Peter Clarke is an American writer and anti-transgender activist.
Clarke has shown support for several anti-trans extremists, including Michael Shellenberger, Amy Hamm and Jesse Singal.
Background
Peter M. Clarke was born in August 1985 in Port Angeles, Washington. Clarke earned a bachelor’s degree from Western Washington University in 2007 and a law degree from University of the Pacific in 2010.
Clarke wrote for Reputation.com, LegalMatch, FindLaw, Indiegogo, and Judicial Council of California. Clarke wrote the books Politicians Are Superheroes and The Singularity Survival Guide. Clarke has also written for Areo Magazine, The Humanist, The American Spectator, Quillette, and Free Inquiry Magazine. Clarke founded Jokes Literary Review.
Clarke is based in Sacramento, California.
Anti-trans activism
Clarke wrote a sympathetic profile of anti-trans extremist Michael Shellenberger, part of a sustained effort by a faction of anti-trans activists critical of progressivism.
Clarke wrote a sympathetic profile of anti-trans extremist Jesse Singal after a panel featuring Destiny, Vaush, and Emma Vigeland discussed Singal’s extensive anti-transgender activism:
To be clear, if Singal did have horribly offensive views about trans people or gender dysphoria, then, of course, the Seder-Vigeland position would be correct—or, at least, defensible. Some people are, unfortunately, transphobic in the genuine sense of the term. But Singal is not. It is certainly possible to disagree with Singal’s position. But it is not possible to find an ounce of bigotry in his writing. He is, in this respect, a “good liberal.”
Clarke (2023)
Clarke’s view on gender:
- Gender is cultural and is great to play with if you want
- Technology is going to radically change our biology but can’t do much yet
- People should hold their identities lightly rather than pretending like they’re sacred
Clarke’s view on sex:
If someone is biologically male, they can’t change to biologically female. The medical interventions are crude, often harmful, and not incredibly successful right now. The culture war on this topic, in my view, would be more civil if identity was less important to people.
References
Clarke, Peter (October 17, 2023). How Jesse Singal Became the Symbol of Polarization on the Left. Merion West https://merionwest.com/2023/10/17/how-jesse-singal-became-the-symbol-of-polarization-on-the-left/
Clarke, Peter (May 13, 2022). Can California Change?—An Interview with Michael Shellenberger. Quillette https://quillette.com/2022/05/13/can-california-change/
Resources
Peter M. Clarke (petermclarke.com)
Twitter (twitter.com)
LinkedIn (linkedin.com)
Substack (substack.com)