Google - Is Trans a Cult?

I’ve read many articles and comments claiming that trans ideology is a cult. However, people accuse many organizations of being cults: political parties, religions, exercise clubs, my garden club. Okay, maybe not my garden club, but you get the idea. If a group is not universally popular, it’s often accused of being a cult.

What about trans ideology? If you ask Google that exact question, it will return a list of search results. Many assume that trans ideology is a cult. A few search results deny that trans ideology is a cult. A search on cults more generally will return results on The People’s Temple, a cult from the 1970’s led by the charismatic Jim Jones. It’s more revealing to ask Google about each trait of gender ideology and read what Google’s new artificial intelligence tool has to offer. It’s not clear why and when Google’s AI decides to offer an opinion - the results below are what I saw.

I queried Google with the question “Are cults appealing to unhappy people” and got this:

Trans promises to make people happy as they will now be living as their “true” selves. “Do cults promise happiness?”

People are love-bombed when they come out as trans. New converts are congratulated and celebrated. Offers of help and support are extended by online groups, sympathetic psychologists, counselors, doctors, etc. “Do cults love-bomb you when you join them”

The very essence of trans is a new identity with a new name, clothes, pronouns, etc. It’s no surprise that a new identity is a common attribute of cults. “Do you acquire a new identity in cults?”

Trans introduces new language, and new meanings for old words. These words are often used to establish a false sense of legitimacy to an ideology that sounds utterly insane if described without these words. “Do cults have new words and new meanings for old words?”

Trans encourages its followers to go “no contact” with their “old” family - family members who do not believe in gender ideology and do not affirm the follower. “Do cults encourage you to cut off contact with family who don't believe in the cult?”

Anyone who medically transitions must endure physical pain from the drugs and surgeries. This pain is often viewed as a test of the person’s commitment to being trans. “Do cults give painful tests to test a members commitment?”

Trans-identified individuals are encouraged to have contempt for their pre-trans self. Their old name is now a “dead name”. Their old body is wrong because, “They were born in the wrong body.” “Do cult members have contempt for their old self?”

Many trans-identified people have a persecution complex. Anyone who doesn’t affirm, including parents, are assumed to hate trans people, or are afraid of them, and/or maybe even want to hurt them. “Do cult members have a persecution complex?”

Trans ideology is making some groups very rich. In traditional cults, the cult leader often becomes quite wealthy. With trans ideology, doctors and pharmaceutical companies make money from “gender affirming care”. “Are cults used to make money?”

The brave individuals who “detransition” can be abandoned by their trans friends and affirming doctors and psychologists. “Do cults abandon you if you leave the cult?”

Trans identified people don’t believe they are in a cult. However detransitioners often feel that yes, they were in a cult. “Do cult members know they are in a cult?”

Trans ideology doesn’t really have a leader the way a traditional cult does. But perhaps the internet itself is the leader? Certainly, many who are trans-identified do try to please the relevant social media. “Can social media act like a cult leader?”

Gaslighting is a large part of trans ideology. Out of nowhere, parents are blamed for all sorts of transgressions that never happened. “Do cult members gaslight non cult members?”

How many cult characteristics are required of a movement before it’s considered a cult? Over a dozen attributes of trans are also attributes of cults, according to Google, including some particularly nasty ones (cutting off your family, having contempt for your old self) that are found only in cults. Perhaps cult purists might say that trans ideology is not a cult because there is no charismatic Jim Jones type leader. But listen to what our kids say: “I now identify as…” (cult language). “People want to put us in concentration camps!…” (cult persecution complex). “If you keep deadnaming me, I’ll go no contact…” Cult. Cult. Cult.

Trans ideology may not meet the strict definition of a cult, but virtually everything about trans is straight out of the cult playbook. Google has spoken. And we all know the internet is never wrong.