Ética y Derecho
Posted inbook reviewsUncategorized Gender identity politics is erasing and silencing women
by Michelle A. Cretella Mar 29, 2017 / 4 mins /
Editor Ruth Barrett is a courageous woman who has defied political orthodoxy in publishing Female Erasure: What you need to know about gender politics’ war on women, the female sex and human rights. Barrett’s masterpiece is an eclectic, incisive, well-referenced analysis of the transgendering of society and its harmful impact upon women and children.
Not only has Barrett swum headlong into the transgender tsunami, braving an onslaught of harassment, including death threats (as have many of her contributors), but she has also reached across the political abortion divide in the process. Barrett, like most of her contributors, is a feminist fiercely committed to abortion rights. Yet she still approached me, President of the pro-life American College of Pediatricians, to request permission to republish my scientific statement on gender dysphoria in her anthology.
As I had more conversations with Ruth and some of her contributors, I learned that radical feminist and conservative thought also overlap on pornography, prostitution, sex trafficking, the sexualization of children, and the negative consequences of society’s embrace of sex stereotypes. All of these, in turn, converge in the politics of gender ideology, as Female Erasure reveals.
Contributors to Female Erasure include physicians, mid-wives, therapists, academics, lawyers, mothers of children who have transitioned, and de-transitioning women who transgendered as teens only to discover in their late 20s that they had internalized such a degree of misogyny from family and society that they assented to a chemical and surgical assault of their bodies.
Regarding the latter, they opened my eyes to the fact that many lesbian and bisexual women view transitioning one’s gender as a form of internalized homophobia. In other words, these de-transitioned women view their transgender experience as having been pressured into chemically and surgically impersonating a man in order to role play a heterosexual relationship with another biological woman.
Barrett’s compendium is categorized into six sections. The first and most important is “Biological Erasure by Gender Ideology”. These chapters highlight the need to make critical distinctions among the objective biological trait known as sex, the social construct inextricably tied to oppressive sex stereotypes called gender, and a person’s psychological gender identity. Also included are essays detailing the suppressed medical debates over transgenderism, particularly concerning children.
The next several chapters are grouped under the heading “Re-framing Reality and the Language of Erasure”. This section contains essays particularly attuned to how normalizing transgenderism leads to the elimination not only of legal protections for women and children, but also of the very category of girl and woman under the law. Remaining sections include “The ‘Violent’ Female Body” (a collection of woman-centric poetry); “A Room of Our Own” (essays that explore the beauty, privilege and need for female-only spaces and social gathering); and, finally, “Personal Stories from the Belly of the Beast” (accounts from women who went through medical procedures to impersonate men, as well as accounts of women whose husbands sought to impersonate women).
All contributors are honest, most are passionate, some are palpably pained and angry, but none are hate-filled. All contributors desire to end unjust discrimination and violence against trans-identified persons, but they refuse to do so at the expense of women and children.
While conservative readers may balk at the underlying theme that the whole of Western civilization is an oppressive patriarchy in need of dismantling, I urge conservatives to approach Female Erasure with an open mind.
Here is why: as a woman and a physician I recognize the debt owed to our feminist foremothers, and also know what it is to face unjust discrimination. In other words, despite worldview differences, there are experiential misogynist realities presented in Female Erasure that all can agree exist and that clearly contribute to the transgender phenomenon.
More importantly, Female Erasure helped me better understand why we differ on other cultural issues and gave me new insight into areas in which we agree. For example, I was deeply impressed by the radical feminist conviction that we are sacred embodied sexual beings, and by the great reverence for a woman’s life-bearing power which flows from the latter.
This is why radical feminists and conservatives, including devout Catholics and Evangelicals, can speak in one voice not only against transgenderism, but also against all other forms of sexual exploitation.
However, the greatest gift I received from Ruth’s invitation to be a part of Female Erasure was the opportunity to have civil and heartfelt conversations with fellow women regarding topics over which we sharply disagree: abortion, homosexuality in children, and same-sex marriage and parenting.
Together we discovered that while we may never fully agree on these topics, we are more alike than we are different. We were able to see each other not as adversaries, but rather as fellow caring human beings with well-reasoned concerns and the capacity to see the other person’s point of view. We also uncovered certain aspects within these issues about which we agree.
In today’s culture war climate this very necessary dialogue is all but impossible. How beautiful and fitting that women should lead in forging this type of conversation; a discourse aimed at truth seeking rather than shutting our opponents down with ad hominem attacks and violence.
Perhaps this is the silver lining in our joint battle against the transgender tyranny that ravages the bodies and minds of our children, and could legally erase half of humanity. At least, I hope that it is. To that end, I urge college students, educators, lawyers, legislators, physicians, and mental health professionals of every political stripe to give Female Erasure a close read.
Michelle A. Cretella, M.D., is President of the American College of Pediatricians. This review has been republished from the College’s website with permission.
Michelle A. Cretella
Michelle Cretella, MD, is a Board Certified Pediatrician with a focus on adolescent health. She serves as Vice President of the American College of Pediatricians and on the Board of Directors of the National... More by Michelle A. Cretella
Tagged: book reviewsfemale erasurefeminismtransgenderism
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Agreed. The whole sexual movement is about removing women as people from society. It doesn't take much to learn how everyone in the movement treats the end goals as male; sex whenever you want it? Male idea and desire, turn women into men. Taking away a female's ability to have children, be it sterilization, abortion, birth control: make them men. Even now transgenics doesn't protect the female aspect of women but attacks it violently. Males who think they have no Y chromosome can't be female, have children, and female with no Y chromosome can't get one, but in the process lose their female attributes that make them. Now as genetic engineering and artificial wombs are studied you see the same thing, the destruction of women. Genetic engineering seeks to remove the XX chromosomes pairs; artificial wombs to erase mothers. Those who hate women always argue that they're 'freeing' women, when in fact they're trying to extinct them as a form of life.
Having done considerable research on this subject and having treated hyperactive children for many years, I can't agree with you Elizabeth. ADHD is a mixed bag and very few people can differentiate one type from another. For many centuries men have learned on their feet when being distracted by peripheral stimulus and responding impulsively was adaptive eg. game or enemy. For females who much more often sat at work, being distracted meant burning dish of food or fingers. However this is one very small instance in the long list of inequalities that people would prefer to ignore. The fact that women outlive men by 7-8 years means there are more female voters which has a large impact on proposed legislation and candidates elected.
This is so incoherent it is hard to start about how wrong it...
But lets just take the 'faux' concern about lesbians "that many lesbian and bisexual women view transitioning one's gender as a form of internalized homophobia"....a bit rich since the organisation pushes for the elimination of all homosexual people. That being a Catholic front organisation it's ideological position is that no one should have any sex, except PiV sex for a man and a woman within marriage and only to have children, and that gay men and lesbians should live a life of celibacy.
It advocates the disproven 'gay/trans conversion therapy' (they are the same thing) to 'cure' homosexuality and stop people becoming transgender. Pity they don't advocate 'child sex abusing conversion therapy' for the huge numbers of child sex abusing priests (Marrist brothers, etc) within their ranks, that they don't care about..
Naturally it is anti-contraception and abortion.
Naturally it advocates' traditional' male/female roles, where the women's role is very secondary relegated to being a mother and a domestic servant.It advocates physical violence against children, being Catholic the thrill of spanking kids bare bottoms must never go away. Which given the systematic level of sexual neutroticism it advocates even for heterosexuals (a life without sex basically, except a few times every year or so to procreate) this should surprise no one.
So overall it is about an extreme (and absurd) as a Catholic right wing organisation can be.
It is a strange alternative universe where any of their beliefs can be misconstrued as 'feminist' in any way.
Why, I ask myself and Michelle, do all feminists of all kinds, ignore the large and growing dominance of women over men? I count with no difficulty 34 social, political, economic, legal and educational advantages that women have over men. Plus they have the sole right and power to decide which child lives and which is murdered over every objection and plea the child's father can mount. What do you think that does to man? What about the 10:1 boy:girl ratio of ADHD? Do you know that a sizable portion of these boys will concentrate well if you give them a desk at which they can stand and walk around. Sedentary learning and administrative performing is much easier for women and yet they are given affirmative action as if they were handicapped. How will feminists react if men start asserting themselves. Now they cannot even shout without being labelled aggressive. Men shout for many reasons that have nothing to do with anger. Men shout for joy, discovery, pain, frustration, panic, ordering, alerting etc. Common you ladies that are ladies, Give men this small break. Let them shout and not have them charged with assault.
Elizabeth Putnam > DrJonah • 4 years ago
Actually as someone who is becoming a clinical psychologist, the reason the ADHD ratio is more often diagnosed in boys is not because boys are more likely to have ADHD, it is the fact that it is easier to diagnose ADHD in boys than girls. Most psychologists believe ADHD is about even with girls and boys but girls typically show different signs than what is typically viewed as ADHD. So if you're a girl with ADHD, you are less likely to get diagnosed with it than a boy.
Dr Susan Reibel Moore • 4 years ago
Thanks so much, Michelle A. Cretella and Mercator for this splendid reflection. I can't afford to buy books, but if I can borrow this one from someone linked with Mercator, I will.
Another good book, written from a more conservative perspective, is "Sex Scandal: The Drive to Abolish Male and Female" by Ashley McGuire.
givelifeachance2 • 4 years ago
Transgender is but the logical extrapolation of feminism, rather than its antipode. I owe no debt to my feminist "foremother", who herself rejects motherhood with abortion, contraception, and revilement of the natural family, and plays right into the hands of the totalitarian eugenicists who have engineered this gender wonderland we suffer today.
aussiej > givelifeachance2 • 4 years ago
I understand your instinct to rail against feminism but perhaps you are being a bit hasty? We all to a certain extent owe our "foremothers" a debt, for the work done to ensure we are protected from blatant sexism that did exist up until recent times. The early feminist voices gave us rights we take for granted now, the vote, higher education, financial independence, so many things that had to be fought for. You can appreciate the contribution made without agreeing with abortion rights etc.
MeTed > givelifeachance2 • 4 years ago
Yes. It's strange the feminists can't see this. Modern feminism is mostly about trying to ignore the differences between men and women, and pretend we are all the same. It's really about trying to turn women into men.
Joan Seymour > MeTed • 4 years ago
But doesn't the article describe a change in modern feminism?,Feminists along the whole spectrum from conservative to progressive are realizing that the transgender movement is very anti-woman. Feminism isn't a monolothic bloc of opinion - feminists are all different, and the prevailing trends change with new insights. I consider myself a Christian feminist, and I'd hesitate before saying that feminism is 'mostly' about ignoring the differences. My observation is that it's still 'mostly' about equality of opportunity for women and men, despite the weird turns some feminists have taken in pursuing this.
MeTed > Joan Seymour • 4 years ago
Thanks for your comment Joan.
I'm no student of gender politics, but women in the West can be doctors, lawyers, judges, pilots, politicians, Prime ministers, CEOs, economists, engineers, programmers, venture capitalists.... If they aspire to be. Like many men, I have a daughter and I will encourage her to go where she wants to.However, much of today's feminist agenda is butting up against biology. Arguments about pay gap, gender imbalances, restrictions on military/police jobs all ignore the differences in men and women. Especially in regards to child birth.
The top strongest women will never be as strong as the top strongest men. If strength is required for a job, then naturally there will be fewer women in that job. To pretend otherwise is to pretend men and women are the same.
MR > Joan Seymour • 4 years ago
Joan I wrote a comment here which has now disappeared and I can't edit here, it was a bit hard on you. I'm sorry. I wanted to say something along those lines, but less hard.
MR > Joan Seymour • 4 years ago
Joan, feminists are not all different they are all pro abortion as are you. You just don't want to admit it. You are anti male, pro abortion but you keep trying to justify it to yourself, because you have faith. The way you do that is that is you concentrate on all the nasty men in the Church, and try to claim that they are making harsh and paternalistic judgements on poor women. You have exactly the same stripes as all the other feminists, in my opinion, and it is a pity.
givelifeachance2 > Joan Seymour • 4 years ago
It's always been about treachery to motherhood. Read Wollstonecraft.
Dr Susan Reibel Moore > Joan Seymour • 4 years ago
Yes! Thanks, Joan Seymour.
This comment was deleted.
Joan Seymour > Guest • 4 years ago
Thank you, I will be interested to watch this. (I expect I'll find out what DARPA is when I do).
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