Browsing Facebook one evening, I found a screenshot from a Tweet that really caught my eye. "If you are angry or think it's 'unfair' for a trans girl to beat a cis girl in a sporting event then fundamentally you don't think trans girls are 'real' girls. It's that simple." And I was amazed. They were saying this as if it is a bad thing. Of course I don't believe trans girls are real girls! I believe in this thing called "biology", and biologically speaking, you can pump a guy full of as many drugs and hormones as you want, mutilate his body all you want, and prosecute people for "misgendering" him as much as you want, he will always be fundamentally male, and I make no apologies for admitting that I believe this.
And that's the thing: I make no apologies for admitting I believe this. Call me a bigot, fine, it doesn't change my beliefs, nor will it make me pretend I don't hold them. In fact, it makes you rather bigoted because you are failing to tolerate me due to my beliefs. I don't hate anyone in spite of their beliefs, you hate me because of my beliefs, you are the bigot.
Unfortunately, there are times when bigots like this will try to make people "admit" to beliefs they don't hold. Do I believe women are inferior to men? Am I a white supremacist? Do I hate gay people? Answer to all of the above: no! But there are people out there who insist that I do, for no other reason than that I am a Christian.
Now, first, actual bigots have no issues admitting they are bigots. They just don't. I've seen them loudly and proudly announcing their bigotry, even unprovoked. I've even seen openly racist profile pictures. If someone is actually a bigot, you won't need to encourage them to admit it, they'll prove it before you try. But what about non-bigots, such as myself? Well I've just shown you that I'm not afraid to express an unpopular opinion. If you are offended by the idea that I think a trans woman is not a real woman, that's unfortunate for you, but I'm still not going to be pressured into changing that belief. So what makes you think I would be any more hesitant to admit I hold other beliefs you find offensive? If I believed women were inferior to men, I would admit I believed women are inferior to men. If I believed whites were the master race, I would admit I believed whites were the master race. If I hated gays, I would admit I hated gays. As it stands, I believe men and women are equal in dignity and intellect, I believe race is an imaginary construct so there is no distinction between "whites" and the rest of humanity, and I am an ex-gay myself, so it would be rather awkward for me to actually hate those who are still gay.
So, my Liberal friends, how about we drop these delusions of bigotry? You are offended enough by the beliefs people actually express, so why must you see hatred behind every bush? Stop trying to force people into these imaginary boxes and deal with what people actually believe.
Here is what I believe. I believe the Bible is true. The world, and all its inhabitants were created by God. We disobeyed God, and that requires punishment. God loves us, and so He doesn't want to punish us. Therefore, He sent Jesus to live as a man, and die on a cross, suffering our punishment for sin, then on the third day, He rose again. Through faith in Him, we can be forgiven for sin and inherit eternal life in His Kingdom. Can we discuss these beliefs? I'd much rather teach you how to be saved than get into a shouting match about who's angrier than who.