“Hello, world. I’m the dad of a trans kid.”

That was how I started my first post to address the explosion of false accusations and conspiracy theories stemming from another parent outing our family on Facebook. I went on to explain that our young trans son was not actually a threat to God and country, or his 2nd grade class.

That was back in the Spring of 2016.

It seems like another lifetime ago when our son first made it clear that someone got it wrong on his assigned gender. And he was right. Gender, like many other things in nature, is on a spectrum. The year was 2011, and he wasn’t yet three years old.

The need for Scientific Rebellion grew out of my experience advocating for the trans community over the past decade and a half. The world unfortunately, is now a far more dangerous place than it was just a few short years ago.

While I still believe sharing our story is worthwhile and necessary, it has become painfully clear that it is in no way sufficient. It will take a heck of a lot more to overcome the intentional dehumanization and vilification of the trans community and its allies.

And it is not just the trans community that faces persecution and elimination from American life. Critical thinking and scientific discourse itself are under fire, and anyone who does not fit the far right’s white patriarchal Christian standard may find themselves an enemy of the state.

Every generation has its challenges. But the youngest generations inheriting the world today face trials across the spectrum of existential threats, including some that could make the planet itself uninhabitable. From social injustices to genocide. From environmental disasters to climate crisis. From terrorism to nuclear war. It is no wonder why so many people today disengage from the political process altogether. We seem to be trying the same things over and over again, hoping for a different outcome.

So how do we motivate people in the face of such daunting challenges? How do we reconcile the America that exists today against the vision of our Declaration of Independence and Constitution? How do we confront an American culture that has benefited so greatly from the technological advances of the modern age while simultaneously rejecting scientific discourse on the issues that matter most?

It may seem a tall order, but there is a path forward. And the best news is we already have the tools to make it happen: curiosity and critical thinking. These tools, used together, are the closest thing we have to a superpower.

But even the most powerful tools are useless if we don’t commit to using them. I believe – and I think the evidence will show – that humanity’s failure to move beyond a medieval mindset is a direct result of our lack of commitment to curiosity and critical thinking. We are choosing, individually and collectively, to suffer through crises and a never-ending cycle of violence and oppression that are largely of our own making.

All things being equal, I believe each generation is more inclined to challenge and reject the biases, and irrational assumptions of previous generations. Unfortunately, all things are not equal.

We see how the long-lasting effects of colonization, slavery and segregation have become so ingrained in our institutions, that even today we still struggle to excise it from our systems and culture. We see it in the generational indoctrination that persists like an undetected virus, replacing learning and reason with a preconceived, insidious narrative. We see how easily wealth and power can influence legislation and policy at every level of government, from school boards to the halls of congress, all the way to the Supreme Court. We see how that same wealth and power can be used to convince voters of even the most logic-defying conspiracy theories and big lies.

The Scientific Revolution gave humanity the tools to challenge the manufactured certainty so often used to oppress and control the population. It’s time we pick up where the Scientific Revolution fell short and recommit ourselves to finishing the job. It’s time we take direct, non-violent action to ensure all our laws and public policies are based on facts and evidence.

Are you ready?

This is Peter Tchoryk. Welcome, to the Rebellion.