Gender confusion around the country has risen precipitously in recent years, and there is data to prove it. According to Gallup estimates from February 2025, the number of adults who identify as LGBTQ+ increased from 3.5% in 2012 to 9.3% in 2024. This is dramatic and disturbing. There are many guesses as to the reasons behind the rise. The internet is a major factor as it fuels social contagion. It’s too big an issue for politicians to ignore.
This week, Axios broached the subject with 20 Democrats who could be possible contenders in the next presidential election cycle. Among other things, this simple question was asked: “Can a man become a woman?”
The results were actually worse than one might expect. Most declined to talk about transgender rights in general. And of the three who did, Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA), former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, and former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, only the latter actually answered the question. Emanuel said “No.”
The refusal by all but one to answer is a major problem for Democrats. It’s not as if these individuals don’t know the answer. It’s that they are too scared to state the biological truth because their political futures are partially tied to whether or not they unwaveringly support transgenderism.
On X, Tim Miller of the Bulwark responded to the Axios article with the following: “‘Can a man become a woman’ is such a rage bait bullshit question. It has no bearing on policy. In a free country an adult can become whatever they want if they don’t harm others. The DHS Secretary has an entirely new face & the president wears more makeup than most drag queens.”
Miller couldn’t be more wrong.
It’s a comfortable deflection to say the question of whether a man can become a woman is nothing more than rage bait. Miller and those of like mind act mad but are really scared of potential fallout. Refusing to answer basic, biological questions means one is more interested in politics than foundational truths about humanity. It’s the kind of question that quickly reveals cowardice, especially to public voters who refuse to embrace extremes. A man can’t become a woman no matter how much hormonal or surgical manipulation takes place. Pretending as if the opposite is true is treated by leftists as compassion. And anyone who won’t affirm transgender delusions is labeled a bigot.
The idea that this type of question has no bearing on policy dismisses the glaring problems right in front of us. For too long now, women and girls have been told we must allow mentally ill men into female-only spaces. Female athletes are told to shut up and take it when a male poorly cosplays femininity and competes alongside them. The intrusions happen in dressing rooms, gym locker rooms, fields of play, and beyond.
One year ago at the start of his second term, President Donald Trump signed an executive order titled Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government. Just this month, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a case dealing with bans on trans athletes in female-only sports. And this is just at the national level. Around the country, biological truths are assaulted on a regular basis. The question “Can a man become a woman?” could not be more timely or consequential.
The Democratic Party and its cheerleaders, such as Tim Miller, just don’t care very much about defending these inherent truths. When presented with an opportunity to do so, they actively ignore what we can all plainly see. They do this because they’re either unwilling to do the opposite or have also embraced the delusion themselves. Either way, it’s a rejection of what’s real in favor of what feels good.
PORTLAND IS STILL A FADING, DECLINING CITY
Democrats helped create the conditions for gender confusion to flourish, and now pretend they don’t see it. When some of the party’s leading voices are asked to explain themselves, they dodge. Meanwhile, those of us who question this deliberate avoidance are told it’s some sort of “hysterical gotcha” with no relevance to real life. That claim collapses the moment you step outside and see the consequences in real time.
