Many who have dedicated their lives to the lie that it is possible to transition to the opposite sex will also persist in this falsehood to the bitter end. This is tragic, but it is not a kindness to affirm these lies, for doing so only perpetuates them and creates new victims.

The New York Times is very upset that President Trump is not respecting transgender identities. The editorial board disapproves of his executive orders rolling back gender ideology, and a piece by Amy Harmon accused him of “undermining the very idea that transgender identities are legitimate and should be recognized.”

Good.

“Gender identities” that are disconnected from our embodiment as male and female are nonsense. This is demonstrated by Harmon’s own clumsy writing; consider this clunker from a passage on public opinion regarding trans issues: “[N]early 80 percent do not believe transgender female athletes should be allowed to compete in women’s sports.” These “transgender female athletes” are, of course, male, but gender ideology demands the destruction of clear language and thought.

This is why transgender identities must not be given recognition and legitimacy in law and culture. It is tempting for some people to cede ground to transgenderism as a sort of polite fiction. Calling the dude in a dress “she” might seem to be a white lie, sort of like making a child with cancer a captain of his favorite football team. And some people who are horrified at the transitioning of kids are nonetheless inclined to allow it for adults.

But as we have seen, this make-believe is untenable; the white lies have gotten darker, and the envelope keeps getting pushed. It was inevitable that, instead of being content with polite fictions, trans activists would force everyone to pretend the lies are 100 percent true. It is as if the make-a-wish kid started to act as if he really were the star quarterback and expected everyone else to keep going along with it. Eventually the lie, however kindly it may have been meant, becomes unsustainable and has to be broken before it breaks everything else.

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