I was reading an article this morning titled; “What is ‘gender-affirming care’ for trans youth? The subject, the “T” in LGBTQ, is in the news on a nearly daily basis of late. One of the phrases that is often used when looking at this subject is, “assigned at birth”, as in the sex that a person is “assigned at birth”. Interesting phrase. It would suggest that, at the moment of birth or shortly after, those attending to the birth, I would assume primarily the physician, has the authority to “assign” the birth of the child. There is no mention of genitalia or any other physical feature that might be involved in this “assignment”, rather that it is just “assigned”. Now, hopefully, the doctor does, in fact, look at the physical attributes of the newborn when deciding what sex to assign. However, those who “assign” how we should view things as a society leave off any notion that sex “assignment” has anything to do with the physical. They suggest that it is completely arbitrary.
The article goes on to describe what “gender-affirming care” is. It includes such things as “hormonal treatments, mental health services, hair removal, vocal therapy and various surgeries, such as facial reconstructions to provide a more feminine or masculine appearance, for example, “top surgeries,” in which breasts are removed or implanted, and “bottom surgeries,” which alter genitalia in individuals experiencing gender dysphoria.”
All of this is in response to what the medical field itself categorizes as a psychological problem. Gender Dysphoria. The American Psychiatric Association says that Gender dysphoria is a diagnosis given to transgender individuals experiencing “psychological distress that results from an incongruence between one’s sex assigned at birth,” based on external genitalia, “and one’s gender identity,” meaning the psychological sense of one’s gender.”
Even though they say these folks are in “psychological distress” (that is a distress of the mind not based on any physical reality), a growing number of adults, be they in the medical field or not, see the solution to this “distress of the mind” to be, to assign reality to it. Feelings trump the physical. Feelings trump the actual. Let’s help these folks by participating in their dysphoria. Let’s enable their dysphoria.
With the prevailing mindset being what it is, why “assign” a sex at all (at birth). Let’s just wait until the child has feelings of one sort or another. Let the child identify however they want. Certainly, a child with 5 or 6 or 10 years of life experience is far wiser and more apt to see reality than a parent or any other adult.
What we are seeing here is not evidence of gender fluidity, rather, that “reality” is to be viewed as fluid.
Romans 1 speaks to this quite clearly. “For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their reasonings, and their senseless hearts were darkened.”
When there is no transcendent standard or source, this is the logical outcome. When society accepts the notion of “your truth” and “my truth”, truth will forever be elusive. This should not make the Christian defensive or combative, rather, sad. These folks, both those with the diagnosed dysphoria and the society at large, are lost.
Two Scriptures are applicable here.
First, John 3:17 “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but so that the world might be saved through Him.”
Second is I Peter 3:15 “but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, but with gentleness and respect.”
Be light.
To be continued…