Journal of Controversial Ideas

(ISSN: 2694-5991) Open Access Journal
Rss Feed:
Controversial Ideas 2022, 2(1), 15; doi: 10.35995/jci02010015

Discounting Females, Denying Sex, and Disregarding Dangers from Self-ID—A Reply and a Defense of Open Debate

1 Georgia State University, Department of Criminal Justice & Criminology, Center for Research on Interpersonal Violence (CRIV), Georgia, USA;
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received: 3 Aug 2021 / Revised: 26 Feb 2022 / Accepted: 26 Feb 2022 / Published: 29 Apr 2022
View Full-text Download PDF (184kb)

Abstract

In this article, I reply to comments on my 2020 article “Scrutinizing the Equality Act,” where I express support for the aims of the US Equality Act—providing federal non-discrimination protections to LGBT+ individuals—but opposition to its form. As currently formulated, the US Equality Act would extend federal non-discrimination protections to LGBT+ individuals by redefining “sex” to “include sexual orientation and gender identity” and thereby eliminate sex-based provisions and the protected nature of women’s spaces. My article aimed to stimulate a more balanced discussion around gender self-identification policies that considers both females and transgender people. Here, I reply to published critiques with the goal of correcting misunderstandings and clarifying the complex, contested sociopolitical arguments presented in my article. Framing this issue within the broader creeping illiberal campaign of conformism and censorship in the academy, I, following others, emphasize the crucial role of open, critical dialogue in advancing science and promoting democracy. In that spirit, I echo calls for feminists and others to push back against censorship and engage with sensitive, controversial issues, including but not limited to deficiencies in the US Equality Act.
Keywords: US Equality Act; sex and gender; LGBTQ; women’s rights; transgender; academic freedom
OPEN ACCESS
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. (CC BY 4.0).
CITE
Burt, C.H. Discounting Females, Denying Sex, and Disregarding Dangers from Self-ID—A Reply and a Defense of Open Debate. Controversial_Ideas 2022, 2, 15.
Burt CH. Discounting Females, Denying Sex, and Disregarding Dangers from Self-ID—A Reply and a Defense of Open Debate. Journal of Controversial Ideas. 2022; 2(1):15.
Burt, Callie H. 2022. "Discounting Females, Denying Sex, and Disregarding Dangers from Self-ID—A Reply and a Defense of Open Debate." Controversial_Ideas 2, no. 1: 15.
Not implemented
SHARE