Bamboozled by words

How gender activist language manipulates teachers and parents

Language exerts hidden power, like the moon on the tides.

Rita Mae Brown

Microsoft Designer

Language is naturally dynamic, endlessly adopting new words, altering pronunciation, and even flipping the meanings of words over long periods of time. But something different has overcome our language in the last ten years. A sudden and dramatic change in words and their meanings has been engineered by transgender activists and is being enforced in public life, taught in NZ schools, and used as a muzzle to silence any dissenting voices.

The new orthodox political language elevates slogans above facts, prioritises “lived experience” over scientific evidence, and celebrates unquestioning affirmation rather than critical thinking.

The manipulative power of this language change is well-described in the US Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) review of gender medicine for children, published in May. (Excerpts below are from the report of the review by Transgender Trend.)

The HHS review analyses the foundation of gender identity ideology: the denial of the reality of biological sex.

“Assigned sex at birth” is not a harmless euphemism. It suggests an arbitrary decision— not unlike “assigned seating”—rather than the observation of a characteristic present long before birth, namely the child’s sex. [p.32]

As law professor Jessica Clarke observes, “‘Sex assigned at birth’ is not a euphemism for ‘biological sex’ but a critique of the very concept.” [p. 32]

Inventing the term “transgender child” to refer to children who are gender non-conforming or expressing discomfort with their sex has allowed activists to claim that there is no other option than medicalisation because fulfilling the child’s innate sense of self is what counts.

More recently, advocates of early intervention have argued that “trans kids know who they are” and that the goal of treatment is to help them achieve their personal “embodiment goals.” If an adolescent’s self-conception or embodiment goals later change, this is not considered a failure of treatment but part of a “gender journey.” [p. 187]

This approach covers up, ignores or dismisses any other reason a child might believe they are the opposite sex.

Once this binary paradigm of “trans kids” and “cis kids” is accepted, therapeutic exploration of the underlying causes of a child’s discomfort with his or her sexed body is readily dismissed as “conversion therapy,” an unethical attempt to interfere with the development of the child’s authentic self.” [p. 35]

The “gender-affirming” model of care, as practiced in U.S. clinics, is characterized by a child-led process in which comprehensive mental health assessments are often minimized or omitted, and the patient’s “embodiment goals” serve as the primary guide for treatment decisions. [p.14]

In the new gender activist language, words are carefully chosen to distract from the fact that children are being medicalised for no reason:

Word choices can obscure patients’ young ages. Terms such as “people” or “folks” are sometimes used by proponents of medicalized interventions instead of “children” or “adolescents.” [p. 29]

In discussions of this recommendation, “young people” or “adolescents” are sometimes substituted for “children.” Again, this helps camouflage the fact that sometimes serious medical interventions are performed on children’s healthy bodies [p. 30]

By categorising paediatric medical treatment (PMT) as a ‘morally righteous or progressive cause’ [p. 208], any questioning or debate can be silenced:

…when PMT is framed as a civil rights issue or a struggle against discrimination and oppression. Under this framing, critics—even those raising evidence based concerns—are labeled “anti-trans” or intolerant by reputable, influential sources. [p. 210]

“This is not a medical scandal in the usual sense but an orchestrated infiltration of the medical profession by an activist lobby with a nonsensical, illogical and anti-science ideology.”

(Quote from Transgender Trend)

Being kind and inclusive is the social cachet of our time. The power of gender ideology in schools comes from weaponising language so that any critical thinking is shut down, for students as well as for parents and teachers.

NZ’s Ministry of Education has embraced gender activist language and created policies that, while intended to model compassion for all students, have inspired an unquestioning celebration of all things trans and the deliberate suppression of any other points of view.

The hijacking of our language comes into sharp focus every year during Schools’ Pride Week, five days of propaganda for TQ beliefs, promoted by InsideOut and virtuously endorsed by the Ministry of Education.

Under the yoke of the new genderspeak:

Kindness means never saying no

Inclusive means having no boundaries

Acceptance means unreserved celebration

Diversity means prioritising one world view over others.

A template on InsideOut’s website provides schools with a slickly-worded letter they can use to reproach any parents who question the week of indoctrination. Here are some excerpts and what the words really mean:

As a school, we are legally and ethically obligated to provide safe and inclusive spaces that are free from discrimination which affirm and celebrate diversity for all students.

Translation: As a school, we are legally required to provide safe and inclusive spaces. To demonstrate our obedience to gender ideology, we have made the discriminatory choice to have a week of unreserved celebration of an ideology that is unsafe, elevates one set of beliefs above all others, and excludes students who do not hold those beliefs.

Just as we accept your right to hold these beliefs, we accept and celebrate rainbow identities at this school…

Translation: We know we can’t stop you holding different beliefs, so we will loudly and visually celebrate a different set of beliefs to make it clear that we think your beliefs are wrong and we don’t really accept them.

Pride week is an important part of how we support our rainbow students as the visibility of our support helps to create a positive environment for members of the rainbow community at this school.

Translation: Pride week is an important part of how we prioritise one world view over others and the visibility of our support helps to undermine ethical boundaries and stops adults from saying no.

It is important to note that the events being held in celebration of this week are all optional and occur during break times, so your child need not participate if they do not wish to.

Translation: Your child need not participate but will still be steeped in ‘rainbow’ propaganda all week, through flags, posters, messages and activities, all designed to turn them into the sheep from Animal Farm. Instead of bleating “Four legs good, two legs bad”, they will learn to hiss “gender identity good, sex realism bad.”

The rainbow has lost its innocence. It is now inextricably linked with trans ideology and every ‘rainbow’ activity is tainted with negative messages.

Real diversity is to be ignored. Kindness is distorted. Affirmation becomes compliance. Honesty is hidden behind slogans.

When the Ministry of Education champions Pride Week in schools it is betraying parents and robbing children of the adult guidance they need and deserve. This testimonial highlights what is at stake:

My daughter is one of those with a ‘vivid imagination’. Quirky, highly intelligent, gifted, ADHD and with autistic traits. Completely and apparently quite easily brainwashed to believe she was born in the wrong body at age 14 - post puberty. Never had an issue with her body or femininity before falling in with a group of friends that were into being trans. Patient Zero - the so-called ‘best friend’ - was anorexic. Convenient way to keep punishing your body - behind the veil of Trans.

Social contagion in our schools is very real and is being encouraged, affirmed and supported by all these professionals and organisations. I feel completely betrayed by them and successive Governments that have failed to protect my vulnerable young woman. It’s a modern day tragedy.

The Ministry of Education, bambozzled by words, has mistaken ideology for wisdom and mantras for truth. It has abrogated its responsibility to champion critical thinking, show community leadership, and hold children within safe boundaries.

The testimonial continues:

Speaking as a parent who has been personally affected by school policy that affirmed my child against my wishes, I would be super grateful if staff in schools would be brave and speak up to push back against what I believe to be total ideological capture.

I know it’s hard and a lot of people are too fearful of repercussions to do it. It’s a bit like being trapped in the Emperor’s New Clothes fairytale - but how long are we all going to avert our eyes and keep supporting the lie disguised and wrapped up as ‘kindness’? It’s not kind or joyful to put these kids on a conveyor belt to medical harm Because, tragically, that’s where a lot of them end up.

Together, teachers and parents must find the courage to push out the transgender tide in schools by exerting the hidden power of sex realist language.

By Fern Hickson