme Court justice — when asked to define the word “woman”.
I don’t think people should be required to provide their pronouns as an employment requirement. I believe those who procure or perform irrevocable and unnecessary surgeries on minors are criminals.
I mention all this because a few weeks ago, a female fencer refused to compete against a male fencer who “identifies” as a woman. It is unfortunate that the female fencer was put in a position where she felt that it was her best course of action.
Was that a happy outcome? Was it fair? No and no. Should any of us care about the rules of the United States Fencing Association? Probably not. I don’t fence, and I don’t know anyone who does. No one is required to participate; it is a completely voluntary activity. No one’s employment or educational achievement is affected by the association. No taxpayer money is involved. The association broke no laws in this instance.
Despite the complete lack of a nexus to any legitimate government interest, Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene will hold a hearing about this seismic event. The hearing is scheduled for Wednesday in the Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency, which is part of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
I’m sure I don’t know what a private fencing match gone wrong has to do with delivering government efficiency or providing oversight of government functions. I’m equally sure Chairwoman Greene and Chairman Comer don’t know, either.
There are two problems with this silly and pointless show.
First, if the United States is going to remain a great power, at some point, Congress is going to have to do its job and start legislating, and no, signing off on an omnibus with more bad ideas than can be counted at the end of each year does not count as legislating. Time to face facts. We have a federal government that can’t balance its budgets, win wars, stop drugs from seeping into the nation, reduce crime, solve illegal immigration, fix the cities, build roads or bridges or tunnels, or do anything other than spend your money.
Yet somehow, they have enough time to worry about what private, law-abiding citizens who have formed into voluntary associations do.
There’s the real problem. Once the government decides it doesn’t like what you are doing – and make no mistake, in this case, Chairman Greene (who would like to be Senator Greene) is acting with the full force of the federal government – you are in real trouble. To a busybody collectivist like the congresswoman, it makes no difference that tax money isn’t involved or that laws haven’t been broken. It is enough that they don’t like what you are doing.
Once the principle is established that the government has a right to get in the middle of whatever it chooses, that there is, in fact, no limits to the scope of their interests, then none of us are safe. Girl Scouts? Kiwanis? The Catholic Church? It won’t matter what you do in your free time. If the government doesn’t approve (and right now the “government” is the Republicans, but next time around it will be the Democrats), you will be hauled up before a committee to explain yourself.
• Michael McKenna is a contributing editor at The Washington Times.
