The State University of New York-Geneseo suspended an education student for posting on his personal Instagram account, “A man is a man, a woman is a woman. A man is not a woman and a woman is not a man.” This got him reported by students claiming to be deeply wounded by his obvious observations about biology.
The school’s president put out an email stressing her “deep personal commitment to promoting social justice” (but obviously not science or free speech), and the administration claimed that Owen Stephens’ comments called into question his ability to fulfill a teacher’s requirement to “maintain a classroom environment protecting the mental and emotional well-being of all students.” They demanded he delete his Instagram posts, reduce his social media presence and undergo a training program in gender sensitivity. He refused, having come to SUNY for an education, not a re-education.
Two points:
First, the fact that he believes in basic biological fact doesn’t mean that as a teacher later in life, he would say anything to hurt the feelings of trans students. They’re making the assumption that the grads they’re turning out won’t be professionals, which gives me yet another reason to question the value of a degree from SUNY.
Second, the funny thing about biology is that it’s an actual science, which means it doesn’t give a flying fig about your feelings. It’s about facts, and one of the immutable facts of biology is that it’s determined in the womb whether you will be male or female, with XY or XX chromosomes, and no amount of hormone shots, surgery or wishful thinking is ever going to change that. We should all be kind and respectful to people who are dealing with gender identity issues, but that doesn’t mean we should all have to pretend that biological facts aren’t true or that they can be altered simply by wanting them to be, any more than you can reverse gravity by sincerely believing that if you jump off a building, you’ll fall up.
I would suggest that Owen read this story for a hint as to what his next move might be:
I’d also suggest that he get the heck out of SUNY’s education department and transfer to another university’s biology department. Unfortunately, these days, even biologists are expected to renounce basic biology, if it contradicts politically correct magical thinking.
On that subject, here’s an article by a Princeton mathematics professor, warning of how “woke” ideology and idiotic concepts such as “white math” and declaring the scientific method and “right” answers to be white supremacist concepts are destroying STEM studies. As I always say, never get on a jet designed by someone who learned that the right answer to a science or math question is whatever makes you feel good about yourself.
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