Sixty years ago, there were two universally known sex symbols in the West: Marilyn Monroe in America and Bridget Bardot in France. Most millennials have heard of Marilyn Monroe, if for no other reason than the scandals with the Kennedy brothers. But my admittedly anecdotal experience leads me to believe that few Americans under the age of 40 know of Bridget Bardot.
But it is she, more than anyone, who contributed to the creation of the supercharged, hypersexual society that we live in today. In 1956, And God Created Woman! hit movie theaters in France. Bridget Bardot starred as the 18-year-old Juliette whose sexual appetite enraged and scandalized her family. The movie, directed by Roger Vadim (later married to Jane Fonda), had considerable nudity, although nothing compared to the prurient and explicit sexual trysts so common in today’s movies.
What strikes me as important about the movie today, however, is the title: And God Created Woman! In the 20th century, the French have rarely been strong exemplars of a Judeo-Christian world view, but even in libertine France, they recognized that God created two distinct and complementary sexes: man and woman.
This Judeo-Christian worldview traces its history back 3,500 years to the first chapter of the book of Genesis which reads: “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” This perspective – rooted not only in faith, but in scientific fact — has been foundational for human behavior in the West, and for all enduring cultures throughout the history of the world.
Despite the different chromosomal makeup of men and women, and the obvious biologic differences between the sexes, the far Left has, for several decades now, advocated the view that maleness and femaleness are mere social constructions – that gender, not biological sex, is what matters. According to this view, one’s sex – and, indeed, sexuality — has nothing to do with biology or with theological norms, but is determined by how one feels at the moment. Under this notion of “gender fluidity,” a person may “identify” or “present” as a woman or man at any given moment.
Two decades ago, such views were considered little more than radical “theories” and were confined largely to the academy. Remarkably, they have now become mainstream. For example, the New York City Commission on Human Rights today lists 30 different gender categories. What’s worse, the Commission is threatening to fine businesses up to $250,000 for failing to use “gender-correct” pronouns.
This is a dangerous moment for our society. A backward glance at civilizations that have abandoned the male/female paradigm and the importance of the traditional family show that they end up on the rubbish heap of history. There are ample examples of previously strong nations and societies whose search for sexual fulfillment in ways contrary to the natural inclinations taught by every major religion have led to ruin. As we all know, culture determines politics, and a culture that defines sexual identity as a social construct will have profoundly negative consequences to our society.
In this context, the current debate about transgender bathrooms is not really about the dignity and civil rights of a tiny fraction of Massachusetts citizens (perhaps less than 100 out of every 100,000 people of Massachusetts). It is about the most fundamental aspects of human nature. By legitimizing the worldview of “transgender” people, it will also encourage teenagers and young people to indulge in fantasy, seeking sexual self-actualization wherever they wish. It will further the transformation of our society into a culture where individual fulfillment plays a greater role in our lives than character and virtue, duty and honor, and faith in our God and our fellow man.
The passage by the Massachusetts Senate of the transgender bathroom bill by a margin of 33-4 is an amazing milestone in the death of common sense in the Commonwealth. Should the House pass the bill this week and Governor Baker sign it, we will be hammering yet another nail in the coffin. Even the French understood this simple premise: And God Created Woman! This bill must not pass.
Robert Bradley
Robert Bradley is an investment advisor and entrepreneur. The views expressed in this column are his own and not those of his investment management firm. Read his past columns here.
(Adobe Stock photo) 
