Censorship Transsexualism and the Tragedy in Gaza
The ideology of transsexualism is undoubtedly one of the most heated topics of our time.
One common misapprehension among those who argue against it is the assumption that this debate can be settled on the merits of the argument. This, however, is not the case.
Trans advocates have not arrived at their position by considering facts or evidence, nor do they operate by logic or reason.
For example, most human beings—including children—readily see and understand that biological men cannot become women, nor can women become men.
What trans activists advocate thus runs in complete contravention to the physical and physiological reality that is plain to everyone. These individuals are willing to assert, with a straight face, something that is obviously and patently untrue.
By taking this position, they reveal themselves to be fundamentally dishonest. This is why hard evidence, facts, and sound arguments do not typically carry weight with trans advocates. If they did, they would not espouse their position.
Because their stance is at odds with reality, they cannot defend it through argument or appeal to facts.
This is evident in how they typically respond to challenges. Rather than engaging in argumentation, they often become agitated and angry, quickly resorting to recriminations. Their usual strategy is to terminate the debate by leveling accusations of hate, transphobia, or similar charges.
They behave this way because they cannot rationally support their standpoint. If they could, they would naturally plead their position in a sensible and coherent manner.
The inability of pro-trans advocates to rationally justify their views explains their relentless efforts to censor the opposing side. It is highly revealing that perhaps no other issue is surrounded by such an extensive censorship infrastructure as that of transsexualism.
Opposing views are quickly shut down under the guise of hate speech, transphobia, or discrimination. So extreme is the drive toward censorship in the trans debate that its proponents are unwilling to even acknowledge legitimate objections to the pro-trans outlook. In an astonishing distortion of moral sensibility, those who oppose it are cast as morally deficient.
This extreme situation persists in mainstream discourse, even though a vast majority of the population considers the pro-trans position wrong and rejects the agenda advanced by activists.
The severe level of censorship surrounding the trans issue indicates the weakness of its advocates’ arguments. Unable to provide effective arguments to support their view, they resort to silencing the opposition. And they have been largely successful in this endeavor. We rarely hear meaningful critiques of trans ideology from official organs of sanctioned conversation.
This reflects a broader principle: the desire to censor is positively correlated with the weakness of the censors’ argument. If someone has a strong argument—or believes they do—they do not try to censor. On the contrary, they are eager to present their view to the opposition.
As a rule, we encounter the greatest levels of censorship to protect views that are the least defensible. Trans ideology, which so flagrantly contravenes obvious physical and physiological realities, is perhaps the most conspicuous example of this.
Other examples include the COVID vaccines or the allegedly unprovoked Russian aggression in Ukraine. Past instances include the Hunter Biden laptop or Joe Biden’s dementia, among others. All these are or were indefensible positions, which is why their proponents erected elaborate systems of censorship to forestall evidence-based, rational discussion. Those in opposition were immediately dismissed as morally deficient, evil, or outright crazy, labeled as conspiracy theorists, homophobes, anti-vaxxers, racists, Kremlin agents, and so forth.
Returning to the trans issue, it serves as a litmus test for basic honesty and integrity. Those willing to deny the obvious reality before everyone’s eyes cannot be considered good-faith participants in political discourse. Their stance shows they have little respect for evidence, reality, facts, reason, or truth and are inclined to disregard them for the sake of their ideological agenda.
This applies to anyone who advocates censoring their political opponents on any issue of concern.
Therefore, it was disappointing to observe the Trump administration attempting to silence those who sought to draw attention to the genocide in Gaza. As with trans ideology, the censorship in this instance is not explicitly admitted but is carried out under false pretenses—in this case, accusations of antisemitism.
Trump’s censorship effort is wrong for two main reasons. First, people should be able to say whatever they want as long as they do not directly incite violence toward others (as protected by the Constitution and upheld by the Supreme Court). Second – based on what we daily see on our screens – those alleging genocide in Gaza cannot be too far from the truth. After all, Trump himself admitted during a press conference with Benjamin Netanyahu that the place has been turned into “a demolition site.”
It is unfortunate that Donald Trump, who has been severely victimized by censorship from the political Left, has resorted to this tactic himself. However, it should be noted that Trump’s censoriousness regarding Israel’s Gaza tactics is an exception, whereas censorship on the Left is systemic and widespread.
Nevertheless, Trump’s censorship attempt vis-a-vis Israel’s activities in Gaza is wrong and is potentially the first step down a slippery slope. We must be vigilant not to adopt the unjust tactics we rightfully condemn in our opponents.