I recently found myself in need of some medical attention. Nothing drastic, just something I needed a medical professional to help handle. I reached out to one doctor's office and saw that they requested “new patient information.” This did not take me by surprise. I expect to keep my health as long as I am alive, so I don't mind giving as much information as I need to give, especially if this person is going to be doing anything with my health. What made me do a double-take (you know, the kind you see in cartoons when the character shakes their head and you hear bongo drums) is when they asked about “gender identity.” They had already asked what I was born as, male/female/unknown. Aside from the fact that I think a person who would be filling this form out would know what sex they are, but apparently there exists room for a great deal of confusion there. I would think that part of the conversation would have stopped there, but no. Instead of two options (which is what we really do have) there were eight options, with one option being “Additional gender (please describe).”
Folks, this ain't Baskin Robbins 32 Flavors here. You are either a guy or a girl, period. It really is just that simple. You might be a guy who likes to dress up as a girl, but you're still a guy. You might be like that guy swimmer who figured he could win a lot more trophies if he competed against girls instead of other guys. He may be wearing a girl's swimsuit but, deep down, he's still a guy.
I remember a while back when the woman who wanted to be on the Supreme Court was asked the question, “What is a woman?” Her response was, “I'm not a biologist.” Well, I'm not a TV weatherman, but I can look outside and tell if it's raining or not. There was another government official who was asked that same question. I never did quite figure out what his answer was. He said a lot of words. However, none of them comprised an intelligible answer to the question posed. To those who are wondering, just in case you want to be on the Supreme Court and the question comes up, a woman is an adult female human being.
I am reminded of a line from a play I did several years ago called “Nobody Loves an Albatross.” The role I played was that of a big-time Hollywood writer/producer who often took great liberties with the truth. “I may be a liar, but I never lie to myself. That makes me the most honest person you will ever meet.”
I know there are some who would disagree with me, and that's actually okay. There's a reason this page is called “Viewpoints and Opinions.” My opinion on any given subject may be my opinion. Even though I generally try to base my opinions on facts, my opinions are not what makes something factual. Facts are facts. Truth is the truth. If you are a guy, you're a guy. If you are a girl, you're a girl. Those are your two choices. Those are the facts. Your opinion about those facts does not change them.
For those of you who may still be wondering, I was able to find the desired medical attention and everything is well on the mend. Have a wonderful day, here on the sunny side.