Chloe Cole and Riley Gaines Speak Out against the Trans-Revolution
A few days after the election, a CNN panelist Shermichael Singleton caused a minor stir on set by referring to boys as boys. Noting how Trump had tapped into a big concern for parents, Singleton said, “I think there are a lot of families out there who don’t believe boys should play a girls sport.” Immediately, a co-panelist at the table attempted to silence the point, snapping, “They’re not boys. I’m not going to listen to transphobia at this table!”
What happened next was, for a mainstream media outlet, remarkable. Host Abby Phillip interrupted the interrupter, and asked Singleton to continue his point. Clearly, the one who attempted to silence Singelton was under the impression that an accusation of bigotry and hurt feelings was all it would take to shut down his opponent. However, the rules had changed, and he had to sit there and listen.
It’s unlikely that this exchange would have unfolded in this way a year earlier, but people are losing their fear of speaking out against the trans-revolution. Last year’s “Pride Month” seemed toned down, not because business owners had a moral conversion, but because they looked at their bottom lines and social media posts from their customers. Of course, those posts were visible because Elon Musk bought Twitter, changing it from a platform where users were cancelled, to one where, for good or ill, people could say what they wanted.
Perhaps the most important part of this story is that reality doesn’t change for ideology. Things changed when the reality of transgender procedures—hormones, amputations, and chemical castrations—became more widely known and when enough daughters lost scholarships, awards and privacy. To put it simply, there is truth, and it is knowable. The Cass Report, the WPATH file leaks, and a few other research reports made the truth about who we are as male and female more widely available.
There’s also been the inspiring voices, mostly young women. Chloe Cole and others who have “detransitioned” are not only expressing regret but are also exposing the doctors, institutions, and “experts” who’ve pushed these deceptions. Swimmer Riley Gaines not only spoke out about her title being taken by a male competitor but has courageously taken on pundits, athletic departments, and the NCAA for pushing men in women’s sports.
Chuck Colson identified this kind of courage as “breaking the spiral of silence.” Fifty years ago, Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann coined that phrase to describe the power of popular opinion and what it takes for truth to win out over social coercion, peer pressure, and fear. The math is simple: When people are silent about an injustice or falsehood, even if they personally disagree, more people will be silent. The spiral of silence is a powerful tool for dominant entities to maintain power.
However, it is also fragile. When one person is willing to break the spiral of silence, more people will speak out. Like a social domino effect, once cultural bullies are challenged, it becomes easier for others to speak out as well. Lies are not inevitable, despite what we often believe.
Telling the truth is a powerful thing. In fact, merely refusing to “live by lies” can have a profound effect on the world around us. We’ve always known that boys are not girls and girls are not boys, but too many have been afraid to say so. Thank God, times are changing and, at least on this issue, for the better.
God has called His people to this time and this place. Our cultural moment is, in fact, our calling. The window to speak the truth about who we are as human beings, made in the image of God, male and female, is an opportunity we must not pass up. Cancel culture and social censorship only work as long as people are willing to go along with it and too afraid to challenge it. Truth is a wonderful gift to a world that has been deceived.
We can end the spiral of silence by speaking the truth. If we don’t, others will. But let’s not miss the opportunity.
Photo Courtesy: ©Getty Images/Nito100
Published Date: January 3, 2025
John Stonestreet is President of the Colson Center for Christian Worldview, and radio host of BreakPoint, a daily national radio program providing thought-provoking commentaries on current events and life issues from a biblical worldview. John holds degrees from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (IL) and Bryan College (TN), and is the co-author of Making Sense of Your World: A Biblical Worldview.
The views expressed in this commentary do not necessarily reflect those of CrosswalkHeadlines.
BreakPoint is a program of the Colson Center for Christian Worldview. BreakPoint commentaries offer incisive content people can't find anywhere else; content that cuts through the fog of relativism and the news cycle with truth and compassion. Founded by Chuck Colson (1931 – 2012) in 1991 as a daily radio broadcast, BreakPoint provides a Christian perspective on today's news and trends. Today, you can get it in written and a variety of audio formats: on the web, the radio, or your favorite podcast app on the go.
