In Western society, there appears to be a disproportionate emphasis, driven by the media and governments, on promoting the concept of unlimited gender self-identification in the name of transgender rights and inclusivity. The rest of the world observes this phenomenon with a mixture of curiosity and concern, as it occasionally surpasses the boundaries of what is essential for achieving fairness for all, crossing into the realm of an agenda-driven manipulation, and at times, even criminal activity. Introducing teachings about gender confusion and sexual preferences to children in day-care centres and elementary schools cannot be morally or logically justified.
The widespread trend of re-evaluating gender identity, particularly among the youth, in the absence of regulatory measures, leads sceptical individuals to believe that promoting gender re-identification and re-assignment is a deliberate campaign aimed at blurring people’s perception of reality and undermining the hard-won accomplishments of social equity.
When a man can become pregnant, when a man pretending to be a woman can participate in women’s sports and emerge victorious, when a man pretending to be a woman shapes the definition of womanhood and becomes the preferred choice in numerous advertisements, when a man pretending to be a woman can enter female-only restrooms and subject women to harassment without repercussions, and when suddenly no one can provide a definitive definition of what constitutes a woman, not even judges or medical professionals even with extensive backgrounds in biology, one begins to question the absurdity and degradation of a system that even enacts laws to prevent questioning it. Those who still have the ability to connect the dots ask – what is the insidious agenda behind it all?
Apparently in the West, there are now 107 genders with a probability mix of gender pronouns that stupefy the un-initiated. And that is exactly the term International Business Review will be using – because we see this as an issue where one is either initiated or un-initiated, based on the amount of indoctrination being fed in schools and universities by those pushing the agenda.
We Asians have always known that there are two genders – men and women. Occasionally, there are individuals who feel they are trapped in the body of the opposite sex, and they may choose to cross-dress or undergo surgery, and we are accepting of their choices. In fact, Asians have been the most accepting of transgenderism, without making it an agenda. We have never advocated for encouraging our children to undergo genital mutilation at the ages of 5 and 6 by introducing the concept of gender dysphoria to them. This would only serve as a means for medical institutions and insurance companies to profit from
an additional lucrative business stream. Humanity did not over the last 40 years suddenly go from two genders to 107 genders, unless we missed the memo. This new phenomenon is a social construct that enables more business for some industries. This is not ethical business, and cannot be encouraged.
International Business Review recognises that while it is important to respect personal preferences and individual autonomy, we cannot allow respect and compassion for all mankind to be hijacked by certain industries with strong lobbying to impact the freedoms and rights of others, particularly women.
In the absence of clear definitions and regulations, unregulated, runaway gender self-identification poses a huge threat to the progress women have made.
What was the purpose of the women empowerment movement and the push for women in boardrooms if now it seems that no one is able to clearly define what a woman is, as we say in Malaysia, ‘konon-nya’?
Agendas by powerful lobbyists may shift from decade to decade. However, we don’t have to shift along with it. We need to stand our ground, understand our reality and call a spade a spade. What we have now is a war against reality, and in that undercurrent, we look beyond and see how it is really, a war against women.
– Ketanji Brown Jackson,
Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, when asked by the Senate to define woman. How can the law protect women without being able to define women?
Upholding Women’s Rights
Throughout history, women have tirelessly fought to secure fundamental rights, such as equal participation in sports, improved healthcare access, and the pursuit of desired careers. From the dawn of ancient states in the 4th millennium BCE to Iceland’s first female government leader in 1980, the world has made significant progress in combating deep-rooted gender inequalities. These accomplishments represent milestones in the struggle for gender equality.
However, the increasing trend of free gender self-identification presents new challenges in various aspects of human life including healthcare, the corporate world, sports, and crime. There have been instances where individuals, particularly men, self-identify as women to exploit female-specific communities and opportunities, thereby undermining the hard-fought progress and rights women have achieved through immense struggle.
Parental & Governmental Influence
Gender self-identification advocates the idea that a person’s legal sex should be determined solely by their own gender identity, without any clinical or legal requirements. Individuals experiencing gender dysphoria, a state of unease caused by a mismatch between biological gender and gender identity, can declare a new legal sex from an increasingly diverse range of identities. Upon request, this new identity is legally granted to them.
As of 2023, 20 countries support gender self-identification with minimal or no requirement for approval or examination by medical and psychological experts. For instance, since 2010, the state of Arkansas, United States, allows individuals to change their gender on state IDs without question or documentation. In Spain, individuals aged 14 and above can officially re-identify their legal gender, although they are not permitted to drink or drive at that age. The world’s youngest transgender Noella McMaher was 6 years old when “he” legally changed “her” birth certificate from boy to girl. Her parents encourage it. In fact, her parents are transgender themselves, which may go a long way in explaining why Noella thinks she should be one too.
Sports, Prisons, Bathrooms & Schools – all under attack
Unsupervised gender self-identification raises concerns regarding potential abuse and corruption in areas such as women’s sports, prisons, and even beauty pageants. Numerous cases exist where male athletes participating in women’s sporting competitions have had unfair physical advantages over their female counterparts. Many examples can be brought up, but let us settle for Lia Thomas, an American college swimmer, who won a National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) 500m swimming competition only nine months before graduating. To prove how ridiculous it is for people with a masculine physique to compete in female sports, Avi Silverberg, a male Canadian powerlifter, took part in a woman’s powerlifting competition that had previously been won by another biological male identifying as a woman, Anne Andres.
Avi, ‘identifying as a woman,’ smashed the previous record by 45kg. Anne Andreas, who had been dominating the biological women’s powerlifting competitions for four consecutive years and won eight competitions, was not pleased and cried foul. The irony would have been funny if the situation had not been so ridiculous.
In the United States, prisoners may self-identify their genders, and upon review by authorities, they may be transferred to correctional facilities associated with their declared genders. Currently, 40 formerly male prisoners have already been transferred to women’s prisons, while 279 transfer cases are pending, including 97 recorded sex offenders with prior and repeated sex-related criminal records. We are looking at serial rapists now living together with women. How convenient that these men started identifying as women.
There are actual cases of rape and sexual harassment that have been documented when ‘men identifying as women’ use women’s bathrooms, which have always been a sacred sanctity for women. But now, social media narratives and mainstream media narratives have all but created a dystopian viewpoint where the opposite is positioned. Women are once again silenced when they speak out, and women are being relegated to going back to the dark ages where they no longer have a voice.
American public schools, that are run on the taxpayers’ money, are using class time to expose underage children to all sorts of sexual contents, from drag shows and twerking workshops to adding the most explicitly-written erotica books to school libraries; books that aim to “educate” young children about sex. There are detailed and sensual descriptions of all sexual activities imaginable. Although the necessity of sex education cannot be questioned, the extent of exposure must be measured carefully. Children’s sex education must revolve around safety and abuse prevention. They can learn about orgies and other sexual pleasures in their own time when they age.
Teaching Women How to Woman!
When the 1976 men’s Olympics decathlon gold medalist, Bruce Jenner became Caitlyn Jenner in 2015, she was almost immediately named Glamour Woman of the Year and was a runner-up to Angela Merkel, in becoming Time Magazine’s Person of the Year! The man who suddenly becomes a woman is now represented as a role model for women by mainstream media.
There are now trans women, who do not possess the female reproductive system, not only advocating for trans women’s menstruation rights, but also assertively educating women about periods! In other words, there are people without uteri who are teaching women how to protect their uteri.
The expanding and blurred definitions and understandings of genders and identities haveeven impacted beauty standards, too. In 2019, Brían Nguyen, a 19-year-old student, made history by becoming the first transgender woman to win the Miss Greater Derry title in the Miss America competition. While such occurrences might initially be seen as steps towards inclusivity, they can undermine female decision-making on matters concerning women. In other words, females are once again losing control of setting standards and making decisions in matters that concern women.
The biggest question remains: why are the authorities and lawmakers favouring the consideration of men identifying as women over the consideration of women themselves? Are women now being relegated to second-class citizens after all the hoopla surrounding women’s empowerment that was fervently promoted in the last decade? What has caused this sudden shift?
Freedom Over Agenda: The Need for Protecting Freedom and Women’s Movement
If the world still values humankind’s past achievements, it is about time we stood our ground and fought the agenda-infested bias against common sense and reality. To address concerns surrounding gender dysphoria and the craze of gender self-identification, major stakeholders, including educational institutions, governments, media, and families, must wake up and promote a realistic and ethical understanding of transgender experiences. It is crucial to consider the irreversible social, physical, and health implications associated with gender confusion, and individuals must be aware and take responsibility for the choices they make.
We encourage individual freedom and the discussions surrounding it. We also support all
human beings, especially marginalised groups. However, to maintain social balance, equity, collective rationality it is vital to remain open-minded and engage in logical conversations. We must re-evaluate our approach to encouraging and facilitating gender dysphoria and the potential for abuse.
The concepts of unrestricted gender self-identification and the promotion of gender dysphoria have profound implications for women’s rights. It is vital to recognise and address the potential risks and challenges that arise from unregulated practices. By adopting a responsible and informed approach, we can strike a balance that respects both individual freedom and the progress made in achieving gender equality. Women’s rights should not be compromised or eroded by the demands of gender self-identification; rather, they should be protected and advanced within an inclusive and equitable society.
