Chapter 9: Cruel Rights-Deniers
The view from Transgender Activists
“Transitioned it to live an authentic self in the world “
-today the US celebrates a Transgender Day of Visibility every March
-culture has demanded for unwavering affirmation
***to not affirm the reality of people’s ability to change genders and to not support the corresponding societal accommodations of such changes is now considered a cruel violence to the transgender community
-it has been made to be a matter of life and death for people who are suffering and suicidal
-even churches are pressured to be in consensus with culture
“People of faith are doing the loudest and most significant harm to the transgender community personally and politically” (Lutheran leader Jaime Bruesehoff).
-there is a push that anyone who doesn’t believe a person can change genders is guilty of life-threatening harm to transgender people
Definitions:
History:
-the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) is a reference book on mental health published by the American Psychiatric Association (APA)
-1980: gender-related diagnosis appeared for the first time in DMS history
-transsexualism and Gender Identity Disorder of Childhood (GIDC) were listed in the Psychosexual Disorders category
-DSM-III: transsexualism refers to adults with a “persistent sense of discomfort and inappropriateness about one’s anatomic sex and a persistent wish to be rid of one’s genitals to live as a member of the other sex.”
-GIDC: referred to children with a similar sense of discomfort and “the desire to be, or insistence that he or she is, of the other sex.”
**in both cases, the prevalence was noted as “rare”
-transgender activists became increasingly concerned about these new entries in the DSM because inclusion in the DSM implied that want to or feeling the need to live as the opposite sex is a mental health problem in need of diagnosis and treatment
***many activists didn’t want what they considered to be an identity stigmatized as a mental illness
-at the same time, they realized that a diagnosis is typically required for access to the medical interventions necessary for gender transitions, so eliminating transgender-related entries from the DSM would be problematic as well
-1994: the DSM, fourth edition, there was a shift but not far enough
-2013: DSM-5 came out with a profound shift
-DSM explicitly stated that “gender nonconformity is not in itself a mental disorder”
-Gender Identity Disorder was correspondingly replaced by Gender Dysphoria, a diagnosis representing only the:
“psychological distress that results from incongruence between one’s sex assigned at birth and one’s gender identity.”
-APA: “Guide for Working with Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Patients” explains the significance of the diagnostic shift
-the change focused diagnosis on the gender identity-related distress that some transgender people experience
-gender identity if related to distress
-the presence of gender variance is not the pathology but dysphoria is from the distress caused by the body and mind not aligning and/or societal marginalization of gender-variant people
***the persistent desire or felt need to live as a member of the opposite sex was not longer considered a disorder to be treated
-the shift: identity is be embraced
DSM-5:
-didn’t cause culture to begin thinking of being transgender as an identity, but it did give validation to existing ideological trends
-people’s understandings of being transgender as an identity not as a disorder
-transgender identity claims can be traced to cultural developments that have taken place over hundreds of years
“Those who see being transgender as an identity have what functions as an expert witness–if the main professional association of Psychiatric experts says it’s true, it must be true.”
-anyone who disagrees that gender can be separated from biological sex is now looked at with contempt for holding archaic beliefs inconsistent with modern psychiatric science
-the diagnosis of Gender Dysphoria implies that a person with feelings of gender incongruence needs help changing their body, not their mind
***the shift is to view transgender as a mentally healthy identity that requires people to view the body as the problem
-the culturally approved assumption is that transgender people know who their authentic self is and need a body to match
-to suggest there’s a need to change a person’s mind is to suggest that people aren’t the authority on who their true self is
-to say there is something wrong is deeply offensive in today’s culture
***you must unquestioningly affirm transgender feelings as corresponding to reality
-when a person does feel gender-related mental distress, the blame is now largely placed on those who don’t affirm their identity
“It’s important to remember that while being transgender is not in itself an illness, many transgender people need to deal with physical and mental health problems because of widespread discrimination and stigma” (Nation Center for Trandsgender equality).
-if society were fully accepting of transgender identities and provided the accommodations necessary to support those identities, transgender people wouldn’t feel distress
-when they do feel distress, it reflects a problem with society, not the person
-the shift to viewing being transgender as an identity has had far-reaching implications for society, especially for those who don’t affirm that view
Numbers: The Transgender Explosion
-DSM-III first described transsexualism in 1980
-DSM-5 described transsexualism as Gender Dysphoria is 2013
-Past: people with gender-related distress is exceedingly rare
-Being transgender is no longer rare and no longer biologically male
-for the first time in medical history, biological females make up a large number, and possible the majority, of those identifying as transgender
-Before 2012: there was no scientific literature at all on girls ages 11-21 having developed gender dysphoria
***rapid onset gender dysphoria exploded among females (65% of the adolescent girls who had discovered transgender identity in adolescence out of the blue)
-due to prolonged social media immersion
-due to girls’ friend groups
-Gender Dysphoria cases were exceedingly rare, predominantly male, and nearly always emerging in early childhood
-2018: Littman named the rapid-onset gender dysphoria (ROGD) after all her findings
-regular people were appreciative of her findings
-Transgender activists were furious and labeled Littman a bigot and a bully
-they called her work dangerous and said it would lead to “worse mental health outcomes” for transgender adolescents
***if it is assumed that being transgender is an identity based on a person's knowledge of their authentic self, then suggesting it might sometimes be nothing more than peer contagion is going to ruffle a lot of feathers
Dangers:
-we are not talking about a group of girls dressing like boys for a few months because their friends are (a social contagion)
-we are talking about girls taking puberty-blocker
-we are talking about girls seeking to have double mastectomies
-we are talking about girls making serious, life-altering decisions
Personal Story: Helena Kirshner
-she was 15 years old when she was introduced to transgender ideology on social media and on microblogging site Tumblr (transgender ideology meaning the worldview assumptions driving the idea that a person’s gender can differ from their biological sex)
-she began to identify as nonbinary
-by 18, she considered herself a transgender man
-she participated in a year and half of testosterone
-then she realized she has caused a “disaster” for her health and decided to detransition
-she made the social and physical changes to be able to still live again as her biological sex
-during her detransition, she gave a detailed account of what led her to seek a gender change
-she explained how it was the critical theory-based social justice thinking
-she didn’t want to be seen as “privileged,” “white,” “straight,” and “cisgender”
In her words:
-you can’t change your race
-you can absolutely change your gender
-instantly you are transformed from oppressing, entitled, evil, bigoted, selfish, disgusting (cisheterosexual) white scum
-you become a valid trans person who deserves celebration and special coddling to make up for the marginalization and oppression you supposedly now face
-no longer expected to do much groveling as you are now part of the marginalized groups
***I was incentivized to be a transgender
Detransitioners:
-adolescent girls tell their stories of struggling with social acceptance, depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues only to find a community online ready to embrace and celebrate them
***as long as they take on the “oppressed” identity (oppressed according to the neo-Marxist social binary)
-desperate for attention and affirmation, they were willing to do anything to be part of a marginalized group
***gender is the one identity characteristic culture says you can actually change
***Critical theory-based social justice thinning has been the bus driving crowds of young girls to a presumed transgender utopia, but as many look back they have realized it only delivered them into a nightmare
-there is a connection between the seismic cultural shift on transgender issues through the lens of two especially important drivers: definitions and numbers
1-the growth in transgender numbers impacted
2-the shift to culture viewing being transgender as an identity wouldn’t have been so evident
-if the numbers had not jumped it would have just stayed as an insignificant fringe issue
-the shift to the identity view facilitated the numbers explosion
***being transgender went from a disorder to a celebrated identity due to the concurrent shift in critical theory-based social justice thinking
-the redefinition of beingtransgender is an identity broke the dam and secular social justice ideology brought the flood
-a child’s gender has been given the visibility of the subject in culture that pervasively promotes secular justice ideas
-more school-age children are identifying as transgender because public schools are teaching students as early as kindergarten that they may be a gender other than their biological sex
-this encourages kids to explore gender in ways they may never have otherwise considered
-there are more adolescent girls identifying as transgender due to the factors we discussed surrounding ROGD
-there are more boys and girls identifying as transgender when feeling various kinds of discomfort with their bodies which may be just “classic” gender dysphoria
-depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and autism are all highly correlated in teen reporting feelings of gender incongruence
-with increased social acceptance and celebration comes an increased attribution of diverse issues to Gender Dysphoria
-there are more people young and old willing to identify as transgender when experiencing gender dysphoria given that there is now increased social acceptance
***culture is ready to receive, with open and affirming arms, anyone who questions their gender
Three truths Christians must Understand:
1-biological sex cannot be separated from gender
-the heart of today’s transgender ideology is the notion that individuals determine their identity and that one aspect they can determine is their gender (which may or may not line up with their biological sex)
-the first facts established in the Bible is that God created humans
“God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1: 27).
-these male and female forms aren’t incidental biological categories mentioned in passing
-Scripture is essential to God’s entire plan for humanity
-men and women are to come together in marriage as “one flesh” because of their physical complementarity, so they are able to fulfill the command to “be fruitful and multiply”
-the relationship between a husband and wife is so important it’s considered to be a picture of Christ’s relationship to the church
-Scripture never envisions men and women as disembodied “genders” that can be separated from their bodies
-our bodies are a physical expression of maleness and femaleness
“Men and women are more than just their anatomy, but they are not less. Our anatomy tells us what gender we are” (Ethics Professor Andrew W. Walker)
-truly love transgender people in a biblical sense, but we need to advocate for what’s objectively good for them
2-because biological sex cannot be separated from gender, “gender-affirming” medical and surgical procedures cause grave bodily harm to transgender people
-culture now views being transgender as a body problem, medical and surgical procedures to alter the body are correspondingly considered to the the solution
-this solution is euphemistically labeled gender-affirming care and refers to the health services provided to those who want to align characteristics of their physical body with their transgender identity
-among the nonsurgical options: puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and voice therapy
-among surgical options: breast removal, breast augmentation, facial feminization, hysterectomy, vaginoplasty (creating a vagina for biological men), and phalloplasty (creating a penis for a biological woman)
***these are clearly serious medical decisions
-they are considered to be the healthy, lifesaving response to gender dysphoria when the body is assumed to be the problem
-biblically, the body isn’t the problem
-a person’s body reflects their God-given gender as it should
-these procedures are harmful, destructive, mutilating, and sterilizing
-determining what’s beneficial or harmful for a person or object depends on the purpose of that person or object
-humans are created for something = to know God, love God, and make Him knowns
-God has a design for human flourishing including gender and sexuality
-our design facilitates the meeting of our objective purpose
-”gender-affirming care” works against Dog’s design
-it can never be beneficial not matter how much any individual may feel it it
-forcing a body to develop traits other than it was designed to have, removing healthy organs, or creating artificial organs that will never function the way real ones do will only ever be harmful
***this doesn’t mean transgender people don’t need compassionate help
3- transgender people need truth-driven, compassionate mental health care
-gender-affirming procedures are considered lifesaving because people with gender dysphoria report tragically high rates of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts
-the body is presumed to be the the problem that’s causing suicidal thoughts or desires
***fix the body = mental health will be good = presumed the lifesaving solution
-parents of children exhibiting gender dysphoria are being blackmailed into supporting gender-affirming procedures
-culture will tell you that you literally will have blood on your hands if you do not support “gender affirming care”
***emotionally weighted accusations are difficult to respond to
-culture presupposes that gender dysphoria is a body problem that needs to be fixed, so we mustn't get in the way of the help people need
***mentally suffering people need is truth-driven, compassionate mental health care, not access to physical destruction
The Transgender Explosion Affects Everyone:
-42% of Americans say they know a transgender person, that means the majority of Americans
***not only do Christians need to properly care for individuals in our own lives who struggle with this issue, we need to care for the common good of a society that’s promoting systemic changes to accommodate the destructive falsehoods of transgender ideology
-Christians must lead the way in voicing support on Legislative action:
1-maintaining the division of sports teams based on biological sex
2-protecting minors from gender-affirming procedures (medical and/or surgical)
3-establishing school district policies that protect parents and kids from the impact of transgender ideology in a variety of ways
-the bills are labeled as anti-trans, but they are good for confused transgender people and pro-good for everyone else
-the trans movement are still trying to gauge legislation to pass bills:
-to medically facilitate youth gender transitions
-hide youth gender transitions from parents
-promote transgender ideology in public schools at younger and younger ages
***trans advocates claim they are doing so in the name of rights, love, equality, protection, and human dignity
-Culture may be deceived by transgender ideology, but Christians can’t sheepishly play along
-we are to follow the Good Shephard, we must boldly follow His voice and His alone
-doing so is the only way to truly love transgender people no matter what the culture claims
Responses to Challenges:
1-no matter how much you refuse to accept it, transgender people exist
-no one denies people exist who believe they’re a gender other than that which corresponds with their biological sex
-that’s different than believing people exist whose gender is actually different from their biological sex
-Christians do not believe gender can be separated from biological sex because the Bible teaches God created each person male or female
-our bodies reflect that God-ordained design even when individuals sometimes fell otherwise
2-if you believe in God, you should believe God made transgender people the way they are and let them live as their authentic selves
-I do not merely believe in a creator God–I believe in a God who has revealed, in the Bible, the truth about who He is, who we are, and the way the world is
-the Bible teaches that God created each person male or female and that our physical bodies reflect that God ordained design
-from a biblical perspective, a person’s true or authentic self–including their gender—is defined by God, not by the individual
4-Trans rights are human rights
-human rights are rights to which every person is entitled by their Creator and are based on equality in human value and dignity
-equality in human value and dignity doesn’t imply that the government must give transgender people every right they seek
5-intersex people prove there are more than two genders
-intersex conditions are disorders of male/female sex development, not the development of a third sex
-this is unrelated to transgender issues, where sex development is normal, but a person feels like they’re the opposite sex
What to do:
-make your voice heard with your elected representatives on transgender-related bills in progress’
-support bills limiting gender-affirming medical and surgical procedures for youth
-encourage others to recognize the harm being done to kids in the make of “lifesaving” care
-gather information on how your local school district handles gender-related issues and bring concerns to your school board
Make note:
-Supreme court requires school curriculum to be transparent
-these policies requires educators to seek permission form parents before teaching topics related to gender identity or sexuality
-Supreme court sides with parental disclosure rules
-these policies require school staff to inform a student’s parents if the student show signs that they’re identifying as transgender
Ex. schools are not allowed to allow a student to go by a different name or using pronouns that don’t align with their biological sex
***this should be a basic school policy, but in many schools to through great lengths to hide a student’s transition from their parents
-Be aware if schools deviate from sex-based designations for school facilities
-these policies require students to use bathrooms and locker rooms that align with their biological sex
-advocate for sex-based designations for school facilities
-these policies require students to participate on sports teams that align with their biological sex
-refuse to participate in pronoun declarations
-asking for pronouns assumes that transgender ideology corresponds with reality and therefore every person needs to identify with their gender because it may not be the same as their biological sex
-to declare your pronoun is to tacitly participate in the promotion of a false worldview
-Christians need to reject and speak up when organizations impose this falsehood on others
-speak yo when companies promote transgender ideology
-take the time to say something when you see companies promoting transgender ideology through their ads, products, or online messaging
-reach these companies through customer channels to voice your concerns graciously and let them know you will be spending your money elsewhere
-take the opportunity to spend time with a transgender person and hear about their experiences firsthand
-make it personal not condemning
-Christian can think rightly about transgender ideology
-just a reminder that we are speaking to people
-if you look at them as human they might be more willing to share about their gender experiences over lunch
-talking with transgender people will help you engage on this issue form a more personal perspective
-speak to the youth group in your church or other churches about gender from a biblical perspective
-teens are particularly exposed to transgender ideology
-develop a talk to educate the youth at your church on gender from a biblical perspective and how that differs from the transgender ideology so popular today
-discuss how they can love their transgender friends without affirming their transgender identity
-start a ministry at your church to reach transgender and/or detransitioning people
***this is a significant ministry gap
-Christian ministries exist to reach them
***Sadly, if you google “Christian transgender ministries" you will find more churches who are affirming people in their transgender identity
-If you have the desire and ability to reach people struggling with gender-related issues, talk to your church leadership and consider what you can do