Written by Evi Idoghor
A debate on a daytime television show, recently went viral after a member on the panel (Matt Walsh) asserted firmly that a trans woman is not a woman. Across the room, throats tightened — how can he, a mere man, dictate what a woman is? Who gave him the power? Then he asked the people on the other side a simple question: “What is a woman?” Their comments ranged from “womanhood looks different for everybody,” to “people who identify as a woman.”
Matt Walsh was then called to another show to discuss his point of view further. The host of that show questioned why he didn't just use people's “preferred” pronouns. I don't have an issue using people's preferred pronouns, she said, adding that it doesn't hurt her or anyone else if she does so. And his response was straightforward: it is not the truth.
Why We Need to Defend Truth
Truth is the foundation upon which the world was built. When Paul wrote in the book of Romans (1:25) "They exchanged the truth about God for a lie..." he was correct, as it is prevalent in our culture today.
The claim that "it doesn't hurt anyone" is an age-old fallacy. When the serpent tempted Eve in the book of Genesis, it utilized the same line of reasoning to encourage her to defy God - You wouldn’t die if you eat the fruit. In other words, it wouldn't hurt you or anyone else, and we've all seen how that turned out. Telling or accepting falsehood harms the truth and can have disastrous repercussions. A society that is not grounded in truth will self-destruct sooner or later.
When the host saw that Matt was not going to back down from his stance on “preferred” pronouns, she proceeded to draw an analogy. She questioned him: "if I colored my hair black and you can see it's black, even if I wasn't born with black hair, wouldn't you call it black?"
"Sis!" I thought, "why are you comparing apples with oranges?" While someone may appear to be a woman, causing others to believe that they are, in fact, a woman, that conclusion does not make them a woman. This isn't the adage that says if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it's a duck. Our physical attributes aren’t the only defining factors for what makes us male or female. There are internal organs that distinguish us from the male species. However, a woman is not defined solely by her internal organs, because some are born without them owing to abnormalities, while others have lost some organs due to illnesses.
God is the source of our definition. He determines whether we are male or female, as evidenced by our chromosomes, DNA, and genitals, among other things - according to infinite His wisdom. (In the beginning, He created them male and female, Genesis 5:2)
I liked Matt's final remark on the argument, when he said to them, “you want to appropriate womanhood and turn it into a costume that can be worn.” Woman isn't a costume that can be donned like a cloak and removed when convenient. Where do we draw the line if we decide to let lies stand in place of truth?
Does putting on a pair of scrubs and a white coat and prancing around with a stethoscope around my neck qualify me as a medical doctor? I may look like one, walk like one, and quack like one. However, I will be denied access into a hospital to work on a patient if I do not have credentials or certification proving that I attended medical school, received a degree, completed my residency, employed at such and such a location, and have the right to be there.
Truth should not mean one thing to person A and something completely different to person B - Truth must be always true in all circumstances. If it is fraudulent for me to claim to be a physician, attorney, dating Jeff Besos, and a variety of other things that I am not, it should be similarly fraudulent for a man (or woman) who claims to be the opposite sex.
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