Chapman Republicans Condemn the Authoritarian and Unfair “Equality Act”

By Justin Buckner, President of Chapman Republicans

Last month, the United States House of Representatives passed the controversial Equality Act. Now the Senate is set to vote on the act soon. The Chapman Republicans wholly denounce this act and think that it should not become law. 

The “Equality” Act would add gender orientation to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, equating it to discrimination based on race, which misleads many people today into thinking that this new act is about anti-discrimination.

It is not.

The “Equality” Act would…

— End the objective male/female standard on the national level and replace it with a subjective gender standard. We must keep the biological standard in order to be living in a world of truth. Allowing the government to classify someone as whatever subjective gender they feel comfortable with, flies in the face of biology and science, something that can be tested and proven.

— Eliminate the restrictions on biological men participating in women’s sports. This is a large step in the wrong direction for equality of women. Being able to compete on a level playing field is crucial to the success of women in athletics. Men taking hormone blockers to reduce testosterone still leaves those individuals with a significant advantage in strength and size, as well as receiving no loss in bone mass nor muscle volume. We have seen over the past two years women’s records shattered by biological men competing against women. This is unfair for all female athletes who have dedicated their lives to perform as best as possible.

— Allow men into women’s public facilities, including restrooms and locker rooms. We have both men and women’s facilities as a protective measure for the women in society. Women are an easier target for predators, and allowing men into private women’s facilities would dramatically increase the chances for sexual assault. In what world is it a good idea to put grown (biological) men in the same locker room as underage girls? 

— Force (anti-biology) gender identity to be taught in all schools. Religious schools are not exempt, so they will be forced to teach ideas that are fundamentally opposed to their religion. Freedom of religion is crucial in a democracy, and America was founded upon it. The freedom to have your child receive an education that fits their religious beliefs is crucial for the future of religion in our nation. It is wrong not only for the government to appoint itself as the arbiter of truth, not only to force religious institutions to teach ideas that go against their values, but it is also wrong for the government to force students to be presented with information presented as “factual,” when it is easily proven to be false and harmful.

— Remove the custody rights for parents who refuse to approve sex changes (including hormone treatment and body mutilation) for their underage children. Children should wait until they are adults before making such a life-changing decision. A responsible parent will warn their kids of the risks in participating in this behavior, making sure they are a legal adult before engaging in an act that will likely prevent their ability to reproduce in the future. Kids cannot rationally think about their future while their brain is still developing, so punishing parents for making the responsible choice for their kids is unethical. In fact, it is the legal role of parents to guide and instruct their children rather than letting them engage in whatever trendy, harmful behavior they like. 

— Remove a Pastor’s, Rabbi’s, or Imam’s right to deny a marriage proceeding that goes against their religion’s teachings. Our nation was founded on the separation of church and state, not to protect the state, rather to protect the church. These institutions should remain separate. Additionally, nobody has a right to another’s labor, especially if the requested action would be considered immoral by the laborer.

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The “Equality” Act is an aggressive active attack on women, parental rights, and freedom of religion. It also encourages harmful and anti-biological behavior to our future generations. 

This act does not promote freedom. We, as Americans, already have the right to identify as anything we want when we are legal adults. But, our freedom to live our life as we choose does not extend to forcing others’ acceptance of our lifestyle, especially when the science does not support it. 

This bill’s purpose is not to bring equality to the transgender community (which they already have). Its real purpose is to push political propaganda – presented as facts – onto the general public. 

We should instead be educating our youth about the risks of transitioning and how to responsibly plan their future. These include:

• Inability to reproduce. 
• Higher rates of substance abuse.
• Nearly 82 percent of transgender adults have contemplated suicide in their lives, 40.4 percent contemplate it annually.
• The majority of kids diagnosed with gender dysphoria grow out of it by the time they hit puberty, resulting in them being gay or bisexual, putting them out of the extremely high suicide statistics.
• Higher rates of depression/anxiety than any other group. 

I am not saying that a legal adult cannot make the choice to pursue whatever lifestyle they wish. Rather, I am saying that we should properly educate the future generations about the consequences of these actions, especially when done so at a young, prepubescent age. 

Many people are scared to speak on this issue due to political correctness, intimidation, and “inclusion.” Government-enforced regulation on religious freedom, women’s athletics, parental rights over properly educating their children while looking out for their best interests, and pushing anti-science information – that will result in a net negative in an individual’s overall wellbeing – is not the loving “big brother” government trying to improve society. It is catering to a small minority of people’s politically-driven emotions while infringing on the general public’s rights.

For the sake of all Americans, the U.S. Senate should not pass this bill. We need to break the political divide and see Democrats stand up for female, religious, and parental rights. Our Chapman University President, Dr. Daniele Struppa, should do everything in his power to protect the women on campus, especially on the sports field, in the locker room, and the restroom.

Mr. Buckner is a junior at Chapman University majoring in Broadcast Journalism and Documentary with a minor in Political Science. He is serving as the president of the Chapman Republican’s Club during the 2020-2021 academic year. This opinion piece is part of a running column written by Buckner.