I can thank my teachers of yore for the fine education I received growing up – we studied history, we studied the actions and philosophies that drove that history. Basic American Civics and norms were driven into our heads. Once becoming politically active, these lessons came alive again and the political advocacy we engage in here at GraniteGrok made them come alive. I thought most thought like me – believe what you want but keep in within the confines of what has been customary American political mainstream. Turns out, I was dreaming – it seems that the Left is trying as hard as it can to rip all that to shreds and shove the remains of it down a current version of 1984‘s Memory Hole.
No, “seems” isn’t correct – it is with the zeal of missionaries that they are trying to change the past to control the present and to determine the future. Singles and doubles is how they do it – establish coerced speech in one area (like the Social Justice Warrior “microagressions”) and now into “preferred pronouns”. Same tactic under two different guises – but for the same outcome and that is to control your speech.
We’ve seen a couple of folks fight the preferred pronouns in court – here’s one that School Boards ought to start paying attention to NOW. And I can’t believe it was in the State of Fruits and Nuts (and complete Democrat control). Reformatted, emphasis mine:
1A Win: Court Says Law Mandating Trans Pronoun Use A Violation Of Free Speech
A California appellate court ruled Friday that a provision in a state law passed four years ago mandating that certain health care workers use transgender pronouns is a violation of free speech, protected by the First Amendment. CA’s Third District Court of Appeal upended SB 219, which in part forced nursing home workers to use preferred transgender pronouns and names for patients. Notably, violators of the law “could be charged with a misdemeanor and subject to punishment of a $1000 fine, or even up to one year in jail,” according to California Family Council.
<snip>
The pronoun provision, the court said, is a “content-based restriction of speech that does not survive strict scrutiny” and “burdens speech more than is required.” “The pronoun provision at issue here tests the limits of the government’s authority to restrict pure speech that, while potentially offensive or harassing to the listener, does not necessarily create a hostile environment,” wrote Associate Justice Elena Duarte, according to The Associated Press. Refusing to use preferred transgender pronouns “may be disrespectful, discourteous, and insulting,” said Judge Duarte, but it allows others “to express an ideological disagreement with another person’s expressed gender identity.”
It’s sad that this even has to go to the Court’s to have to defend Free Speech – a fundamental Pillar of our Republic. Again, the Left wishes to make coerced speech in some things mandatory – the easier it will be to make it mandatory in others. I refuse to believe 2+2 = 5 and holding a Bio degree tells me that I’m simply using what I learned in saying that a guy can’t be a girl who can’t be a guy. Yet, many of us are reviled for that as the Left is switching the language, and thus the debate, on this by redefining gender to be other than a synonym for biological sex determined at conception (and not that miserable social construct of “assigned at birth”).
Sorry, but y’all made it political so me not recognizing one sex for another HAS become ideological. Y’all set the Rules and we’re now playing the same game – but with OUR words not yours. Just look at this fine example of trying to do that word switcheroo:
“The Court’s decision is disconnected from the reality facing transgender people. Deliberately misgendering a transgender person isn’t just a matter of opinion, and it’s not simply ‘disrespectful, discourteous, or insulting.’ Rather, it’s straight-up harassment,” the senator said. “And, it erases an individual’s fundamental humanity, particularly one as vulnerable as a trans senior in a nursing home. This misguided decision cannot be allowed to stand.”
The reality is that the militant Trans movement is harassing the rest of us by sticking to long term norms – by “word beating” the rest of us into submission. He’s right about one thing, “misgendering” isn’t an opinion, it is biological fact – one that sends them higher into orbit than Bezos. And that claim that “it erases” is only meant to put YOU back on YOUR heels as the Trans folks try to actually erase your freedom of speech. They literally are trying to rewire your norms and your patterns of speech.
Sorry, dude, but your chromosomes are your fundamental humanity and no amount of make up, vocal training, hormones, surgery, or clothes shopping is going to change that fundatmental.
But I digress – a bit.
Free Speech is Free Speech and not just within a few domains but spanning across the entire spectrum of American life. This decision is a good one.
Remember (from my evergreen post, Progressives and the Proper Role of Government – and Your Subservience to It), there are plenty of those that consider the Constitution a hindrance rather than a responsibility to honor it and the values within it:
- NH State Rep. Debra DeSimone (R): “The Constitution is a guideline”
- NH State Rep. Sandra Keans (R, now D): “I don’t try to justify anything by the Constitution, it’s not my job and I don’t want to do it”.
- NH State Rep. Susan Almy (D): “Well, you don’t get to decide what is Constitutional and I don’t get to decide what is Constitutional, the judiciary decides what is Constitutional”.
And every single one of them is wrong and bone-headed. They have no idea the forces they are trying unleash by ignoring their oaths that should compel them to Follow The Law (seems to be a new constant phrase with me – sadly, it will be increasing in usage because so many are ignoring it. Stock up on your food and ammo, boys!)
(H/T: Daily Wire)
