WHILE THE BIBLE IS THE BESTSELLING BOOK of all time, Harry Potter is the bestselling series ever. The author, J. K. Rowling, has been one of the most beloved authors on the planet for decades, but recently that began to change. She has received public criticism from fans and stars like Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson (who play characters in the Harry Potter films). People have accused her of hatred, called her vile names, and threatened her.
What did Rowling do to receive such ire? She challenged the transgender narrative.[1]
For both personal and professional reasons, Rowling began researching the topic of transgenderism extensively, which included spending time listening to the stories of transgender people and coming to care for them as individuals. Yet fully aware of the pending backlash, Rowling couldn’t stay silent. She was too worried about trans activism not to speak up.
One of her big concerns is freedom of speech. Trans activists, she noted, are quick to silence (and punish) those who don’t embrace their narrative, and some of their initiatives have been inching their way into law. Yet the primary motivator was that Rowling became concerned about certain groups of people who were experiencing negative effects because of trans activism. This group includes female prisoners, sex abuse survivors, and the growing number of young women who regret their decision to transition and are transitioning back to their original sex (detransitioners).
Rowling was also deeply troubled by the massive increase in young girls who are being referred to transitioning treatment. A few years ago, the majority of people who wanted to transition to the opposite sex were male. But now this group is overwhelmingly female. In the UK, where Rowling lives, the percentage of teenage girls seeking gender treatment has increased 4,400 percent.[2] A disproportionately high percentage of these girls are on the autism spectrum.[3]
After reading stories of people with gender dysphoria describing their experience of anxiety, eating disorders, and self-hatred, Rowling wondered if, had she been born thirty years later, she might have tried to transition. “The allure of escaping womanhood would have been huge,” she said. “If I’d found community and sympathy online that I couldn’t find in my immediate environment, I believe I could have been persuaded to turn myself into the son my father had openly said he’d have preferred.”
Can you grasp the depth of her pain?
The Transgender Craze
In her book Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters, Abigail Shrier explores the question of why there has been such an increase in young people—and especially adolescent girls—identifying as transgender. “We should begin,” she says, “by noting that adolescent girls today are in a lot of pain.”[4] Depression. Loneliness. Anxiety. Suicide. As we explored in earlier chapters, all of these phenomena have been rising among young people.
How does the pain in your generation relate to the growth of transgender identities? According to Shrier, a transgender identity offers freedom from anxiety, satisfies the need for belonging, and offers the thrill of rebellion.[5] Identifying as transgender is one way some young people aim to fulfill the deep human needs that we all share.
Are these the only reasons someone might identify as transgender? Of course not. Some describe experiencing gender dysphoria for as long as they can remember. The issues involved with the transgender phenomenon are complex and go far beyond our discussion here. The reason I started with the story of J. K. Rowling and focused on the phenomenon of rapid-onset gender dysphoria (ROGD) is so that you would see that there is far more to the story than you may typically hear.
Defining Terms
For clarity in this discussion, let’s define our terms. Transgender refers to a person who experiences incongruence between their biological sex and their gender identity. Many transgender people describe their experience as feeling trapped in the wrong body.
Gender dysphoria describes the psychological distress that some transgender people experience. While most people with gender dysphoria identify as transgender, some don’t. Not all transgender people experience gender dysphoria. Transgender is an identity; gender dysphoria is a psychological condition.
People who are intersex experience atypical development of their sexual anatomy or sex chromosomes. For instance, some intersex males have an unusually small penis. In a minor number of cases, some individuals have both XX and XY chromosomes, which can lead to the development of both male and female sex organs. Intersex is a biological condition.
Transgenderism is an ideology promoted by certain activists that aims to transform cultural understandings of sex and gender. The goal is to uproot the idea that humans are naturally sexed beings and to move society away from being shaped by the gender binary. Transgenderism is being pushed in the media[6] as well as in the educational system,[7] legal system, Hollywood, some churches, and so on.
J. K. Rowling is not alone in her questioning of transgender ideology. Along with Christians and many conservatives, there are lesbians, feminists, and medical professionals who are opposed to transgender ideology. Even a number of transsexuals who have had sex-change surgery are opposed to it.[8]
A Biblical View of Gender
A ton could be said about the Bible and gender, but for the sake of our discussion, three points are vital.
First, sex is an essential part of what it means to be human. God could have made three sexes, or he could have made us asexual, but he chose to make human beings male and female (see Genesis 1:27). Unlike height, socioeconomic status, or intelligence, biological sex is an essential part of what it means to be human. God made us sexed beings. Biological sex is a good part of God’s creation and is a key part of who we are each made to be.
Second, whenever the Bible addresses crossing gender boundaries, it does so critically. This is true in both the Old Testament and the New Testament (see, for example, Deuteronomy 22:5; 1 Corinthians 11:2-16; Romans 1:26-27). While these passages do not address the modern transgender debate directly, they do strongly imply that there are differences between males and females and that we are to live in accordance with our biological sex.
Third, the Bible allows some flexibility in how to live out our biological sex. The Bible does not give universal, cross-cultural guidance for being male or female. God calls us to live in congruence with our biological sex, but we have to work out that principle within culture. Consider the example of Jacob and Esau. Esau was a hairy hunter. Jacob had smooth skin and was favored by his mother, Rebekah. Was Esau more manly and Jacob more feminine? According to certain stereotypes, we might say yes. But the Bible makes no such distinction. In fact, God chose Jacob as the father of Israel! It is a mistake to deny that males and females are unique. It is also a mistake to take certain cultural beliefs—such as hunting and being hairy—and make them universal. We must find a balance between respecting the biological sex God has given us without uncritically adopting certain cultural stereotypes.
Key Claims of Transgender Ideology
Transgender ideology is based on a few key claims. Let’s consider three.
Claim #1: If You Don’t Affirm Someone with Gender Dysphoria, They May Commit Suicide
This is a serious charge, but it raises a couple of questions. First, does gender dysphoria cause feelings of suicide? We have no good evidence that this is the case. People with gender dysphoria often suffer from a range of mental health problems that likely contribute to suicidal ideation. Second, is there good evidence that affirmation improves mental health? Again, the evidence is lacking. One long-term study showed a rise in suicidality after sex reassignment surgery. Another study failed to show improved mental health for girls who had taken puberty suppressors.[9] At the very least, these studies indicate there may be more to consider for those who make the claim that not affirming someone with gender dysphoria will lead to suicide.
Claim #2: Gender Identity Cannot Change
Why would trans activists be interested in arguing that gender identity doesn’t change? The answer is so they can get the same protective rights as other groups based on immutable characteristics such as race and sex. However, far from gender identity being unchangeable, multiple studies have shown that roughly two-thirds of kids who experience gender dysphoria (and are not affirmed or socially transitioned) eventually revert to identifying with their biological sex.[10] This doesn’t mean every person with gender dysphoria eventually experiences relief, but many do.
Claim #3: Medical Transition is Safe.
Trans activists often claim that transitioning is safe. But consider puberty blockers, for example, which temporarily suppress puberty. Some studies reveal a range of health risks.[11] Or consider testosterone, which can lift depression and make a young girl feel emboldened. But not only do serious aches and pains come along with testosterone; it can also raise the risk of heart disease, diabetes, stroke, cancer, and blood clots.[12] Also, if a girl stops taking it, her body cannot revert back to its natural feminine form.
Though these claims are often made and accepted, the numerous scientific studies cited above indicate that, at very least, we may need to reconsider their truthfulness and safety.
What Can We Do?
Consider three steps.
[1] “J.K. Rowling Writes about Her Reasons for Speaking Out on Sex and Gender Issues,” J. K. Rowling, June 10, 2020, https://www.jkrowling.com/opinions/j-k-rowling-writes-about-her-reasons-for-speaking-out-on-sex-and-gender-issues/.
[2] Gordon Rayner, “Minister Orders Inquiry into 4,000 Percent Rise in Children Wanting to Change Sex,” Telegraph, September 16, 2018, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2018/09/16/minister-orders-inquiry-4000-per-cent-rise-children-wanting/.
[3] Anna Nobili et al., “Autistic Traits in Treatment-Seeking Transgender Adults,” Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 48 (April 13, 2018): 3984–3994, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-018-3557-2.
[4] Abigail Shrier, Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters (Washington, DC: Regnery Publishing, 2020), 3.
[5] Shrier, Irreversible Damage, xxiv.
[6] Check out this two-minute video of when I was invited on CNN to discuss transgenderism but was then rejected for being “too compassionate”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1Rs2bu6f8E.
[7] In California, parents can opt their kids out of sexual health education but not out of gender education. Starting in kindergarten, kids are taught to embrace transgender ideology. See Sean McDowell, “New California Health Standards Lack Diversity, Inclusion, and Openness,” February 14, 2019, https://seanmcdowell.org/blog/new-california-health-standards-lack-diversity-inclusion-and-openness.
[8] Consider watching a few YouTube videos of their stories: Corinna: https://youtu.be/5pm-W0r-Xwo, Lady Boi: https://youtu.be/bd3TjUcredo, Rose of Dawn: https://youtu.be/hf_Ajljavy4, Kinesis: https://youtu.be/2QJMSw5HnWU, Jadis Argiope: https://youtu.be/vIxXD6a7xv0, and Kalvin Garrah: https://youtu.be/N5VCS0SOuMg.
[9] Shrier, Irreversible Damage, 118.
[10] Jiska Ristori and Thomas D. Steensma, “Gender Dysphoria in Childhood,” International Review of Psychiatry 28, no. 1 (2016): 13–20, https://bit.ly/2E7quxE.
[11] Paul Bracchi, “Mixed-Up Five-Year-Olds and the Alarming Growth of the Gender Identity Industry,” Daily Mail, February 24, 2012, https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2106215/Mixed-year-olds-alarming-growth-gender-identity-industry.html.
[12] Shrier, Irreversible Damage, 170.