Jackson Meyer: Trans SCOTUS case reminds us woke isn’t dead

Mar 10, 2026, 10:00 AM

The Supreme Court’s ruling against California’s school gender secrecy policy is a warning: Democrats may sound less woke, but they are still pushing the same radical agenda. (Photo by Heather Diehl/Getty Images)

(Photo by Heather Diehl/Getty Images)

The Supreme Court recently sided with parents that sued California for a state policy that permitted schools to keep students’ gender transitioning a secret. The policy also required staff to use a child’s preferred name and gender pronouns regardless of parents’ wishes.

Thankfully, the 6-3 majority in Mirabelli v. Bonta ruled that these policies were a violation of religious liberty.

“We conclude that the parents who seek religious exemptions are likely to succeed on the merits of their Free Exercise Clause claim,” said the majority opinion. “The parents who assert a free exercise claim have sincere religious beliefs about sex and gender, and they feel a religious obligation to raise their children in accordance with those beliefs. California’s policies violate those beliefs.”

The fact that California was willing to go all the way to the nation’s high court to defend such an immoral and ludicrous policy should serve as a reminder that woke isn’t dead, it merely went into hibernation.

Wokeness is ready to strike back

After conservatives were finally able to take back some cultural and political power in 2024, Democrats with an ounce of political acumen realized they had overplayed their hand. Many began to back away from the culture war issues that had alienated them from normal, everyday Americans.

But make no mistake, this is merely a change of tactics, not a change of heart. We have already gotten a glimpse of how Democrats would govern if they return to power and its clear they haven’t learned any lessons.

Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger is the template Democrats are going to use for this year’s midterms. She ran as moderate in 2025 but has governed as a radical.

Spanberger immediately revoked her predecessor Glenn Youngkin’s executive order requiring cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. Democrats in Virginia are also pursuing a constitutional amendment that would create a “right” to abortion, even in the third trimester.

Don’t forget this November

Zooming out to the national level, Democrats showed their true colors at last month’s State of the Union. When President Trump said the first job of the government is to protect American citizens over illegal aliens, Democrats refused to stand.

Voicing their support for transgender procedures for minors, they also remained seated when Trump introduced a young woman that had de-transitioned. Many couldn’t even bring themselves to applaud the USA men’s hockey team.

The desire to blot out the era of peak wokeness from our brains is perfectly natural, but these are images voters should not forget when they head to the polls this November.

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