Policymakers at the radical left-wing nuthouse known as the University of Minnesota are considering a new policy that would force everyone — professors and students — to use the “preferred pronouns” of individuals claiming to be confused about their gender. Casting First Amendment free speech concerns aside, the policy would result in non-conforming students being expelled and professors being fired.
The proposed policy, first reported by the far-left Minneapolis Star-Tribune, is known as “Equity and Access: Gender Identity, Gender Expression, Names and Pronouns.” Under the scheme, everybody involved in the UMN community is “expected to use the names, gender identities, and pronouns specified to them by University members.” Whether that includes “Your Royal Highness” was not immediately clear.
Nor was it clear why the policy was needed. But according to the university, the proposed crackdown will help make “transgender and gender nonconforming” individuals feel better. It is also aimed at maintaining an environment for University members that is “free from discrimination, harassment, and retaliation based on gender identity and gender expression,” the school said.
Discrimination based on refusing to compromise with reality is perfectly acceptable, though. In fact, discrimination against such stubborn people is mandated by the proposed policy, as those who refuse to play along with others’ delusions may be fired or expelled by the university under the scheme. Whether there will be a conscientious objection exclusion for Muslims and others was not clear.
For whatever reason, insensitive university officials did not see fit to mandate that people cater to the delusions and confusions of other categories of individuals, including bulimics and anorexics who falsely believe themselves to be fat. Also unprotected by the policy: those confused about their race or species, as well as individuals suffering from body integrity dysphoria.
“The intent is to be able to create more access and an inclusive environment for all of our community members regardless of their gender identity,” Gabrielle Mead, assistant director of UMN’s “Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Office,” was quoted as saying by the Star-Tribune. And yes, that is a real job title, and yes, Mead’s tax-funded salary is probably bigger than yours.
The policy would also allow men claiming to “identify” as transgender to use women’s locker rooms and bathrooms, as well as participate in activities for men or women. And UMN’s website already pushes the insanity, allowing students to register as “male, female, agender, gender nonconforming, genderqueer, nonbinary, two spirit, or nothing at all. Among the “pronoun options” are he, she, ze, the singular “they,” none and “prefer not to specify.” Your Royal Highness was not on the list.
Even “conservative” critics quoted in the press appear to have been successfully indoctrinated. “There’s a difference between creating a healthy environment and trying to legislate insensitivity out of the U,” complained Michael Geiger of Students for a Conservative Voice, who apparently believes that refusing to ignore reality and play along with delusions is somehow “insensitive.” He did object to being forced to say something, at least.
Unfortunately, though, none of this is surprising. After all, this is the same university that earlier this year hosted a blatantly racist lecture on the alleged “Violence of Whiteness.” The nutty speaker, a PhD in “Feminist Studies” (yes, really), told students about how “whiteness poses an existential threat to social, political, and economic life in the U.S.”
There is no excuse for taxpayer dollars to continue funding this criminal insanity. It is worse than a waste of money — it is destroying minds. All sensible parents should avoid this university like the plague, and all taxpayers should demand that not one more cent be used to indoctrinate impressionable young people like this.
