By now, you’ve probably heard about the Pregnant Man in Oregon. Media outlets around the world have sympathetically and uncritically reported the miraculous story of Thomas Beatie, who is six months pregnant. What they haven’t told you is that Beatie is — and always has been — a woman.
So here we have a biological woman, self-identifying as a man, recognized by Oregon as male — becoming pregnant in order to raise a child with her female partner.
Did you catch all that?
If not, it’s time to pay attention. You see, for decades, gay activists have worked hard to keep those who call themselves “transgender” out of the public eye. They didn’t want cross-dressers, drag queens and other "gender-nonconforming" people to scare away allies and detract from their political goal of normalizing homosexuality.
But now that homosexuality is widely accepted, activists are turning their attention to normalizing transgenderism by gaining legal status for what they call gender identity or expression.
Specifically, they’re demanding that “transgender” people be added to hate-crimes and nondiscrimination laws. And although “transgenders” number less than a fraction of 1 percent of the population, the goal is to radically deconstruct the biblical and biological understanding of “sex” and teach that gender is “fluid” and changeable. We’re being called to toss aside biological sex in favor of a person’s feelings or self-identification about their gender — whether or not these perceptions conform to biological reality!
Ironically, the same activists who tell us that sexual orientation can’t be changed want us now to believe that somehow gender can be changed!
So how should we — as Christians — respond?
The Bible teaches that humans are made in God’s image as male and female — mysteriously reflecting who God is and uniquely bringing forth new life. So it’s clear that gender and sexuality matter to God. And while God’s intent for sexuality and gender is being turned upside down, we should also understand that those who struggle with their gender identity have lived lives of great pain, confusion and rejection.
Just as Jesus went out of His way to reach the outcasts of society, we’re called to humbly share His love embodied in the Gospel, to lift them up in prayer, and to allow the Holy Spirit to bring about conviction, healing and transformation.
