Part 3 in a series on transgenderism
A Review of the Series
In part one of this series, the dangers of transgenderism are shown evident, yet not widely publicized. As parents, it is crucial to understand the dangers of transgenderism so we can be prepared to lovingly discuss it with our children. In Part two of this series (found here), discussion focuses on how peer pressure has grown into societal pressure that makes it very difficult for our children and adds a layer of complexity to parenting that previous generations of parents did not encounter. For the final part of this series, we take a look at the importance of truth and how it can impact our children and our community, and the silence of Christian parents.
The Pressure to Silence
Being Christian parents, who want to teach from a Biblical worldview is a struggle. What we see today is when Christians disagree with mainstream ideas, we are insulted and when Christian parents teach their children Truth, we are accused of brainwashing them. The pressure to remain silent in our culture is overwhelming and we get that pressure directly from our communities, schools, libraries, and government. Unfortunately, we also get it from the internet and social media, allowing more people to speak into our lives (and our children’s lives) than ever. The pressure to accept, support, and adopt these ideas is stressful. It infiltrates our churches, it is taught to our children and many parents start to second guess if, and how much, to push back against ideas that are Biblically inconsistent, morally wrong, and dangerous to the development of our children. Therefore, it’s important to feed ourselves truth, to research, and to be aware of what is happening in our society. As we have been doing with this series, let us consider transgenderism. A recently closed center in London sheds additional light on what is happening in these facilities, and why it is so important that we do not remain silent.
One Result of Silence
Recently, The Tavistock Centre in London closed its doors. For those who don’t know, Tavistock offered “gender affirming care” and puberty blockers to thousands of kids over the past 30 years. The Tavistock Centre is closing due in no small part to the findings of Dr. Hilary Cass, a former President of the Royal College of Pediatrics and Child Health, who was hired by the NHS to investigate the clinic. Below are some of the findings from Dr. Cass’s report:
1) Staff felt pressured to adopt an unquestioning affirmation approach to those with gender struggles, even though this approach conflicts with the clinical assessment and diagnosis methods they have been trained to implement.
2) Many of the patients have a variety of mental health needs, yet once they are determined to have gender struggles, the other medical needs are sometimes ignored.
3) From the outset, Tavistock seems to implement an affirmative approach without explanation. It further appears that this affirmative approach is controlled by the child and parent expectations.
4) Scant evidence was found of mental health or neurodevelopmental assessments being routinely conducted, or of a “discipline of formal diagnostic or psychological formulation.”
5) In contrast to programs of other countries, the NHS program often implements early hormone treatment, rather than therapeutic intervention first.
6) There is limited follow-up on those who undergo hormone treatment.
In addition to Cass’s report, a class-action suit has been filed, wherein 1,000 families are expected to join. The suit claims that patients were rushed into treatment before receiving proper therapy from relevant clinicians. Moreover, the suit claims that patients received life-altering and sometimes irreversible treatment, which conflicts with what we are being told in the U.S., that hormone therapies are reversible. Here again we see the heartbreaking fallout of bad ideas. We see the impact of “silence” as many staff reported during the study, issues that they had while employed. Silence from those involved led to years of poor treatment and misguided patients.
A Comparison to the U.S.
Rather than learn from the results, here in the U.S. we are embarking on the same path. The U.S. is roughly 10 years behind many European countries regarding progressive transgender treatment. We have the benefit of seeing how their ideas have played out, of allowing evidence to guide our treatment plans. Yet, it appears that rather than learn from the brokenness caused by their bad ideas, we are going to make the same mistakes. From kindergarten classrooms to political leaders, our society is advocating for body mutilation and hormone therapy. The question to ask is not ‘will this harm people,” that question has been answered; the right question to ask is how many victims this (and other), bad ideology will leave in its wake because of silence.
5 Steps to overcome Silent Christian Parenting
It’s heartbreaking what can happen in these types of facilities and what makes it further unfortunate is that any one of us could have an impact and make a difference for someone considering this type of “treatment”. We need to stop pretending. Christians who believe that we can sit this out must understand that if we are alive in this time and place, then God put us here for a purpose: to be His voice in this cultural time. Remaining silent when these conversations begin only serves to silently support the other person while our courage could stop them from making a regretful decision that could cause immense harm. What ways can we make a difference:
1. Be knowledgeable about the Truth. Often we take for granted that we are aware of what the Bible teaches and what is going on around us in society. If you’re reading this blog, that’s a good start. Continue to look for ways to always learn more. We cannot teach our children if we aren’t willing learners ourselves. Share with other parents. Share this blog, share the article. When the conversation comes up, be lovingly open.
2. Talk to your kids. Whether we want them to or not, our children will be exposed to the ideas in society, and it will happen at a young age. If we want our children to grow up, committed to Christ, we cannot afford to be silent. There are many age-appropriate conversations we should be having with our kids about the different lies we see in society. Teach them to lovingly speak truth. We can be honest AND loving.
3. Be aware of all the children around you. Not to place additional pressure on you, because our children are a lot of work without adding other children in the mix. However, the reality is that we have an opportunity to speak truth to any child who passes through our life. For many children, we might be the only parental figure they have or the only adult who speaks that truth to them. We cannot waste that opportunity. We need to constantly remind children of ALL AGES that they are created in the image of God. We need to remind them that their friends and strangers are also made in HIS image.
4. Measure ideas up to the Bible. Remind your children where truth comes from and instill that habit in them. As they get older, they will learn to take new ideas presented to them to the Bible to discern whether it aligns with Biblical Truth. For example, with older kids, share what studies have found about transitioning, side effects people have experienced, and the reality of what the process looks like. Share how all of this supports Biblical Truth.
5. Listen to those with experience. There are many people who have succumbed to societal pressure and participated in activities they regret. From abortion to transitioning, many are willing to share their testimony. They will tell you how much it harmed them; that it didn’t solve their problems, that it left them more broken and confused. They will tell you that they regret their decision. Often, they wish someone would have been willing to push back against their irrational beliefs.
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