Well, gone are the days where "Harvard grad" means anything...
Harvard University is sponsoring the release of a new guide from the BGLTQ Student Life office urging students to “get the facts about gender diversity.” The pamphlet warns students about transphobia and calls on them to fight anti-transgender bigotry wherever it exists.
The guide claims that “there are more than two sexes,” despite the fact that there are only two biological sexes—male and female. The pamphlet, which was attained by Campus Reform, states that gender identity “can be affirmed and/or expressed in many ways,” and that it can even “change from day to day.”
Boy today, girl tomorrow. And on rainy days, bigender.
“Sex assigned at birth and gender identity are not necessarily the same. Sex assigned at birth, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, hormonal makeup, physical anatomy, and/or how one is perceived in daily life are not necessarily related,” states the guide.
Armed with a statistic from Organization Intersex International, the guide asserts that “at least 2%” of the population is born with intersex characteristics—meaning they have a combination of male and female anatomy. The Harvard pamphlet states that as such, individuals with these characteristics “do not fit into the sex binary of ‘male’ and ‘female’,” and claims (without basis) that “every human expression of sex is in some way biologically variant from the next.”
The guide says that “for many people—cis and trans—gender expression, identity, and self-understanding can change from day to day,” adding that gender is expressed through “speech, mannerisms, clothing, reflecting on one’s gender identity,” and the list goes on.
Even telling someone about your preferred gender, wearing make-up, and grooming yourself, can define your gender. Gender, it seems, is anything you want it to be.
The guide asserts that a refusal to respect someone’s gender identity is not only offensive—but violent. “Transphobic misinformation is a form of systemic violence,” it claims. “Fixed binaries and biological essentialism, manifest in gendered language, misgendering someone, and the policing of trans bodies, threaten the lives of trans people.”
In other words, calling someone a special snowflake because they identify with the pronouns of xe/xer threatens their lives.
This isn’t the first time Harvard’ has waded into progressive political waters. Earlier this month, a group of students formed a “Resistance School” modeled after Dumbledore’s Army in the Harry Potter novels to fight Donald Trump. Last week, student activists were had to apologize for spreading fake deportation notices on campus.
Ian Miles Cheong is a journalist and outspoken media critic. You can reach him through social media at @stillgray on Twitter and on Facebook.
https://heatst.com/culture-wars/harvard-sponsors-student-guide-that-claims-gender-changes-from-day-to-day/
Harvard University is sponsoring the release of a new guide from the BGLTQ Student Life office urging students to “get the facts about gender diversity.” The pamphlet warns students about transphobia and calls on them to fight anti-transgender bigotry wherever it exists.
The guide claims that “there are more than two sexes,” despite the fact that there are only two biological sexes—male and female. The pamphlet, which was attained by Campus Reform, states that gender identity “can be affirmed and/or expressed in many ways,” and that it can even “change from day to day.”
Boy today, girl tomorrow. And on rainy days, bigender.
“Sex assigned at birth and gender identity are not necessarily the same. Sex assigned at birth, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, hormonal makeup, physical anatomy, and/or how one is perceived in daily life are not necessarily related,” states the guide.
Armed with a statistic from Organization Intersex International, the guide asserts that “at least 2%” of the population is born with intersex characteristics—meaning they have a combination of male and female anatomy. The Harvard pamphlet states that as such, individuals with these characteristics “do not fit into the sex binary of ‘male’ and ‘female’,” and claims (without basis) that “every human expression of sex is in some way biologically variant from the next.”
The guide says that “for many people—cis and trans—gender expression, identity, and self-understanding can change from day to day,” adding that gender is expressed through “speech, mannerisms, clothing, reflecting on one’s gender identity,” and the list goes on.
Even telling someone about your preferred gender, wearing make-up, and grooming yourself, can define your gender. Gender, it seems, is anything you want it to be.
The guide asserts that a refusal to respect someone’s gender identity is not only offensive—but violent. “Transphobic misinformation is a form of systemic violence,” it claims. “Fixed binaries and biological essentialism, manifest in gendered language, misgendering someone, and the policing of trans bodies, threaten the lives of trans people.”
In other words, calling someone a special snowflake because they identify with the pronouns of xe/xer threatens their lives.
This isn’t the first time Harvard’ has waded into progressive political waters. Earlier this month, a group of students formed a “Resistance School” modeled after Dumbledore’s Army in the Harry Potter novels to fight Donald Trump. Last week, student activists were had to apologize for spreading fake deportation notices on campus.
Ian Miles Cheong is a journalist and outspoken media critic. You can reach him through social media at @stillgray on Twitter and on Facebook.
https://heatst.com/culture-wars/harvard-sponsors-student-guide-that-claims-gender-changes-from-day-to-day/
