I had dinner this week with a young gay man who was castrated and had his endocrine system permanently wrecked as a result of “gender-affirming care” for minors. He was super girly as a kid and had an undiagnosed testosterone deficiency which delayed his male development. He liked playing with girls, seemed to act like one, and when he socially transitioned as a teen, he passed easily. Suddenly all the sneers of “faggot” he’d endured as a boy went away. In today’s “gender-affirming care” environment, that was enough.
“Compassion” and “science” took a gay boy, flooded his young male body with estrogen, and removed his genitals — because the docs and the shrinks determined he was too effeminate to be a “real man.” Only when he personally figured this out as an adult and got himself off estrogen and onto testosterone did everything change. He felt energy and mental clarity for the first time. And his life as a man could finally begin — although his body will never be fully repaired.
Readers keep telling me to shut up about this topic (I can hear your groans now). I’m obsessed, you say, and this is a trivial (boring) matter. I’ve lost some good friends who feel very much that way, and my social life has shrunk. But then I meet someone like Mike (a pseudonym) — and I’ve met many others, gay and lesbian — and realize not a single gay group or resource is on his side. In fact, the “LGBTQIA+” lobby all but denies he exists, or dismisses him as transphobic — a dreaded “detransitioner”.
I was thinking about Mike as I read the latest polling — out this week in a liberal online mag, The Argument. The poll shows what we well know: 63 percent of Americans want to protect trans people from discrimination. This isn’t a transphobic country. But, equally, 62 percent oppose transing minors (50 percent strongly), 60 percent support banning transwomen competing against women in sports, and 53 percent want to ban gender ideology in elementary schools. These numbers have gone up the more the debate has raged. The backlash is so intense it has even reversed the public’s previous opposition to bathroom bills.
Now check out the liberal response. Bluesky erupted in fury that the poll was published at all. “Please help us,” one X member tweeted with direct appeals to Tim Cook and McKenzie Scott, who have bankrolled this campaign. Jill Filipovic complained that the “Dems ... should have focused on things like ending discrimination in housing and employment,” rather than sports and kids, unaware that the Bostock decision already did that with employment. Most liberals have literally no idea that trans people already have civil rights. Off-message.
In this air-tight ideological bubble, where Bostock is unknown, the Dems flounder. “This isn’t happening” was the first gambit. Good try. Then: “this has all been ginned up by the far right, and Dems did nothing.” Did they miss the Obama and Biden Title IX diktats, Admiral Levine’s removal of lower age limits for transing kids, Biden’s “nonbinary” official Sam Brinton stealing dresses, or other embarrassments like the White House invite to Dylan Mulvaney? Then they say it’s a tiny issue. But it helped Trump massively in 2024. And if it’s tiny, why not compromise? After that, it’s just MLK-envy all the way down, the desire to be the next Rosa Parks. But it’s odd to campaign for “civil rights” when you already have them.
After trying to debate, you come to realize it’s pointless. The woke mind is not really a mind; it’s more like a bunch of synapses. Presented with an actual argument, they snap shut. This is part of what Eric Kaufmann calls the “sacralization” of minorities. For the woke, the “oppressed” are sacred. And in the social justice hierarchy, no minority is as oppressed and thereby as sacred as trans.
And so what sacred trans people say they want — or rather, what a tiny group of trans activists say they want — is all that matters. Anything else is illegitimate or “hate”. And any opponent is a bigot. Try arguing your way out of that dogmatic thicket. It’s like trying to disprove the Holy Trinity. I’ve given up.
But the real world keeps intervening. We just saw a ground-breaking lawsuit that won a $2 million judgment for a double mastectomy at 15. And this month saw two awful mass shootings by mentally unwell men caught up in the trans craze. Between Tumbler Ridge, Canada, and a Rhode Island hockey match, 12 people are now dead, including 6 children. And this is no longer a shock. Ask yourself what the 2023 Nashville Covenant School shooting, the 2025 Annunciation Catholic Church shooting, and even the 2024 attempted assassination of Trump, have in common.
Yes, it’s categorically wrong to link trans people to mass killings. That’s false and dangerous. But you’d be dumb not to worry that the trans cult of the last decade may have attracted many mentally ill people into a space where they have instant visibility, attention, and status. We have set up an open-ended subjective category — anyone who says they’re trans is trans, period — almost designed to attract delusional narcissists, and, with every safeguard thrown away, there’s no way to distinguish the nutters from the genuinely in need.
So what should the Dems do now? Nothing much — because there’s not much left to do but fight the military ban and discrimination in housing and medicine for adults, which are worthy enough goals. What to actually say? How about something like this:
Trans people are under attack today and we need to defend their dignity, equality, and civil rights. We strongly back laws protecting trans people from discrimination in employment, housing, healthcare, and the military. We support health insurance for adult transitions and believe children with acute gender dysphoria should get much more support, much more therapy, and boundless love. We must not leave them behind.
But we also believe medical interventions should be kept for adults, who alone can give meaningful consent. And we believe that, in the few areas where biology really matters — in sports, medicine and intimate spaces — sex trumps gender. That’s just common sense. We can defend women’s rights and trans rights. We are all in this together.
This is where most Americans are. It is where reason leads and compassion follows. It’s about defending trans rights, and resisting the fringe’s desire for a gender cultural revolution. Just say it. And move forward and on. And if you take this position, know also that it will instantly allow you to get a hearing on other bigger issues. When people think you can’t tell the difference between a man and woman, they’re not going to buy anything else you say. And if you drop the extremism, which has nothing to do with civil rights as such, you will also be saving future generations from what happened to Mike.
He’s still here, rebuilding his life. And he deserved so much better.
(Note to readers: This is an excerpt of The Weekly Dish. If you’re already a paid subscriber, click hereto read the full version. This week’s issue also includes: my take on the breaking news of SCOTUS nixing Trump’s tariffs; a fun chat with Sally Quinn about the WaPo and her remarkable life; a bunch of reader and listener dissents on a variety of topics; 18 pieces on Substack we recommend on a slew of subjects; 9 notable quotes from the week in news, including Yglesias Awards for Barack and Hillary; a Mental Health Break to honor Jesse Jackson; a religious window in Montreal; and, of course, the results of the View From Your Window contest — with a new challenge. Subscribe for the full Dish experience!)
From a returning subscriber:
I had been a longtime Daily Dish patron from way back in the day. We even had an email exchange about torture — something for which I will never forgive Bush, Cheney, Yoo, and even Obama, for not vigorously investigating and prosecuting those responsible as the UN Convention Against Torture requires.
But then came Twitter and I couldn’t believe some of the things you were posting. Not that I need to agree with anything you say, and I don’t recall the specific post, but there came a final straw and I cancelled my subscription. (I quit Twitter soon after, too.) However, your free Dish emails kept arriving — albeit truncated. For whatever reason, your longer-than-Twitter content is compelling me to resubscribe, so I’m back.
So grateful for the support.
The Republic Lives
The big news this morning is not about tariffs. It’s about the American Constitution and whether its separation of powers means anything. It’s no shock, at least to me, but still a relief, that SCOTUS came through. Tariffs are quite obviously the prerogative of the legislative branch. That’s always been clear. And there is no conceivable national emergency to justify the president’s impulsive seizure of that prerogative.
In a functioning republic, of course, it would not be the Court that struck this overreach down — but the Congress itself, guarding its own powers. But this Congress is for Trump what the Duma is for Putin: an echo-chamber of irrelevance and submission. And so we are left with Gorsuch et al. to save us. The system is working and the Constitution remains.
I’m still absorbing the ruling, but this passage from Gorsuch (fast becoming my favorite Justice) is eloquent and true:
Amen.
New On The Dishcast: Sally Quinn
Sally is a journalist, columnist, TV commentator, author, wife to Ben Bradlee, and legendary DC hostess. Who better to talk to about the implosion of The Washington Post? She also founded the Post’s religion website, “On Faith.” She’s the author of six books, including the spiritual memoir Finding Magic, and We’re Going to Make You a Star — about her time at “CBS Morning News.” Her latest novel is Silent Retreat, and she’s now working on a memoir called Never Invite Sally Quinn. Her energy at 84 is, well, humbling. We had a blast.
Listen to the episode here. There you can find two clips of our convo — on Sally’s initial impression of Bezos, and the time Bill Clinton called her the b-word. That link also takes you to a ton of commentary on our episode with Zaid Jilani on the Dems, and more on the pods with Jason Willick and Claire Berlinski. Readers also debate Trump’s corruption, the moral arguments over immigration, the death toll in Gaza, and the pros and cons of Ozempic, with my responses throughout.
Browse the Dishcast archive for an episode you might enjoy. Coming up: Jeffrey Toobin on the pardon power, Michael Pollan on consciousness, Derek Thompson on abundance, Matt Goodwin on the UK political earthquake, Jonah Goldberg on the state of conservatism, Tom Holland on the Christian roots of liberalism, Tiffany Jenkins on privacy, Adrian Wooldridge on “the lost genius of liberalism,” and Kathryn Paige Harden on the genetics of vice.
As always, please send any guest recs, dissents, and other comments to dish@andrewsullivan.com. A listener writes:
Thanks for all these good episodes. Is Vivek still planning to be a guest soon? I have been looking forward to that episode.
He got cold feet. Too bad. On the other hand, I tend to avoid active politicians. Because they’re rarely as candid as I’d like a guest to be. Oh well.
“You don’t need a gimmick like a 5 percent billionaire tax. But you can reverse Trump’s tax cuts for the rich to fund childcare and Obamacare subsidies.” So you’re advocating for an increase in taxes on the wealthy to fund the social safety net. My take is different; we need to tax the wealthy and near wealthy in order to reduce the national debt. (In the time it took me to write that, it probably increased by $100 million.)
I am not a fool who doesn’t believe in the necessity of a government-funded social safety net, since any one of us could be wrecked by a catastrophic event and need it. But I believe it should be based on the “needs” of the poor, not a scheme to attack the rich. Amongst the wealthy, there are some who showed inventiveness and drive to earn it, and the rich as a whole gave unique inspiration to F. Scott Fitzgerald.
I remind you that the Dish’s signature quote/inspiration came from a man named George Orwell. Remember Animal Farm, when intending to distribute wealth equally it was decided that “some animals are moreequal than others.” In Minnesota, it was decided that those Somali immigrants (of whom the next generation will be making the state permanently a more deeper blue) were more equal. And note, this was an abuse of the system where the culprits got caught, so beware when you increase government spending.
I’m with you on debt. I’m just trying to be realistic. And a politics that can target the excessed of the super rich and the distortions they create is a potent one. I don’t want a return to the tax rates of Eisenhower. But why not of Obama?
Many more dissents, on a variety of topics, are over on the pod page. As always, please keep the criticism coming: dish@andrewsullivan.com. And follow more Dish debate in my Notes feed.
This is a feature in the paid version of the Dish spotlighting about 20 of our favorite pieces from other Substackers every week. This week’s selection covers subjects such as Jesse Jackson, the debate over “white culture,” and Olivia Colman the “gay man.” Two examples are below, followed by two new substacks:
As society becomes post-literate, will social media reshape human consciousness?
Cancel culture has lasting damage for brave individuals like Caylan Ford.
Dubya and Playboy just arrived on Substack. This place is kicking.
Here’s a list of the substacks we recommend in general — call it a blogroll. If you have any suggestions for “In the ‘Stacks,” especially ones from emerging writers, please let us know: dish@andrewsullivan.com.
The View From Your Window Contest
Where do you think it’s located? Email your guess to contest@andrewsullivan.com. Please put the location — city and/or state first, then country — in the subject line. Proximity counts if no one gets the exact spot. Bonus points for fun facts and stories. The deadline for entries is Wednesday at 11.59 pm (PST). The winner gets the choice of a VFYW book or two annual Dish subscriptions. If you are not a subscriber, please indicate that status in your entry and we will give you a free month sub if we select your entry for the contest results (example here if you’re new to the VFYW). Contest archive is here. Happy sleuthing!
The results for this week’s window are coming in a separate email to paid subscribers later today. From one of the entries in last week’s contest:
One thing I came across about Medford is that it’s close to the world’s only known Bigfoot trap. Built in 1974 by the North American Wildlife Research Team, the 10-by-10-foot wooden structure was baited with animal carcasses for six years. While it only ever caught bears, the U.S. Forest Service restored it in 2006 and it remains a popular (and sometimes vandalized) hiking destination today. It lies near Applegate Lake about 22 miles SW of Medford on the Collings Mountain Trail. It’s a 7-mile round-trip hike, so takes a bit of effort to visit.
Another sleuth added:
Unfortunately the structure is now covered inside and out with graffiti. To prevent any tragedies, its metal trap door has been bolted open so that it doesn’t slam shut on curious humans who might venture inside. If you want a virtual tour of the place, check out this video:
