I can feel the hesitation even as I type this. Going against years of indoctrination into worldly beliefs will do that to you. 

Let’s start with a story. A personal one.

Over a year ago, my then 6 year old and I were at the library doing a craft activity with a few other families. She likes arts and crafts and was busy getting started. Then, everything about her happy demeanor changed to fear and uncertainty. 

You know when your child is legit afraid, when they’re almost frozen but also trying to crawl inside your body for safety? 

Yeah, it was that. Her eyes got big and her body leaned close to me for reassurance. I looked up to see what she saw, and that was that….her first experience noticing gender incongruence on display. A lady in sweats and a hoodie, with an almost fully bearded face. Not a little facial hair, but a very clearly unnatural beard.

We somehow finished our craft and left. I had told her we could talk privately at home, since her questions were bubbling over and it wasn’t the time or place to have that kind of conversation. 

By the grace of God, we had just done lessons about people being God’s image bearers in the Bible curriculum we were using, and that He made them male and female. So, we started there.

What transpired was a rather intense discussion about God’s design, sin, gender confusion, cultural lies, medicalization of this issue, and more. She led with questions; I followed with answers.

And oh, the beauty of seeing the simple and sheer absurdity of it through an innocent child’s eyes was refreshing. I fluctuated between anger that I even had to have this conversation with my young child, and gratitude that she got to hear it from me first. 

We got to view it together through eyes that can see all people as image bearers needing so much love, and still knowing the truth of how we are designed. What a beautiful combination. 

I tell this story because I know, since I’ve been on the other side of this ideology, that removing that fear and uncertainty response from children is the point. 

The activists for the transgender craze are quite purposeful in pulling in children. There may have been a time when we could deny this or debate this, but you simply can’t anymore with a straight face.

Not that every confused or unconventional looking person is an activist or is trying to pull a coup on your kids, certainly not. We must remember to separate the ideology from the person. This can be hard to do, but necessary for teaching truth and love.

Still, the ideology surrounding gender confusion is insidious and evil. Especially when it comes to children. If you ever wonder why activists push for exposure of these ideas earlier and earlier (just take a peek at board books for babies introducing them to trans talk, or parents who willingly bring their very young children to drag queen story hour), it’s because grooming and desensitization is a real thing.

Expose young minds to degenerate behavior and tell them it’s normal and beautiful and should be celebrated, and eventually that natural fear and uncertainty response will vanish.

I already know the arguments for it – it’s progressive, it’s tolerance, it’s love.

No it is not. Here’s why.

Telling people (specifically children) they can be something they can never biologically be is not progressive. It’s regressive and cruel. The path it puts them on is one of pain and bondage, often making them a medical patient for life. 

It’s not tolerant to advance a lie that is damaging the health of those it impacts, and telling them their identity is tied to acceptance from others. This is actually intolerance of truth.

And it is certainly not loving to let our children be exposed to and captured by regressive and intolerant lies that steal innocence, destroy truth, and kill joy.

I also know the thinking behind “live and let live” which basically tells anyone in disagreement to ignore the crazy around them. Except activists have made it their mission to not let this happen. Trans ideology has captured most major institutions and it’s being force fed at every turn. 

It brings me back to my story at the beginning. My child hasn’t been taught to hate, so her response was not hateful. It was a natural response to a personification of the confusion and chaos that has been sewn into this world. This response is actually good and useful – it was telling her that what she was seeing wasn’t a normal thing, and it needed some explanation to make sense of it; it needed truth to wash out the lie.

My child and I must live in this world, but we don’t have to be of it. God has given us free will to choose truth or choose lies. Regardless of what you choose, we opt for loving God’s image bearers, which means telling the truth.

And the truth is, you were made in God’s image. He knows you, loves you, and wants you to be close to Him. You can put distance between you by marring His beautiful design, but even so, He will be there if you turn back. This love and this truth cannot be separated.

“Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.”

Romans 12:9