OPINION:
A version of this story appeared in the Higher Ground newsletter from The Washington Times. Click here to receive Higher Ground delivered directly to your inbox each Sunday.
“This is a different kind of nuts.”
That’s how comedian Bill Maher recently framed some of the current dynamics surrounding gender ideology and the “my truth, your truth” mantra increasingly eclipsing public sanity.
Mr. Maher, on a recent episode of his “Club Random” podcast, explained why some people are watching what’s happening on the secular left and essentially recoiling.
“There’s people on the left who think that biology is just a theory. It’s that kind of stuff — ‘Men can have babies’ kind of stuff, that makes people go: ’Trump is nuts, that’s true, we know that, but this is a different kind of nuts that’s closer to my house because my kids are coming home from school, and they’re like ‘Am I queer?’ … because like it’s great that we could like, let kids come out and be themselves when they are, but it’s gotten a little like entrapment with the FBI,” he said.
Mr. Maher likened what sometimes happens with kids and gender ideology to what can unfold when FBI officers suggest a crime to miscreants in an effort to get them to act on it. While these potential delinquents might not have acted on their own, the creatively crafted prompting could be enough to push them over the edge into criminality.
SEE ALSO: Parents sue Michigan school district for hiding daughter’s gender transition
Kids, he said, can be easily twisted into confusion in a similar way, and he said many parents are becoming increasingly uncomfortable with the ways in which gender issues are being presented in schools.
“It’s like, ’We’re not against homosexuality, but when every book is, you know, ‘Bobby Can Wear a Dress,’ the kid gets it in his head,” Mr. Maher said. “And it’s a confusing time.”
It’s remarkable to consider that a man known for his hyper-progressive comedy is now consistently sympathizing with some conservative proclivities, critiquing his own camp’s handling of gender ideology.
What Mr. Maher is essentially calling out — that “different kind of nuts” — is being fueled by the most toxic attribute plaguing our culture: a carcinogenic detachment from reality and truth and our obsession with the whims of the self.
Mr. Maher has arguably been wrong about a great many issues over the years, yet his reversal and march toward common sense is becoming more pronounced, particularly when it comes to the confusion being foisted upon children.
And he’s not alone, as others also are speaking out about these issues with increased fervor. It’s an issue that’s sure to dominate facets of the 2024 presidential race, especially as parents begin to sue school districts accused of concealing and assisting their kids’ gender transitions and school board meetings erupt over controversial curricula.
The fact is, despite progressives’ propensities, most Americans oppose offering puberty blockers to minors, with a Washington Post-KFF poll finding last year that 68% disagree with giving puberty blockers to youths aged 10-14 and 58% feel the same for teens aged 15 to 17.
With Mr. Maher parroting the likes of swimmer-turned-activist Riley Gaines, it’s clear the gender issue has moved past partisanship into universal alarm. Even Bethany Hamilton, the beloved shark attack survivor and professional surfer who has spent years inspiring the masses through her story, is speaking out, recently sharing the following message on X: “Male-bodied athletes should not be competing in female sports. Period.”
It’s likely that more people will weigh in as time progresses and the issue intensifies. After all, children’s innocence, parental rights and truth are all on the line.
Conservative commentator Ben Shapiro famously said, “Facts don’t care about your feelings” — and he’s right. Yet people seem increasingly bent on masquerading random whims as gospel truths, punishing anyone who doesn’t fall in line. When feelings take the place of sanity and biological reality, the costs can be quite high and, as we’ve seen, will surely permeate everything from social standings to public policy and, in turn, parental rights.
While America is still mostly battling issues surrounding biological men competing in sports, Europe is facing more sweeping chaos. Scotland’s ruling party is weighing a proposal that would imprison parents who refuse to transition their children, a chilling turn in a series of bombastic events surrounding gender.
It’s no surprise the chaos here in the U.S. coincides with shifting tides, as worldview expert George Barna recently revealed just 4% of Americans now hold a biblical worldview. Naturally, fewer people now align with God’s perspective on matters of gender.
But as Mr. Maher’s reaction shows, even an atheist can see that punishing loving parents, foisting confusion on children, deceiving parents, and convincing kids to lie to their moms and dads violates everything good and right in the world.
It’s possible to treat people with dignity while telling the truth — and it’s absolutely essential to protect parental rights from an onslaught of bedlam. It’s far past time people speak up unless they want to see this “different kind of nuts” become a new kind of normal.
• Billy Hallowell is a digital TV host and interviewer for Faithwire and CBN News and the co-host of CBN’s “Quick Start Podcast.” Mr. Hallowell is the author of four books.
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