I do not want this either, even as a Christian. I surely understand your objection to being forced to do something you do not believe in. Curious if you object to having to call biological males girls or vice versa if you do not believe that to be possible?
I understand the point that it is biologically not possible for a male to become a female and vice versa (though of course there are people who are intersex etc) but as a general rule, obviously one cannot change sex.
However, gender dysphoria is a real medical condition which is often treated by having the affected person transition to live life as another gender. So, to me, it should be treated almost along the same lines as a disability. You wouldn’t go knock someone out of a wheel chair and tell them they were born with the ability to walk so they must always walk, so I feel that someone who is transitioning should be treated with that same respect.
And honestly, to me, that’s what it comes down to - respect. I don’t really understand why its so hard to just call someone what they wish to be called. If your name is Dave, but I refuse to call you that and instead insist on calling you Bill, well - I’m an asshole. And that’s kind of where I come down on it.
In terms of compelled speech, obviously a private company can do pretty much anything they want. With a government office, I feel like every workplace - even public jobs - have policies and regulations around professionalism and respect in the workplace, and to me that’s where this falls. Again, just as if you insisted on calling a co-worker by the wrong name or telling a handicapped co-worker that they should walk, I think that intentionally and repeatedly calling someone by the wrong pronouns is disrespectful and unprofessional.
You know, its just the same as when I have an employee who requests a Sunday off so he can attend his kid’s baptism. I don’t refuse that, i don’t say well based on my personal opinion about religion I’m not going to approve that, I don’t belittle them, I say ok cool and grant them the time off. It would be unprofessional and disrespectful for me to intentionally mock someone’s religion and I don’t think that would or should be tolerated in the workplace and I think the same is true of pronouns.
I think it matters how you treat other people and what bothers me most is I see a pattern where more and more we’re refusing to even recognize that transgender people are, in fact, real people with value just like anyone else.