John Stonestreet – Page 16

Support Drops for Same-Sex ‘Marriage’: Guest Column

Jul 3, 2024John StonestreetLGBTLGBT, Same-Sex Marriage, Transgender

Are Americans dropping their rainbow zeal because of a zealot takeover?

A few days ago, David Von Drehle of The Washington Post scolded pro-lifers for allowing so-called “zealots” to take over their movement after winning the victory of overturning Roe v. Wade. In the piece, he compared pro-lifers to the Khmer Rouge of 1970s Cambodia, which, after its victory, began murdering its own members for trivial “offenses.” In Von Drehle’s mind, pro-lifers who are now calling attention to the ethical problems with IVF are doing the same thing: allowing counterproductive radicals to take over the movement in the wake of a victory.

The irony here is that the kind of radical overreach Von Drehle is talking about is happening, just not in the pro-life movement. Rather, his analysis more closely describes another major political movement that, not too long ago, won a decisive victory at the Supreme Court. In the years since the Court redefined marriage for the whole country in 2015 in Obergefell v. Hodges, the LGBTQ movement has been overtaken by its most radical wing, who has demanded all kinds of new rights.

No sooner had marriage “equality” been achieved, these activists demanded “transgender equality” that included giving men access to women’s bathrooms and lockers, hosting “drag queen story hours” at libraries, providing tax-funded gender transitions, and indoctrinating kids and taking them away from their parents. Some relentlessly persecuted businesspeople, such as cake artist Jack Phillips and florist Barronelle Stutzman, for refusing to join their celebrations. And most began demanding the entire population adopt new language, obey pronoun requirements, and join various “pride” celebrations.

Perhaps then, we shouldn’t wonder that the years-long trend of growing support for so-called gay “marriage” has paused. Perhaps, it is even reversed.

A recent poll by the Public Religion Research Institute found that support for same-sex “marriage” dropped by at least two points last year, and support for “gay rights” anti-discrimination policies fell by four points. Also, opposition to businesses refusing certain services on religious grounds fell by five points.

Every major media outlet that reported on these findings quickly assured readers that a large majority of Americans still support gay “marriage” and “rights.” Still, this reversal is significant. It may even suggest a potential backlash, especially since even young Americans are losing their rainbow zeal. The PRRI study also found that those 18-29 are now eight points less likely to support nondiscrimination laws than they were in 2020. The LGBTQ movement, remember, has long prided itself on its high youth support.

At the same time, Pew Research reported that a growing majority of registered voters in the U.S. affirm that “a person’s gender is determined by their sex at birth.” In 2017, only 53% of voters thought gender was determined by sex. Today, 65% say it is—this after years of incessant preaching by activists and elites that gender is subjective and has nothing to do with a person’s body.

This is the movement that has experienced the sort of takeover by zealots that Von Drehle accused pro-lifers of allowing. In the days after Obergefell, LGBTQ activists decided the culture was theirs for the taking, and there was no longer anyone standing in the way of their broader agenda. The “T” in particular, whose proponents haven’t always had the best relationship with the “L” or the “G,” decided to piggyback off their success, but it appears to have backfired. At the very least, their cultural progress has stalled, and the movement is losing ground. Perhaps Americans have just tired of the preaching. Consider how “pride month” festivities this year seem a bit subdued.

The lesson here is one of cautious encouragement. The cultural ascendency of bad ideas is not inevitable, nor is it irreversible. Often, those bad ideas carry within themselves the seeds of their own destruction, which means there is no excuse to give up or stop telling the truth, even when it seems the tide of cultural opinion is against us. Tides tend to turn, and movements that win quickly tend to let it go to their heads.

This Breakpoint was co-authored by Shane Morris. For more resources to live like a Christian in this cultural moment, go to breakpoint.org.

A Win for Women and Women’s Sports: Guest Column

Jul 1, 2024John StonestreetLGBTLGBT, Transgender

Earlier this month, the Court of Arbitration for Sport, an international court for sports governance, rejected a challenge from trans-identifying swimmer Lia Thomas to overturn policies that prevent men from competing in women-only “elite” swimming events.

Thomas, a man claiming to be a woman, is the former University of Pennsylvania swimmer who won the national championship in women’s swimming. He was seeking to overturn the policy in hopes of competing in the 2024 Olympics. However, the policy issued by World Aquatics, the body that governs elite swimming competitions, protects women’s swimming competitions from trans-identifying men who have gone through male puberty.

Women deserve the safety and opportunity that comes with competing on an even playing field—with other women. And the court’s decision to uphold this policy helps ensure that safety and opportunity for women will continue, even in our strange new world.

The World Aquatics celebrated the court’s decision. As they said, “we believe [it] is a major step forward in our efforts to protect women’s sport.” Let’s hope the sanity continues.

Court Allows Detransitioner to Sue Doctors: Guest Column

Jun 24, 2024John StonestreetLGBTLGBT, Transgender

Late last month, a North Carolina court allowed Prisha Mosley to sue the doctors who provided her so-called “gender-affirming” care. According to Mosley, who began “transitioning” at age 16, “doctors and counselors … told me that changing my body to look like a boy’s body would cure my mental health problems.”

However, despite chemical and surgical interventions, Mosley’s mental health problems persisted: “Their ‘care’ … left me broken, with extreme physical injuries and without my body parts. It did not cure my mental health problems and instead made them worse.” Despite motions to dismiss her case, the court found Mosley’s complaint “sufficient” to proceed.

Stories like these, claiming that “transitioning” did not lead to greater wholeness, are rapidly growing. The court’s decision is the first of its kind and offers hope that ideologically motivated medical professionals who fast-track kids to transition can be stopped and even brought to justice. Let’s continue to pray that the light shines through the lies of so-called “gender-affirming” care.