My heart hurts for the frustrated and lonely—feelings that almost all humans can relate to. And who better to reaffirm the truth of God’s plan than brothers and sisters in Christ who know where to point you for real answers and are willing to pray with and for you?
But what if you aren’t surrounded by this support? What if the frustration and loneliness you’re struggling with are rooted in something you think the Christians around you, at best, couldn’t understand or, at worst, would reject you for?
Why is it that those who God has called to be His ambassadors to a world desperately in need of love are so often the first to turn their backs on those who may need them the most? Whether it be out of fear, misinformation, pride, or judgment, Christians have a reputation when it comes to the treatment of those who struggle with their gender identities.
The American Heritage Dictionary defines gender dysphoria as:
A persistent unease with having the physical characteristics of one's gender, accompanied by strong identification with the opposite gender and a desire to live as or to become a member of the opposite gender.
This can lead to feelings of depression as one wrestles with questions surrounding gender identity.
Gender dysphoria can be influenced and caused by many factors, including environment, experiences, and trauma. Not all who experience gender dysphoria are transgender, and not all who are transgender have gender dysphoria, but it is a legitimate disorder that many—especially children and young adults—struggle with.
The most prominent sources of “help” for someone with gender dysphoria come from a secular world, and many Christians are at a loss for how to respond to someone who opens up concerning gender dysphoria.
From a biblical perspective, God’s stance on transgender lifestyles is clear. He created humans to be “male and female” (Gen. 1:27). It doesn’t take a biologist to know that men and women are created differently.
To believe that a male can or should become a female and vice versa would overturn this foundational principle and throw into chaos the order with which God designed the universe. This doesn’t mean humans will never question their identities, but that’s why it’s important to have godly counselors who point back to what is true and what the Bible says about every person being “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Ps. 139:14).
Unfortunately, these people who have been quietly battling their own conflicting senses of identity fear they will be rejected by Christian circles.
Overcoming gender dysphoria is hard enough on its own without living in fear of hatred. In contrast, today’s culture prides itself on its acceptance and affirmation of everything.
The secular world claims to possess the ability to help those who feel hopeless and rejected because of gender dysphoria. If you Google “treatment for gender dysphoria,” the top results point to hormone therapy and surgery to help people “transition” to the genders they identify with—and these treatments are available as early as 10 years old.
But these solutions may cause more harm than anything. According to a study performed in Sweden between 1972 and 2017, “Ten to 15 years after surgical reassignment, the suicide rate of those who had undergone sex-reassignment surgery rose to 20 times that of comparable peers.”
Is it possible that the world’s solution isn’t actually the answer? Can it be that, after pursuing seemingly every available option, people are just as dissatisfied as before? There must be other options out there.
In her book, Love Thy Body, Nancy Pearcy explains,
People are inundated with rhetoric telling them that the Bible is hateful and hurtful, narrow and negative. While it’s crucial to be clear about the biblical teaching on sin, the context must be an overall positive message: that Christianity alone gives the basis for a high view of the value and meaning of the body as a good gift from God. In our communication with people struggling with moral issues, we need to reach out with a life-giving, life-affirming message.
While Christians can’t and shouldn’t affirm a transgender lifestyle, we can and should respect and love all people.
Throughout the Bible, God repeatedly says to love others. We should love others because He first loved us (1 Jn. 4:19). If God loved us enough to send His only Son to die for our sins, how much we should love others? (John 3:16).
It’s the responsibility of Christians to help guide those who are lost and hurting to God’s love and truth. James 5:19-20 states,
My dear brothers and sisters, if someone among you wanders away from the truth and is brought back, you can be sure that whoever brings the sinner back from wandering will save that person from death and bring about the forgiveness of many sins.
No sin is too great and no person will ever wander so far that God’s forgiveness and love cannot reach them.
Instead of rejecting and shaming those who are experiencing gender dysphoria, Christians should reach out in love to assist them in finding godly physicians, counselors, and mentors who can help to treat the body, mind, and soul on the path to rediscovering the beauty and freedom of living in the truth of God’s design.
Above all, however, Christians must pray for their hearts and minds, for God is the only One who can provide the clarity and strength to make it on this journey to accepting their identities in Christ.
People experiencing gender dysphoria are looking for acceptance, love, and affirmation from somewhere. It is so crucial that they find acceptance—not of their transgender identity, but of their identity as a person created by God—love—not the “love” that leaves them as they are, but the love that leads them to a new and renewed life—and affirmation—not of their confusion, but of who they are in Christ—from a source of biblical truth.