The ‘culture war’ is worth fighting: An unlikely ally

It turns out that even some “mainstream” media outlets are uneasy with human beings getting mutilated on a routine basis.

Sure, these publications may support transgender ideology in the abstract, but once you get to the nitty-gritty of what transgender surgery actually does to a person, the support, at least among some sane journalists, starts to recede. 

This is probably one reason why the London Times recently ran a report describing one man’s heartbreaking “transition” story.  The paper spells out in grisly detail the human experimentation happening under the rubric of treating “gender dysphoria” is something out of a horror film.

More on that report in a moment.

First, though, it’s important to underscore why we highlight the gruesome outcome of so-called “gender-affirming care.” Trust me, the particulars of how this young man was butchered by medical professionals in the name of helping him is the epitome of moral madness. But we convey the information anyway because most of the media refuse to give the topic any honest coverage in their crusade to normalize the practice.

And while leftist activists are currently the ones driving the transgenderism craze, there still remains a faction of influential conservatives who seem either ambivalent or uncomfortable about defying progressive orthodoxy on this issue.

They’d rather wash their hands of the whole affair entirely and focus on less controversial themes, like taxes or inflation.

To wit, New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, R, used the pages of the Washington Post to take underhanded swipes at Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis over his work challenging radical gender politics in the public school system.

Sununu writes, “[W]e must abandon the issues that are solely made for social media headlines, such as banning books or issuing curriculum fiats to local school districts hundreds of miles away from state capitals.”

Sununu argues that conservatives should “expand beyond the culture wars that alienate independents, young voters and suburban moms” and move instead toward the direction of “imposing fiscal responsibility, reducing inflation, securing our borders,” [and] “becoming energy independent[.]”

Former House Speaker Paul Ryan echoed these comments on the CBS morning show, stating that, “I’m not a culture war guy. It’s really polarizing …To me, I’m worried about a debt crisis, I’m worried about the future of our country and China … Culture war politics is good primary election politics [but] it’s very divisive … I believe in inclusive, aspirational politics.”

Of course, our federal government’s profligate spending, the growing threat of China, and the erasure of our southern border are all critical issues that must be addressed.

Conservatives don’t deny that.

But we cannot claim to care about “the future of our country” — as Paul Ryan puts it — and sit out the biggest cultural battle that involves the literal embodiment of the country’s “future”: Our children.

Are government schools accountable to taxpayers, or can these institutions subject little kids to sexual indoctrination and pornographic reading material against the will of parents?

What Sununu describes as “book bans” — a leftist lie — is, in truth, removing sexually inappropriate books and curricula from school facilities.

And what Paul Ryan portrays as “divisive politics” surrounds the morality of brainwashing kids into believing that they can switch gender teams with the right cocktail of hormones and surgical operations.

Ryan, Sununu, and their establishment brand of conservatism would prefer that center-right folks suspend their successful activism efforts because, to them, the “culture war” is a misguided distraction that hinders electability.

That’s cowardice.

A culture that does not protect minors from adults devoted to preying on their innocence and immaturity is not a culture worth defending, regardless of how low taxes are or how stable inflation is.

You cannot have a truce with evil.

Now back to that London Times report.

As noted above, this mainstream paper ran a surprising profile exposing the brutality of “gender reassignment surgery.”

As you read the horrifying account, just remember, it is the position of Paul Ryan and Chris Sununu that conservative politicians should cease focusing on such matters.

The opening paragraph gets right to the point:

“When Ritchie Herron woke after gender reassignment surgery, he had a feeling he had made a terrible mistake. Five years later, his scars still sometimes weep and he cannot walk long distances or ride a bike. ‘I’ve awakened from what was a mental health crisis, to a body that will be forever changed and damaged,’ he said. He no longer identifies as transgender and is living as a gay man ‘as best I can, given what has happened.’”

This poor guy is autistic, struggled emotionally after his parents divorced, and suffered from severe depression. He was clinically diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder and believed that his body “was being poisoned by testosterone.”

Clearly, Mr. Herron needed intensive counseling and the transformative power of the Gospel to overcome his deep-rooted mental anguish.

What he got from British health officials, however, were prescriptions to testosterone blockers, estrogen injections, and sessions with a “psychosexual counsellor” who reportedly urged him that it was time to go under the knife.

At first, Herron kept postponing his surgeries due to the permanent nature of the operation, but he eventually relented.

As Herron tells it, “Two days before my 31st birthday, I underwent a surgery that removed my genitals, inverting them in a procedure that has been marked as refined, but is no more civilised than an amputation.”

The result? As awful as you’d expect:

“Today, despite multiple follow-up surgeries, my scar lines still weep, occasionally becoming inflamed and causing crippling pain. In the flesh cavity that was created to mimic a vagina, I feel mostly nothing, aside from the occasional stabs of pain. I can’t use the toilet properly ... and no matter how hard I push or strain, a dribble emerges, which may continue for hours after I have left the seat.”  

Rather than cover our eyes and ears as Ryan and Sununu desire, we should redouble our efforts to ensure that no young American ever endures the same fate as Ritchie Herron.

And that starts by protecting impressionable kids from LGBTQ+ propaganda in the classroom.

So, yes, the “culture war” is worth fighting, even if compromised conservatives lack the moxie to do so.

Originally published at the Standing for Freedom Center.