The policy ignores the needs of women, especially lesbians, and aims to replace sex with “gender identity” in international humanitarian aid programs

WoLF submitted a response last week to USAID’s proposed LGBTQI+ Inclusive Development Policy. The policy would inform USAID’s work in international development and humanitarian efforts, forcing gender identity ideology onto the rest of the world. 

The proposed policy, predictably, ignores the needs of women and girls, downplays the specific threats facing lesbians (including from trans activists), and paints “antigender” feminists as a dangerous threat to progress. 

[Read WoLF’s Full Submission]

Especially egregious is the policy’s proposed recommendation to collect data that is disaggregated by “gender identity” rather than sex. The collection of this data is vitally important for providing accurate information to the public on the unique challenges facing women and girls, including those who may believe they have a gender identity. This recommendation highlights how gender-based policies erase sex at the cost of progress for women and girls. 

WoLF’s comment highlights the many inaccuracies and omissions in this document and calls out the government for institutionalizing the regressive, misogynistic, and homophobic gender identity ideology through its humanitarian work.

Selected Excerpts from WoLF’s CommentS: 

Inaccuracy: The assumption that everyone has a gender identity or expression, despite claims of data-driven policy and evidence to the contrary

In the Introduction, USAID claims, “Everyone, everywhere, has a sexual orientation, a gender identity, gender expression, and sex characteristics” (page 2). This statement is inaccurate, and defies the previously stated goal on page 1 to “Drive Evidence-Based Policies and Approaches.” 

The claim that “everyone has a gender identity” is easily disproved by simply asking most people if they have a gender identity. The authors of the present response do not have a gender identity, nor do the diverse women in every part of the country who are members of WoLF. Since a “gender identity” is a subjective belief based solely on self-identification, the notion is quickly dispelled with even one individual providing claim to the contrary. 

“Gender identity” underpins a belief system which relies on the spiritual concept that individuals possess an inner essence (akin to a soul) that is either aligned (or not) with their sex; that this essence is distinct and independent of their physical body. Many people do not subscribe to this belief system and, indeed, many women and LGB people (who have been harmed or limited by the societal constraints of gender as a socially-prescribed role) object to the presumption that they “identify” with this oppressive system.

Inaccuracy: The proposed policy demonstrates an endemic misunderstanding of what “gender” is and falsely positions feminism that opposes the imposition of gender roles and sex stereotypes (ie. “the antigender movement”) as a threat to progress

WoLF is deeply concerned by inaccurate descriptions throughout the proposed policy, beginning on page 5 of the Introduction, that position “the antigender movement” as a “threat,” “challenge”, and “backsliding.” We believe this reflects a lack of understanding on what gender is, how it has historically harmed women and girls, and why a progressive movement must inherently be antigender (notably, in contradiction to USAID’s stated principle #4: “Understand the Landscape: Be Aware of History, Stakeholders, and What Has Worked”) …  

Gender is not a synonym for sex, nor is it a replacement characteristic. Gender is an oppressive force used by the dominant sex class (men) against the subservient sex class (women) …

A Gender Abolitionist, or, what USAID may refer to as someone who is part of “the antigender movement,” is a person opposed to the societal imposition of gender roles. This is the category that WoLF and the thousands of radical feminists across the country we represent fall into. We fight to abolish all sex stereotypes (aka gender roles).

The proposed policy’s framing of “the antigender movement” as a threat,” “challenge”, and “backsliding” demonstrates a failure on USAID’s part to understand the history of the feminist movement and the progressive ideals driving the desire to abolish gender.

The failure to understand gender as a system of oppression and feminists as the forefront leaders in the fight against violence is so deeply woven through the proposed policy that it is impossible to provide specific recommendations for improvement within the proposed framework. WoLF recommends USAID engage in a discovery and learning process which involves feminist leaders of the gender abolition movement in addition to other stakeholders. WoLF is available for consultation and would be happy to provide some additional resources and names for further consultation. 

Clarify: USAID adopts a principle of “do no harm” while simultaneously promoting an ideology that is extremely harmful to women, girls, and same-sex attracted youth

Principle #1 states that USAID will aim to uphold the principle of “do no harm” and that “paramount to all LGBTQI+ inclusive development programs is the safety and security of persons and organizations” (page 14). However, by promoting gender identity ideology, USAID is promoting a belief system that primarily harms the very people this proposal aims to serve: LGB individuals who do not conform to the stereotypes of their sex, including through same-sex attraction. 

Gender identity ideology is leading to increasing numbers of children and young adults being medicalized for not conforming to sex-based stereotypes. All current evidence suggests this group is massively, disproportionately same-sex attracted (LGB). Known as “gender-affirming care,” this medicalization takes the form of puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgical procedures on a person’s genitalia or breasts. These drugs and procedures serve no physical medical purpose, but rather are undertaken to try to resemble the opposite sex, ostensibly to treat clinically significant distress that a person experiences as a result of not appearing “masculine” or “feminine” enough. These drugs and procedures can lead to sterilization and adult sexual dysfunction; the children who “consent” to them are simply too young to meaningfully consent to permanent impairment of fertility or of adult sexual experiences that they cannot yet comprehend … 

Given the high rate of desistance from childhood gender dysphoria, as well as the very high number of dysphoric youth who are same-sex attracted, serious caution should be urged. It is pure eugenicism for our society to accept that the solution for distress experienced by gender-nonconforming young people is chemical castration and removing their healthy sex organs.

This could not be further from the ethos of “do no harm.” 

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