In modern America, when gender parity is stronger than ever, even the idea of celebrating March as "Women's History Month" seems a bit dramatic. However, its origins ‒ women rallying for the right to vote ‒ are worthy of festivities. Now, just over a century later, women's rights remain intact but their essence is being erased.
In 2023, anyone can identify as a woman and demand to receive the same recognition as women who fought for their voice to be heard in 1908. This is an affront to women today and our female predecessors, and it ultimately waters down the importance of celebrations such as Women's History Month.
Women's History Month is officially the month of March, taking a cue from International Women's Day, which is March 8. It's still early, but already, instead of honoring the incredible women who spearheaded change in this country, social media is full of nods to "Women+," a term created for women and non-binary people, as well as transgender men and biological males who live as women.
Whatever their title, be it "Women+," "transwoman," or simply "biological male identifying as trans," the message is clear and twofold: Biological males who have chosen to live as females and non-binary people should be celebrated in the same fashion as biological women. In fact, they should be celebrated even more.
This is a slap in the face to the incredible women throughout history who fought to make meaningful change, such as the basic right to vote in the United States. First, women rallied in New York City for better working conditions and the right to vote in 1908. Just a few years later, in 1911, women in other countries joined. The UN officially commemorated the day in 1975.
March is an important month for women's rights: In March 1972, Congress passed Title IX. That same year, the US Senate passed the Equal Rights Amendment, which guarantees 19th Amendment protections for everyone, regardless of sex. These are important junctures for women, which have led to the lives we enjoy today.
Many women have gone before our current generation and paved the way through legal, policy, and social changes. Without such brave figures, women today would not be enjoying the freedoms we do. A handful of privileges come to mind: voting, higher education, home ownership, credit card ownership, choice in marriage, motherhood, childbirth, career opportunities, and much more.
For organizations to push those accomplishments aside ignores the hurdles women have had to navigate. It also suggests that biological males who choose to live as women through a medical or social transition are now the same as biological women, and they should therefore receive the same rights and recognitions. This is a slap in the face to the uniqueness of women, their difficult path, and the decisions they still make today that make their journey uniquely their own.
Even today, being a woman comes with incredible benefits and privileges, but it's not without cost. Women have more choice than ever, but choosing a career over a child, or choosing to balance them both, comes at a high price. Biological men who choose to live as women encounter their own hurdles, but it is a choice; it is not an innate quality.
Women are unique and created in God's image, just as men are. Women did not rally in New York City in the early 1900s for their right to vote, only to be seen as equal to biological men who wish to live as women. Women have not overcome difficult obstacles, including the right to vote, the right to have a credit card, and the right to work or stay home with their children, just for the celebration of those choices to be included with a new sect of people who now want to merely identify as women.
Including transgender men and non-binary people under the umbrella term of "Women+" during "Women's History Month" celebrations is an affront to women and their historical predecessors.
