This emphasis on Trans-Correct speaking is making me crazy. Mostly, because it is a diversion from issues that the vast majority of Americans are focused on and, unfortunately, the Democrats keep taking the bait. I wrote last week about the recent dust up with Bette Midler complaining about the use of such terms as menstruators and birthing people. Now a University of California law professor has gotten into a dispute over the same issue with Sen. Hawley. The worrisome point is that many liberals are saying that Dr. Bridges wiped the floor with Sen. Hawley – see https://talkingpointsmemo.com/morning-memo/hawley-transphobia-senate-witness-hearing

Dr Bridges may have made her point but I don’t think it matters. Sen. Hawley wanted to show how out of touch liberals are with regular Americans. Regular Americans, unbeknownst to Trans activists and their supporters, use the term woman when talking about abortion rights and health issues impacting women. Dr. Bridges uses the more inclusive term of “people with the capacity of pregnancy” instead. She believes that this new more inclusive term recognizes the existence of trans people and makes their lives better.

However, for the last thousand years or so, the English language used the word women. Trans activists have campaigned for using the more inclusive term in the past few years but this argument is on-going and is far from settled. I personally don’t know anyone who uses the term “people with the capacity of pregnancy” when they mean women and I am gay liberal Democrat living in California. This is the trifecta for exposure to liberal culture changes. A lot more work needs to be done before this more inclusive term is the accepted standard in the country.

Until then, most Americans will continue to use the word woman. This matters and matters greatly in that we are going into a mid-term election which historically go against the party who holds the White House. It hurts even more that Biden is unpopular and people, even Democrats, want a change. Then there is inflation and a stalled economy. Economic issues almost always take precedence during a bad economy. This is, without a doubt, going to be a very tough election for Democrats to win. The past few months have provided some options in regard to the election with the Supreme Court overrule of Roe and the continuing problem of gun violence. These seem like better issues to argue about, and, even better, they are issues where we stand with a majority of the American people.

On the other hand, what percentage of U.S. population really cares about using Trans-correct terms in speaking? I would guess not very many. I haven’t seen it come up in any discussions that the American people are weighing in on. It just isn’t the battle to be fighting right now. Which means even if Dr. Bridges wiped the floor with Sen. Hawley, Dr. Bridges was forced to talk about Trans inclusive language (not a particularly winning election issue) over abortion rights (an issue the Republicans are on the defensive about). She also tells Sen. Hawley that he is doing violence to Trans people. I don’t think that most Americans understand her point. She may be correct but does anyone other than a small cadre of Trans activists see it and does it do our side any good to be talking about it. I think not.

There might be some feel good experience for losing the good fight but this election is the absolute wrong time to be fighting it. The Republican Party can not be trusted with leading a government. It would be a complete dereliction of duty to go down over personal pronouns and Trans-correct terms. In order to win, Democrats need to get seniors and moderates and suburban voters. People who may not even know what the Trans discussion is about and who may be alienated by the idea that using the word women to describe “people with the capacity of pregnancy” is transphobic. Fighting over these low-interest issues does not serve the Democrat’s purpose. This is precisely why the Republicans continue to bring them up. But I, for one, am completely over losing elections over issues that don’t matter to most American – particularly if it is all about getting little old ladies to use “people with the capacity of pregnancy” over women.