Using Wrong Pronouns Should Be 'Criminal Offense,' Say Almost Half of Millennials: Survey
A new survey says a broad swath of Americans between 25 and 34 think when a man wants to be called a woman, failure to heed that wish should send an offender to jail.
The survey by Redfield & Wilton Strategies found that 44 percent of respondents between 25 and 34 say what’s known as misgendering should be a crime. Only 31 percent were firm that such conduct should not be a crime, while the rest of those surveyed — 25 percent — took refuge in not answering or saying they did not know, according to Newsweek. No margin of error was given.
The numbers were slightly different for respondents aged 35 to 44. In that age group, 38 percent want misgendering to be illegal, while 35 percent do not and 26 percent sat out the question.
The survey’s group of respondents between 18 and 24 were not on board with locking up those who refuse to honor a pronoun choice. In this age group, 48 percent said misgendering is not a crime, 33 percent said it was, and the balance did not take a stand.
I don’t misgender; I speak reality while polite and kind, honest, and straightforward. At the same time it’s a crime to cut off the organs God gave you.
— Christine Beach (Formally Brejcha) (@ChristineBrejc1) July 16, 2023
As a whole, the survey population of 1,500 respondents was solidly against the idea of linking prison and pronouns. Overall, the survey showed 65 percent of respondents were against adding a new crime to the book, 19 percent want misgendering to be a crime, and the other 16 percent either did not take a stand or said they did not know.
The Pew Research Center assigns the label of millennial to people who would currently be between 27 and 42 years old. Generation Z is the label given to those born between 1997 and 2012, although the survey only sampled those who are 18 and over.
As for what to call those who have shunned biology in favor of preference, the survey found respondents largely trying to do what seemed appropriate.
The survey showed 37 percent of those responding said they would abide by the pronoun choice of a man who wanted to be female, 28 percent said it would depend on the person, 17 percent said they would use biology as their guide and an equal number said they did not know. For women wanting to be one of the guys, the survey results were similar — 37 percent would go along, 27 percent said it depends on the individual, 18 percent would call her a female and 18 percent said they did not know.
Newsweek recently noted that a Michigan law currently under debate is being interpreted by some as the first law that could make misgendering someone a crime.
House Bill 4474, which has passed the state’s House and is being considered by Michigan’s Senate, makes it a hate crime to “feel terrorized, frightened, or threatened” verbally, which includes refusing to abide by pronoun preferences.
As a result of this, I will now misgender every Democrat in Michigan. Free speech.
Michigan House passes bill making wrong pronouns a felony, fineable up to $10,000https://t.co/NIyEt4qoQj
— Wade Miller (@WadeMiller_USMC) June 30, 2023
Others say this is not the creation of the word police, according to the Detroit News.
“We’re talking about intimidating, threatening violence. This is not the sardonic teller at the bank,” said Republican state Rep. Graham Filler, who voted for the bill, said.
Eli Savit, a Democrat and Washtenaw County prosecutor, said the law does not trample the First Amendment.
“If somebody says, ‘I do not believe you are a man, I believe you are a woman’ and misgenders someone, even intentionally, that is not a crime. That is First Amendment protected speech. … I don’t believe it’s a kind thing to say. But it’s not a crime,” Savit said, according to the Detroit News.
Democratic state Rep. Noah Arbit, who sponsored the bill, said it is designed to update existing law, adding, “The idea that someone is going to be prosecuted for misgendering someone is just wholly preposterous.”
It’s apparently felonious to misgender a person in Michigan now. What happens if you can’t exactly tell what they are?
— Roberto il Destro 🇺🇸🇮🇹 (@destroil1) July 16, 2023
However, Republican state Rep. Angela Rigas does not buy that explanation, according to the Daily Wire.
“The state of Michigan is now explicitly allowing the gender delusion issue to be used as a ‘protected class.’ This opens up numerous issues when it comes to the courts and the continued weaponization of the system against conservatives,” Rigas said.
“It seems Dems want to be in the business of telling people how to think. We are determined to keep choice and opinion a free choice despite those efforts,” she said.
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