The last month has seen a flurry of activity around child gender transition policy developments. The Colorado House of Representatives just passed a bill that would revoke custody from parents who don’t affirm their child’s transgender identity. The Colorado Senate will take up the bill soon. Arkansas’ state legislature is considering a bill that would allow parents to sue anyone who transitions their child’s gender without their involvement. Pennsylvania and Nevada are considering legislation on this topic as well.
Thankfully, the Trump administration has changed the federal government’s official legal position regarding children and gender transition. In an active case before the Supreme Court, the United States, government now affirms that Tennessee’s law banning puberty blockers and hormone therapy for transgender minors is constitutional. This reverses the Biden administration’s previous position, though the acting solicitor general still encourages the court to rule on the question in a pivotal case, United States v. Skrmetti.
Tennessee passed this law back in 2022, but the Biden administration objected to it. Now that the Department of Justice under the Trump administration has dropped its objection and the Supreme Court appears positioned to affirm the law, more states must introduce similar legislation and pass it into law in order to protect children.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know.
This issue should not be controversial.
Our society regularly prioritizes the welfare of children by restricting certain practices and products deemed especially harmful for minors. For example, alcohol and tobacco products are prohibited for sale to those under 21. Certain TV, film, and video content carry age restrictions. And children under 16 are not permitted to drive a vehicle by themselves. These safety measures are neither controversial nor partisan. Nor should they be when it comes to so-called gender transition procedures. Most Americans agree.
A study conducted in 2023 found 68% of Americans support restrictions on gender transition prescriptions for children ages 10-14 and 58% for teens 15-17. This is one reason why Donald Trump won the election. There is broad consensus that children should not be given life-altering prescriptions or surgeries designed to impede puberty. This policy aligns with a larger societal desire to protect children from harm, yet those driving a progressive agenda continue to oppose laws protecting children. Therefore, our Southern Baptist denomination values have led us to file a brief before the court in Skrmetti, arguing that these dubious practices imposed upon children should be banned.
Proponents of these bodily alterations claim these interventions performed on otherwise healthy bodies alleviate psychological harm. Yet, rather than addressing the underlying issues, gender transitions are presented to vulnerable children and families as a cure-all. Families are promised that happiness and fulfillment are just a procedure away. But this is a false hope; nothing could be further from the truth. The path to wholeness and mental health does not come through radical modification of a distressed person’s body.
Surgery and prescriptions designed to permanently alter the human body are not seen as viable solutions to treat any other mental health condition. For example, physicians do prescribe amputation for individuals suffering from Body Integrity Identity Disorder (BIID), where a person wants to remove a limb because they feel it is not truly part of their body. Why? Because they know that amputation does not solve the underlying struggle of the individual to accept their body and they understand that such a procedure would undoubtedly cause irreparable harm. Why should gender dysphoria be seen differently?
On this issue, the U.S. is behind its international peers. As more evidence emerges regarding the permanent damage done by these procedures, multiple countries across Europe have rolled back their support for puberty blockers as a valid treatment for gender dysphoria and, as a result, no longer recommend such prescriptions for children. For example, the United Kingdom has completely prohibited the usage of puberty blockers for minors experiencing gender dysphoria, and in 2022, it closed its only gender clinic for children.
By contrast, Scripture is not behind on this issue. The Bible teaches that the differences between male and female are determined at conception, immutable, and rooted in God’s good design, something clearly articulated by our Southern Baptist Convention of churches in a 2023 resolution. Furthermore, as our confession of faith, the Baptist Faith & Message, articulates, the Bible shows that gender itself is a part of the goodness of God’s creation.
Sadly, we recognize that those facing gender dysphoria often suffer from anxiety, depression, or even suicidal thoughts. Further, we commend parents seeking to help their children. However, the medical procedures prohibited by this Tennessee law do not help. In fact, they cause further harm to those who are already suffering — children who must be protected.
That is why the Tennessee law in the Skrmetti case is an ethically and legally appropriate action by the state. In prohibiting these procedures for minors, Tennessee has embraced the government’s proper role in safeguarding the bodies of children. Children are especially susceptible to various pressures and influences, and we must take seriously the responsibility to protect them from harm.
What about parental rights? Shouldn’t parents make these decisions for their children? Both the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) and the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board, strongly support parental rights. For example, the ERLC filed an amicus brief in another Supreme Court case, Mahmoud v. Taylor, asserting that parents, and not the state, should have the authority to choose the manner in which their children are educated regarding gender and sexuality. Additionally, the ERLC has supported legislation like the “Families’ Rights and Responsibilities Act” to further protect parental rights in federal law. But supporting parental rights is not at odds with the state’s legitimate interest in protecting children from these physically and psychologically harmful procedures.
Parents bear a fundamental responsibility to safeguard and properly care for their children. However, parental rights are not a free license for parents to make decisions that harm their children — especially decisions that irreparably damage their bodies. When a state passes legislation to prevent permanent bodily injury, legislators are not unjustly intervening between parents and children. Instead, they are rightly and responsibly acting to protect children.
In keeping with our convictions, we stand for truth. In keeping with compassion, we stand up for children. Gender transition procedures harm children, and only about half of the states protect them from these life-altering interventions. Now is the time for more states to pass this important legislation. Will you advocate for your state to be among them?
Brent Leatherwood is the president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention. Randy Davis is the executive director of the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board.
