Last month, a 17-year-old female footballer was sidelined for discrimination after she was found to have repeatedly asked a transgender opponent questions about his gender.

The hirsute chickadee in question had a full beard and was built like a brick outhouse. Aside from the obvious query on eligibility, there must have been a tangible concern about safety.

One hard, sliding tackle from behind from Alan She/her could have been disastrous.

So it seemed a legit question.

If you go to an event, you are going to be asked to produce a ticket.

If you look like you might be under eighteen, the barman might ask you to break out some ID.

As the Russians say: ‘trust, but verify’. Fact-checking is critical in every sector of society.

Or so we thought. We have long since been conflating ideology with fact.

It’s been a long-held philosophical maxim that truth can be understood only within the context of power. If the dominant moral or political authorities say that an idea is fact or has merit, it will gain ascendancy.

That has never precluded dissent, though – until now.

Not only is it now perfectly lawful, for example, for a man to obtain a piece of paper stating that he is a woman on a whim – and for everyone to have to act in support of the pretence – but any person even questioning this will find themselves on the wrong side of legal or disciplinary action.

It’s not about fact, but ideology being imbued with the qualities of fact. That’s socially dangerous pro max.

They’re coming for us all, and there’s seemingly no protection.