Squires: America's most powerful women finally found men they can submit to

The rapid spread of dangerous political ideology is creating a dystopian society that female fans of "The Handmaid’s Tale" have been warning about for years.

This threat isn’t coming from fanatically religious patriarchs who strip women of their dignity, clothe them in long red dresses, and force them into natal servitude.

The danger we face is coming from men who call themselves women. Their handmaids are female athletes, journalists, politicians, political pundits, entertainers, and women like Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson who wear power suits on television but refuse to define the word “woman” in public.

Some of the most outspoken women in our culture on abortion rights, pay equity, racism, climate change, and politics are now scared to speak about the very thing they have built their identity around: womanhood.

Women like Rep. Cori Bush have led efforts to turn pregnant women into “birthing persons” and nursing moms into “chest feeders.” Their fealty to trans ideology makes them attack women like J.K. Rowling and attempt to strip her of her life’s work because she believes that people with penises and XY chromosomes, by definition, can’t be women. It doesn’t matter that Rowling herself identifies as a feminist. Her disobedience to the new men running the show – and their powerful handmaidens – is a cancellable offense. When these men speak their truth, the sisterhood must nod along in complete obedience.

The country’s most powerful women finally found a group of men they can submit to.

This is what a dystopian future looks like. Under the influence of ideologues and a small group of men who “identify” as the opposite sex, some of the country’s most powerful women are erasing the essence of womanhood.

These women write headlines and tweets for the New York Times declaring Dr. Rachel Levine the first “female” four-star admiral of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. They use their platforms on ESPN to take a moment of silence for people who think young children should be taught about sexual orientation and gender idenity. They are also the ones who deploy terms like “transphobe” and “bigot” to scare rebels into conformity.

The cruel irony is that these women, once outspoken critics of traditional gender roles, spent decades painting stay-at-home mothers and conservative women as weak, docile victims of patriarchal oppression.

Nothing could be farther from the truth. Some of the people pushing back the hardest on the spread of gender ideology have been conservative women. Many are Christian homeschool mothers who understand that their job – raising and educating the next generation in God’s truth – is critically important for this nation’s survival.

Their modest dress is no sign of weakness, and they display far more bravery than the powerful handmaidens who are afraid to speak up for themselves or the girls who look up to them.

The women who can define “woman” – most of whom are not biologists – are supported by husbands and other men who see protecting women and children as an essential function of manhood. Men in previous generations may not have been as active in raising their children or doing household chores, but protection and provision are the bare minimum required of every man.

Part of the reason our culture has deteriorated so rapidly is because many men stopped doing both. They allowed themselves to be neutered and silenced – in their homes, churches, workplaces, and the broader society. They know that if they publicly criticize the song “WAP” or Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion simulating sex acts at the Grammys, they will be accused of sexism, misogyny, and toxic masculinity.

The Bible illuminates an important point about human nature when it says, “How can anyone enter a strong man’s house and steal his possessions, unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can plunder his house.”

Binding the strong man always leads to the oppression of women and children. Thankfully, many men are shaking off the shackles that had them bound. Many more will do the same as they realize an unrelenting enemy must be met with strength and boldness, not apology and accommodation.

This week, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis issued a proclamation naming Emma Weyant the rightful winner of the 500 freestyle at the NCAA women’s swimming championship. The gesture was largely performative, but it offered a stark contrast to the professor who compared Lia Thomas to Jackie Robinson.

The feminist handmaidens are doing the binding now. Like many ideas marketed to women over time, they are selling bondage in the name of liberation. With friends who see marriage as oppression, children as opportunity costs, and sex work as a legitimate career option, who needs enemies?

The left has shifted the Overton window right in front of our children’s bedrooms. The culture’s most powerful women are holding the ladder while a steady stream of groomers, predators, and ideologues climb in to convince the boys they can be girls and shame the girls who think being female is more than a feeling. Some of them even want to take a few pictures as keepsakes. They are emboldened because they know their loyal handmaidens will passionately defend them and remember them as society’s victims.

The new handmaidens abandoned women. This country needs courageous men, women, and children willing to give up social status for the sake of truth to save them.