Why Have Gay and Trans Rights Risen to the Top of the Left's Priorities?
There was a day when equal rights for Black Americans was the cause celebre of the Left. But for more than a decade now, gay rights have trumped Black rights. Why? There was a day when equal rights for women was the cause celebre of the Left. But in recent years, trans rights have trumped women's rights. Why has this happened? I believe I have the answer. But first, let me demonstrate how dramatically things have shifted in our culture by mentioning the names Crystal Dixon, Julea Ward and Angela McCaskill. What do they have in common? They are all well-educated Black females who lost their jobs (permanently or temporarily) or were kicked out of their university program because they differed with the gay activist agenda. Crystal Dixon was formerly associate vice president of human resources at the University of Toledo. When Michael S. Miller, editor-in-chief of the Toledo Free Press, wrote an editorial in which he likened the "gays rights struggle" to "my black friends' struggles and my wheelchair-bound friends' struggles," Dixon took exception to this and penned an op-ed piece for the newspaper. For doing this, on her own time and in her own name without malice or hatred, Dixon was fired from her job in 2008. Julea Ward, a pastor's wife, was expelled from the counseling department at Eastern Michigan University on March 12, 2009, after refusing to renounce her biblically based beliefs about homosexuality at a meeting that can best be described as a school tribunal. Angela McCaskill was the first deaf Black woman in the world to receive a doctorate degree (Ph.D.). That is rarified air. But in 2012, McCaskill was suspended from her position as diversity officer at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., the nation's premier school for the deaf. Why? It was discovered that she and her husband signed a petition calling for her home state of Maryland to put the referendum on same-sex "marriage" up for a vote. (For the record, she signed this petition while attending church.) That was her transgression. This trend of has continued to do this day, and when it comes to the hierarchy of the Left, gay trumps Black. As for trans rights trumping women's rights, consider the treatment received by Germaine Greer, one of the world's premier (not to mention pioneer) feminists. For daring to say that a biological male can never become a true female, Greer has been labeled a TERF (Trans Exclusionary Radical Feminist), and attempts have been made to cancel her campus lectures. As an op-ed on the Huffington Post announced, "'Feminists' Who Exclude Trans Women Aren't Feminists At All." Goodbye, Germaine Greer! More recently, the bestselling author J. K. Rowling, also a respected feminist, has been singled out for cancellation because she had the audacity to take issue with the statement that "people menstruate," noting that it is "women" rather than "people" who menstruate. For this and other alleged ideological crimes, many on the left are raging against her. And need I mention the name "Lia" Thomas? This biological male who identifies as a woman recently crushed the female competition in a national NCAA 500-yard swimming event. Yet after the event, the National Women's Law Center stated, "Lia, we need people like you." They even branded you a misogynist if you had a problem with Thomas competing against women. (For the record, Thomas was ranked 462 as a male swimmer.) So, why is it that the same group of people (meaning the "progressives" or "the Left") who fought so tenaciously for Black rights now make that cause secondary to gay rights? And why is it that the same group of people who fought so tenaciously for women's rights now make that cause secondary to trans rights? I believe the answer is staring us right in the face: it was not Blacks or gays or women or transgenders who were the ultimate issue. It was challenging the status quo that was the ultimate issue. It was rebelling against the system. It was saying no to the prevailing tradition of the hour, whether that tradition was bad (such as segregation) or that tradition is good (such as the integrity of women's sports). Put another way, in the end, a radical agenda was more important than people (be they Blacks, women, gays or transgenders). And so, to this hour, what ultimately drives this radical, leftist agenda is not so much compassion but rather the "leftness" of the ideology. Am I saying that no one on the Left really cares about any of these groups? Not for a second. I'm sure that there are many caring leftists. And I'm sure many of them have been grieved at what they perceive to be real inequalities and injustices. In fact, many on the Left feel aggrieved for themselves, as they too are Black or female or identify as gay or trans, and they too suffered mistreatment. But when the rubber meets the road, the group that was championed one day will quickly be abandoned in favor of the new group championed by the always more radical Left. That's why, when a liberal politician is accused of sexual harassment or impropriety (from Bill Clinton to Andrew Cuomo), many "Me Too" feminists are eerily silent. But when it's a conservative politician like Donald Trump or a conservative judge like Brett Kavanaugh, the feminists want their heads. That's because the ultimate issue is not whether these women were truly abused or harassed. The ultimate issue is the agenda. That's why, in the days ahead, something else might arise to push trans rights to the side. And on and on it goes. How then, do we combat this radical leftist agenda? By exposing its moral hypocrisy. By demonstrating a heart of compassion for each group and individual. And by striving for equality under the law for all. Dr. Michael Brown (askdrbrown.org) is the host of the nationally syndicated Line of Fire radio program. His latest book is Revival Or We Die: A Great Awakening Is Our Only Hope. Connect with him on Facebook, Twitter or YouTube. Read articles like this one and other Spirit-led content in our new platform, CHARISMA PLUS.
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