Kindly allow me to begin my account by stating that it is in no way my intention to offend anybody. Now that that's all cleared up, let's get to the issue at hand. Bill Nye once said, "Your gender is determined by your chromosomes." This is a statement that I wholeheartedly believe in.
Very recently, Germany and the state of California have announced that they now recognize a new, third gender. Third gender/sex is defined as a concept in which individuals are categorized, either by themselves or by society, as neither man nor woman. This then begs the question; what are you? It is a scientific fact that a person is born either male or female. Very, VERY rarely is someone born intersex/as a hermaphrodite.
But those individuals are not a "third" gender. If I am being completely and utterly honest, I don't understand how one can not identify as a male or female. I don't always feel "manly", and some days I also don't feel feminine. But does that mean I am non-binary? Nope. I and many people share the opinion that these people just ultimately want to feel special. Do not confuse that statement as an insult. It is not. Everybody wants to feel special, but not everybody deserves to be.
Additionally, many people, both within the LGBT community and not, have spoken out against me, and other people that share my opinion. These people look at me, a gay male, and ask "Aren't you gay? Then why aren't you in support of this?" Before I continue, let me just say that questions like that are very stereotypical and ignorant, which are both things that these people have accused me of being. But the answer is very simple. The issue of homosexuality and 3+ genders are very, very separate.
It wasn't until a few years ago that gays attained the legal right to marry. "But times are different now", people say. And they're right, the issue of 3+ genders is only a concept that has been around for the last year or so. Which, to me, makes it lose its authenticity. Homosexuality dates back to when life formed on the Earth. It has been well documented throughout history.
But a third gender? That has never been documented until today. I believe that a lot of people like to hop on this bandwagon of progressiveness, without actually stopping to look at the validity of their cause. There are still people that don't believe that homosexuality is natural. And I think we should work on helping those people understand that it is natural, instead of going buck wild with "revolutionary progressivism".
By acting this way, we make it less likely for people that are still stuck in their 1820s mindset to be open to the (very simple) fact that homosexuality is, in fact, natural. It is not my intention to cause people any distress, nor is it my intention to offend anybody. But as Americans, we have unalienable rights to express our opinion. While we are all free to have our opinions, it does not mean that we are free to ostracize and harass others with differing opinions from your own.
Having an alternate opinion is not "hateful". Having an alternate opinion is not "offensive". The only offending thing is when someone attempts to battle another's opinion by using insults, attacks, and unverified information. I believe that any issue can be discussed in a respectful, informative, and friendly manner. It helps neither side when someone acts out and just "can't even deal" with someone else's opinion.
Because, at the end of the day, it doesn't matter whose side is right and whose side is wrong. Society will still move forward, regardless of your, or my, feelings. I just hope and pray for a world where opposing sides can state their opinions without people feeling "triggered" or "offended". As Rihanna once so wisely Tweeted, "There's no changing the fact that I'm me. And they're...well...they're them."
