The perception of gender in the United States has undergone significant transformations over the past century, shaped by changing cultural values, activism, media representation, and policy shifts. The shift in gender perception continues to change as the population continues to diversify their views on identity, equality, and inclusivity. Although there have been a lot of progressive ideas introduced there has also been a great deal of pushback on those ideas. Most college students are perceived to be progressive and support the changing societal perception of gender. However, that may not necessarily be the case looking at the conversation at a recent BridgeNCSU meeting.
BridgeNCSU is a chapter of BridgeUSA, a nonprofit organization dedicated to bridging the gap between the two primary political parties and fostering productive conversations. The chapter meets every Thursday from 7:00-8:30 pm and discusses controversial topics. The organization encourages people from all over the political spectrum to come and share their opinions. One of Bridge’s recent discussions was on gender and gender roles. Some of the questions asked concerned whether people believed the wage gap existed, or if feminism was too prevalent in society. However, the biggest discussion was on transgender people and their acceptance of them in society as a whole. Although there were many people in support of transgender issues, there were also multiple people who were more skeptical about the validity of the idea of transgender as a whole. Examples of the arguments follow:
“Changing gender is simply illogical as the properties that define men and women are made up.” One member stated in the heat of the discussion.
“Although transgenderism is caused by mental illness due to an incorrect perception of one’s self, we shouldn’t prohibit them from aligning with that perception.” Another member said.
“Encouraging society to lie to these people is wrong.” A member said, with another making a rebuttal: “You don’t have to believe in this, however, that doesn’t give you the right to be cruel to people.”
Although there was a good portion of people discussing how gender-affirming care has so many positive effects on mental health, others saw the continuous push to change our perception of gender as radical and evolving into something too abstract. The conversation discussed the difference between gender and sex and how separating the two is possible. Opinions were very mixed about this separation, with some people believing the two issues are entirely different while others believed they could not exist independently from one another.
As Generation Z continues to reach the voting age, it’s no surprise that American politics will continue to evolve alongside what matters to the newest voting population. One of these values has been a more diverse view of gender. The rapid change in gender-related societal norms can seem disorienting to some and ramp up the desire to maintain long-standing traditional views. Many worry the rapid shifts may be confusing to many in younger generations and make it difficult to understand gender and gender issues.
The one takeaway that was very well agreed upon by the meeting participants regardless of their political views was that all individuals deserve to be treated with dignity and respect no matter their individual views or beliefs. In conclusion, the majority of BridgeNCSU and Generation Z as a whole seem to be split on this issue. It is important to continue to foster this discussion to find a way for traditional gender values to exist alongside societal inclusivity for all people. In the end, compassion can prove to be the key to bringing different people together.
