The New Puritans: How the Religion of Social Justice Captured the Western World

by Andrew Doyle

As with so many debates in the culture wars, the issue of pronouns has been misrepresented as a simple question of whether one is on the right or wrong side of history. Activists insist that it is just a way to be inclusive and polite, and in many instances that is clearly the intention. Yet the case against these measures is essentially liberal, and is worth outlining in full, given that most of us, at some point in the near future, will be faced with the choice between explaining our reasons for refusing, or capitulating in order to avoid conflict. When you ask someone to declare pronouns you are doing one of two things. You are either saying that you are having trouble identifying this person’s sex, or you are saying that you believe in the notion of gender identity and expect others to do the same. As a species we are very well attuned to recognising the sex of other people, so for the most part to ask for pronouns is an expression of fealty to a fashionable ideology, and to set a test for others to do likewise. This is akin to a religious conviction, and we would be rightly appalled if employers were to demand that their staff proclaim their faith in Christ the Saviour or Baal the Canaanite god of fertility before each meeting.

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