By Sarah Holliday
The Washington Stand
When it comes to gender politics, many in opposition acknowledge that adults have the ability to choose for themselves whether they pursue hormone therapy or body-mutilating operations, because adults can better weigh the risks of their decisions. Children, on the other hand, are quite different from adults. Opponents of gender ideology are steadfast in the fight to keep these ideological procedures away from children because they understand how vulnerable they are to the manipulative nature of so-called “gender-affirming care.” Far too many kids have already become victims of medical experiments as it is.
This is what makes a recent law passed in Germany last week even more infuriating. On April 12, the Bundestag, or the German Parliament, “passed one of the world’s most far-reaching sex self-determination policies” known as The Self-Determination Act (SBGG). This radical legislation “establishes ‘gender identity’ as a protected characteristic and allows parents to change the sex marker on their children’s documents from birth,” Reduxx reported.
Citizens can now be fined 10,000 euros for “deadnaming,” which is a term LGBT activists use for when someone, “without their permission,” is referred to by their name given to them at birth rather than the name they chose as part of their identity façade. And just when it appears it can’t get any more drastic, SBGG also “permits parents to alter the recorded sex of children beginning from birth. From the age of five years old, it allows for name and sex changes if there is ‘mutual consent’ between the child and their parents.”
Physicians have emphasized that Europe is ahead of the U.S. in terms of how far gender ideology has gone. Some countries, though, such as the U.K., Sweden, Finland, and Norway have begun backtracking as more evidence comes to light of the harmful nature of such procedures. Thankfully, the battle is strong in America from the side of those determined to keep children safe by preventing legislation such as SBGG from happening in this country.
But several questions come to mind when analyzing this recent development: What implications does a law such as this passing in Germany offer for what’s next in the gender politics wars? Will similar laws pass elsewhere in Europe? How will America respond? To help give insight to some of those questions, Joseph Backholm, Family Research Council’s senior fellow for Strategic Engagement and Biblical Worldview, commented to The Washington Stand.
“If we describe ‘radical’ as something far outside the lines of decency, this is definitely a radical policy,” Backholm insisted. “The idea that parents would be allowed to change the sex of their child from birth is outrageous. Any parent who wanted to treat their son as a girl from birth should lose their parental rights, not do so with the support and encouragement of the government.”
Addressing the details of the law that was passed, Backholm noted, “The name is ironic but perfect, much like their flagship holiday, Pride.” He continued, “The Self-Determination Act reflects their desire to define their own reality, but reality will never stop pushing back and will never lose.” This, of course, is exhibited in the mountains of research and evidence that proves the biological reality of the two-sex binary, as well as the reality that biological sex cannot be altered by hormones and surgeries. “Why is a child’s sex the only thing the parents can change?” Backholm asked. “Why can’t they change their birth year to make them immediately eligible for retirement benefits? Why can’t a child who feels like an old soul identify as a retiree?”
In answer to those questions, Backholm contended, “If we allow this logic to prevail, there’s simply no point in having identification documents. Germany should get rid of any attempt to describe someone’s characteristics and simply give every life (we shouldn’t assume their species) an identification number and let them make up the rest. That’s the only way to be consistent.” However, he clarified, “that would be insane.” But the sad reality is that “it’s not more insane than this law is.” For Backholm, the irrational possibility that “the elites” might decide we can “choose our own birth year … may be coming.”
As to how believers should respond, Backholm helpfully observed, “The correct response for Christians to madness like this is to say what we know to be true without fear.” Ultimately, “The more people hear the truth spoken, the more likely they are to speak the truth.”
“These ideas cannot prevail over time,” he insisted, “but they can do a lot of damage before we come to our senses. Our job is to minimize that damage and encourage a return to reality as quickly as possible.”
Originally published at The Washington Stand!
