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In the past few years, we've heard a lot about something called "gender ideology" that some conservative politicians and activists think is responsible for the increase in young people who identify as transgender or nonbinary. As former President Donald Trump promised at the Moms for Liberty national summit in 2023, "I will take historic action to defeat the toxic poison of gender ideology, to restore the timeless truth that God created two genders: male and female."
What critics mean precisely by "gender ideology," however, is never clearly or consistently explained. Those who assert that "gender ideology" confuses kids about their gender and sexuality tend to believe that sex is fixed and binary and that biology determines gender. Adopting the view that biology determines gender, however, threatens not only transgender rights, but many of the rights that have been hard-won for women and the LGBTQ community at large.
Technically, "gender ideology" is a sociological term to describe the beliefs people have about the roles men and women should play in society. For instance, a traditional gender ideology would suggest that due to their natural differences, men should work outside the home to support the family while women should tend primarily to childcare and domestic responsibilities. On the other hand, an egalitarian gender ideology would suggest that men and women should be equally free to pursue careers outside the home and to take on the same responsibilities for domestic chores and child-rearing.
The meaning of the term "gender ideology," however, began to shift slightly in the late 1990s. In 1995, at preparatory meetings for the United Nations World Conference on Women, delegates debated a proposal to change the definition of "gender" from a biologically determined category to a socio-culturally influenced one. The proposal failed in part due to opposition from the Catholic Church, which objected to the idea that gender and sexuality could be understood independently of biological sex.
Shortly after the U.N. conference, conservative Catholics began to use the term "gender ideology" to criticize the idea that gender and sexuality are fluid socio-cultural constructs rather than natural reflections of fixed biological traits. Notably, the dangers they attributed to "gender ideology" did not at first directly concern transgender identities. Vatican documents and bishops' letters in Latin America and Europe warned that "gender ideology" undermines the family while promoting homosexuality, birth control, and abortion. Conservative Protestant denominations in the United States eventually adopted a similar "gender ideology" line of criticism. But it wasn't until 2015—the year the Supreme Court approved same-sex marriage and Caitlyn Jenner announced her gender transition—that the term began to be used as a cudgel to attack transgender rights.
The belief that gender and sexuality are a function only of biology is the lynchpin that holds together an entire constellation of conservative Christian grievances about sex and gender in society, not just the transgender issue. The view that biology determines our gender precludes the possibility for authentic transgender identities. This view also criticizes gender expressions that deviate from the norm, as in the case of drag queens. Belief in the biological and social "complementarity" of men and women calls into question the authenticity of gay and lesbian sexuality. And the belief that men and women naturally occupy different positions in the family suggests that gender roles in society are also influenced by biology. Furthermore, several gender-related medical procedures (gender affirming surgery, in vitro fertilization, abortion, etc.) are considered harmful to the natural order of biological sex.
The recent nomination of Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) as Trump's vice-presidential candidate suggests that even today, the concern about "gender ideology" is about much more than rejecting transgender identity. Many of Vance's policy views are consistent with the claim that gender and sexuality are rooted in biology. In addition to opposing the affirmation of transgender identities, Vance says he would have voted "no" on the "Respect for Marriage Act" that codified same-sex marriage federally. He has criticized "childless cat ladies" who prioritize their work roles over domestic family life. In the Senate, Vance voted against advancing legislation that would have protected access to in vitro fertilization. He is strongly opposed to abortion with few, if any, exceptions. He also thinks divorce should be harder to attain, suggesting that couples should stay together even in violent marriages.
Our gender identity and sexuality are the result of dynamic biological, psychological, sociological, and cultural interactions that affect how we subjectively inhabit our bodies with coherence and integrity. The opposing view that biology mechanistically determines our gender and sexuality is not a good starting point for developing public policies in a pluralistic society. Policies that stem from the current political mobilization against "gender ideology" could do real harm to transgender people, undermine the rights of gays and lesbians, and threaten women's reproductive freedoms.
Robert C. Bulman is Professor of Sociology at Saint Mary's College of California. Follow him at substack.com/@robertbulman.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.
