Exploiting Children to Push a Faux Ideology
The recent developments in Hanover County, where six biological girls were cut from an all-girls tennis team to allow an 11-year-old biological male to participate, is a sobering reflection of the current cultural moment. Despite the Hanover County School Board's clear stance that biological males should not be permitted to play on girls' sports teams, a federal judge's preliminary injunction overruled this decision. The judge’s ruling allows the boy, who identifies as a girl, to try out for, and play if selected, until the lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is resolved.
This scenario is not only heartbreaking for the families involved but emblematic of a broader societal struggle against gender ideology that distorts God’s natural order and disrupts common sense principles of fairness, safety, and privacy.
First, we must acknowledge the exploitation of a young boy who has been used in advancing this gender ideology. According to the court’s opinion, the child was diagnosed with gender dysphoria as young as eight years old, an age at which children are still developing their understanding of themselves and the world. By the time he was nine, he had been administered a histrelin implant, a medical intervention that halts his natural puberty. This type of medical decision-making for a child, especially involving interventions with such profound long-term consequences, raises serious ethical concerns. It also underscores how far this harmful ideology has seeped into medicine, education, and law, pushing children into life-altering treatments before they can fully comprehend the impact on their bodies and futures.
Second, this incident directly harms the six actual girls whose chances of making the tennis team have been diminished in favor of accommodating a boy with gender confusion. These young girls now face the harsh reality of losing out on an opportunity because of decisions driven by a radical ideology rather than fairness. This type of scenario calls into question the integrity of women's sports, where biological differences between males and females play a significant role in athletic performance, even at the middle school level. The displacement of these girls to make room for a boy competitor undermines decades of efforts to create equal opportunities for women in sports, something that Title IX was designed to protect.
Third, the coach of the tennis team and the school administration find themselves in a no-win situation, likely pressured to allow the boy to try out and play to avoid not only backlash from radical LGBTQ groups but also the threat of a discrimination lawsuit. The fear of being labeled as intolerant or bigoted has become a powerful tool used to force compliance with gender ideology, even when doing so clearly contradicts reason and fairness. This leaves educators and administrators in an impossible position, where they must weigh legal risks and their reputation over the well-being of their students and the preservation of a level playing field in sports.
The real tragedy here is that there are no winners. The girls who lost their spot on the team are victims. The boy, who has been thrust into the center of this controversy, is also a victim of a broader societal push to dismantle fundamental distinctions between the sexes. And the community as a whole suffers, as the natural order of male and female roles is increasingly blurred by an ideology that denies biological reality.
This incident is just one more example of how gender ideology, which contradicts God’s natural design, is being used to upend long-standing norms and values. It reveals the dark side of progressivism, which often parades under the banner of tolerance and inclusion but in reality seeks to limit freedom and reduce opportunities. Progressive leaders claim to be the champions of the marginalized, but their actions tell a different story — one where they routinely exclude, silence, and deny opportunities to those who do not align with their radical agenda.
The only path forward is through electing legislators and leaders who will stand firm against these ideological pressures. We need individuals who will uphold freedom, restore common sense, and protect the values that allow families and communities to thrive. Now, more than ever, we must resist the erosion of our principles and fight for a society that respects the natural distinctions between male and female, promotes fairness, and preserves opportunities for all.
