It's a religion, and the trans shit is just a small part of it. The epistemology of social construction is a core axiomatic belief, same as god is real and is the creator of all things is the axiomatic belief of Abrahamic religions. Transgender individuals are just a convenient cudgel by which to force it on the rest of us. Academic Sociologists and Philosophers are the keepers of the secret/sacred knowledge. The social sciences (and by adjacency the humanities) are the seminaries.
As a faith it's fragile. Where it's philosophically incoherent they rely on psuedo-science, and where it's unsound as a psuedo science they rely on philosophy. Failing either they appeal to emotion/morality. The fact that we might have instincts, behavior, and knowledge that arises from our genetics is equivalent to the paradox of evil in Christianity on the psuedo scientific front. It likewise cannot resolve the implications of the Lorenz invariance for objectivity vs relativity on the philosophical front.
Some on the left are laughing that non-believers can't define Woke. It's best defined as a belief system about creation derived from post modernism and social construction, It's practiced two ways. Believers apply methods for analyzing and critiquing literature and media to reality and social ills, and presenting the result as a viable solution (stemming from post modernism). Believers also apply the scientific method to ideas and concepts that are inherently unfalsifiable in the form of statistical analysis used to justify claims about morality.
For the feminists who truly believe, it's a way to eliminate evil (as they see it) from the world. Teach men not to rape and they won't rape. The wage gap can be eliminated. Women underperform men athletically because they don't get equal coaching/encouragement. If the patriarchy has roots in biology, it can't be dismantled. Woke serves the purpose of faith - hope.
Lia Thomas was the first time the priests couldn't count on the faithful to keep the faith and it all clicked for me. Seeing women like Dr. Cheryl Cooky writing articles re-assuring the faithful was the final piece in the puzzle. I'm seeing them more and more as the idea of objective reality and biology intrudes. To the point ABC is publishing news pieces that link directly to "peer reviewed" "research". Morality and philosophy no longer on their side, they're now relying on psuedo-science - Presenting them to the laity the way the catholic priest will rely on relics and classical theological philosophy that's impenetrable to the laity.
Example:
archived 26 Mar 2023 11:03:26 UTC
archive.ph
It's important that believers do not hear (media blackouts), or refuse to open their hearts (smearing as far right, nazis, racists) to ideas and concepts that call into question such a fragile faith. It's why they went after Jordan Peterson so viciously. Likewise You'd only want access to a genomics database to research heritable social outcomes if you wanted to perpetuate racism - implying a researcher is racist.
I'm a huge proponent of student lending reform. The government is subsidizing this shit on the backs of idiot kids. "Free university for everyone" won't happen - with limited funding there will be limited seats, and competitive admissions will greatly limit the number of people who will choose to attend seminary.