Epoch Times - Most Americans Agree: You Can’t Change Your Sex

Feb. 18, 2026 - Epoch Times

01:40

Most Americans Agree: You Can’t Change Your Sex | Jonathan Butcher

Jonathan Butcher’s The Polarization Myth debunks the 50-50 culture war myth, revealing majorities reject gender fluidity and oppose explicit books in school libraries while favoring biological sex distinctions. Pew Research and his surveys show 60% disapprove of racial preferences in admissions, promotions, or tenure, aligning with MLK’s Civil Rights Act vision—merit over identity. Data suggests America’s values lean toward individualism, not radical redefinitions. [Automatically generated summary]
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Time	Text
Polarization Myth Explained 00:01:39
	to focus on this a little bit.
	Of course, your excellent book, The Polarization Myth.
	I mean, you basically make the case, and I think quite convincingly, that the culture war isn't between two equal groups of Americans.
	Would you agree with that?
	When we hear the term polarization, it makes us think that, like you said, there's 50% on one side and 50 on the other side.
	But that's not what's going on.
	On the issues, there are clear positions supporting some pretty common sense ideas.
	The idea that there are men and women and those are the two sexes.
	The idea that we shouldn't have books with explicit sex acts on library shelves in public schools, or that we shouldn't be teaching young people the idea that gender is something they can simply choose.
	But it extends even beyond this gender issue, and it goes to race as well.
	Tell me about that.
	So on the issue of race, my survey and others from Pew Research have found that we don't like the use of racial preferences when it comes to things like admitting students to school.
	And I think that that goes even further into promotions in the workplace or giving tenure to faculty in academia.
	This idea that we are judging people based on their country of origin or their ethnicity is not popular.
	What we find clear majorities in is judging people based on their decisions and their behavior.
	And that's, of course, at the core of the Civil Rights Act.
	That's a key piece of American litigation of American law.
	Makes me think of MLK, right?

Time

Text

Polarization Myth Explained 00:01:39

to focus on this a little bit.

Of course, your excellent book, The Polarization Myth.

I mean, you basically make the case, and I think quite convincingly, that the culture war isn't between two equal groups of Americans.

Would you agree with that?

When we hear the term polarization, it makes us think that, like you said, there's 50% on one side and 50 on the other side.

But that's not what's going on.

On the issues, there are clear positions supporting some pretty common sense ideas.

The idea that there are men and women and those are the two sexes.

The idea that we shouldn't have books with explicit sex acts on library shelves in public schools, or that we shouldn't be teaching young people the idea that gender is something they can simply choose.

But it extends even beyond this gender issue, and it goes to race as well.

Tell me about that.

So on the issue of race, my survey and others from Pew Research have found that we don't like the use of racial preferences when it comes to things like admitting students to school.

And I think that that goes even further into promotions in the workplace or giving tenure to faculty in academia.

This idea that we are judging people based on their country of origin or their ethnicity is not popular.

What we find clear majorities in is judging people based on their decisions and their behavior.

And that's, of course, at the core of the Civil Rights Act.

That's a key piece of American litigation of American law.

Makes me think of MLK, right?