TRANCENDING THE TRANSGENDER ISSUE
THE CONTROVERSY OVER TRANS PERSONS REVEALS A FATAL FLAW IN AMERICANS' ABILITY TO DEAL WITH COMPLEXITY
It is an understatement to say that the transgender issue is a contentious and often discussed topic in America today. The current Administration and its supporters are fixated on this matter. Their default stance is to direct hostility toward anything and anyone they do not understand. This tendency helps explain why many so-called "conservatives" are often resistant to science and education. They fear complexity, which is unfortunate since we live in a complex universe where understanding the world requires nuanced thinking and an open mind.
We either learn to deal with complexity or risk slipping back into darkness. Americans have been accused of many things; an open mind is not one of them.
Those antagonistic toward things they don’t understand tend to feel uncomfortable with complexity. They crave simplicity: a binary view of gender, limited ethnic groups (I had to resist the urge to say "one race"; there is only one—the human race), a single belief system, one religion, and one way of interpreting the world. This mindset suggests that there is only one acceptable way to be human, love, marry, and believe. If these so-called conservatives had a theme song, it would likely be "My Way."
This ongoing attack on complexity is so relentless and widespread that I must acknowledge there is a silver lining—or two. Perhaps more people will realize that thinking is hard work, but the reward for engaging in this labor is a mental resilience that shields one from demagogues. The benefits of deep thinking are the true miracle of life—indeed, they create a life worth living.
However, this issue is bleak because of the Supreme Court justices. The Supreme Court has permitted the Trump Administration's ban on transgender individuals serving in the military. According to the Administration, the rationale behind this ban relates to military readiness.
The Executive Order that reinstated the ban claims that the military's "high standards for troop readiness, lethality, cohesion, honesty, humility, uniformity, and integrity" are incompatible with the "medical, surgical, and mental health constraints on individuals with gender dysphoria."
My first-year contract law professor, Dr. Hauser, may not have taught me much, but he emphasized the importance of questioning unsupported statements by asking, "Why?" It is doubtful the Administration can adequately respond if we press them to explain their assertions. Are these high standards inconsistent with the ability of individuals with gender dysphoria to undergo military training? Can they not march in formation, fire a weapon, or follow orders?
Do all transgender individuals fail cohesion, honesty, humility, uniformity, and integrity tests? These questions highlight the absurdity of the Administration's claims. If even a fraction of the stories about Hegseth are true, he is not fit to serve in anyone's military, yet he holds a position of authority at the Pentagon! If the Administration genuinely valued honesty, it would recognize that its opposition to transgender individuals serving in the military stems from a failure to understand the struggles these individuals face. As we have noted, what they cannot comprehend, they often hate.
James Baldwin's observation that "one reason people cling to their hate is because they sense that once hate is gone, they will be forced to confront their pain" resonates in this context.
But where does this pain originate? It stems from the inability or unwillingness to engage with life's complexities. Many people embrace complexity, welcoming it into their lives, as it fosters new neural connections and pathways that would not have existed otherwise. These new connections strengthen our minds and enhance our capacity to navigate our perplexing universe. A byproduct of this mental activity is that it confronts us with uncertainty, compelling us to invent and reinvent ourselves continually.
A wise person once said that if you are the same person you were twenty years ago, you have wasted twenty years of your life. A life, like a mind, is a terrible thing to waste. I should add, in full disclosure, my family has a trans person whom we love as much after as before his transition!
In “The Summer Day,” Mary Oliver asks, "What do you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?" This poem encourages deep reflection on one's values and the intentional ways one spends time, rather than focusing solely on specific goals or achievements. It is a call to live fully and meaningfully in the present moment. And reject the oppressive weight of other people’s expectations.
There’s one other point to be made here, and that is this: The so-called “conservatives” attempt to dictate to the rest of us how we should love, who we should love, whether to and when to have children, how to express our gender and sexuality, they are in effect saying “you are not allowed to be who you are, or do what you want. You are who I say you are, and you must do as I say.”
And that, my friend, would be a tragedy of the first order if it came to pass.
