I find myself in a space where I want to write about this moment — about the fear, sadness, disappointment and anger I feel — but I’m struggling to find the words I want to say. I have a lot of thoughts on all the things, but I’ll stick to transgender issues for now.
Did you know one of the first and largest book burnings done by Hitler’s Nazis was at Berlin’s Institute for Sexual Research in 1933? It was founded in 1919 and performed the first modern gender-affirming surgeries in the world. But more than 20,000 books burned. All that research, all that progress — gone.
And we see the equivalent happening today, here in the United States, where our Constitution claims the desire to “secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity.” But no, if you don’t conform to Donald Trump’s belief of what an American should look like, no liberty for you.
The fight for trans rights has been going for decades but has become more and more difficult in the last 10 years or so as conservatives have decided to make trans rights their new battleground for bolstering their base, in the same way civil rights, abortion rights and gay rights were before.
They always fall back on the same strategy, focusing on telling lies about these issues — things like “white people are inherently better” (or “people of color are inherently worse”), “abortion is killing babies,” “gay people are ruining the sanctity of marriage,” “trans ideology is castrating children.” And instead of questioning what they’re told or seeking out real research, their supporters take these lies at face value, especially when they are rooted in “biblical truths.”
Never mind that the Bible says all are created in the image of God, that Jewish people — who the Hebrew Bible was written by and for — believe life begins at birth rather than at conception, and that gay people, trans people and the institution of marriage all predate the Bible itself.
Whatever some may think the Bible says about trans people, the actual answer is “nothing.” And even if it did, the Bible isn’t a science textbook; it’s not something to consult regarding transgender health care in the same way it’s not where you’d look for cancer treatment or for advice on how to eat healthier.
In the aftermath of the 2024 election, many people were quick to scapegoat trans people for Trump’s victory, saying Democrats focused too much on identity politics rather than real issues, but the fact of the matter is Democrats aren’t the ones who spent nearly $215 million on TV ads attacking trans people. Republicans did. Democrats were largely silent on the topic during the campaign.
“No matter what executive orders Donald Trump signs or laws Congress passes, trans people will continue to exist.”
In the nine days since Trump took office, he has ended federal legal recognition of trans people, banned them from serving in the military, and even banned gender-affirming care for anyone under the age of 19. Whether any of these executive orders bears any legal weight and will have any staying power remains to be seen, but even if they don’t, this administration has made its position on trans people very clear. And with the attack on DEI initiatives across the country, they are making clear their positions on people of color, women, people with disabilities and other members of the LGBTQ community.
No matter what executive orders Donald Trump signs or laws Congress passes, trans people will continue to exist, like we always have. Making life more difficult or dangerous for us won’t erase us, it will just make the people who enable that danger complicit in our injuries and deaths.
Speaking for myself: I will not hide. I will not detransition. I will not feel shame. I will use my voice. I will live my life as I choose to live it and in a way that makes me happy. I may cry about life sometimes when it gets hard, but I will smile in the face of opposition. And I will continue to love others the way Christ calls me to, because that is what the Bible tells us to do.
Cisgender people: We need you to speak up on our behalf, both on and off social media.
“First they came for the Jews …”
Chelsea Hopkins lives in Dallas, where she is a member of Wilshire Baptist Church.
Related articles:
What will it take for you to care about transgender people? | Opinion by Mark Wingfield
TEDx Talk: The Baptist pastor and his transgender friends
Supreme Court hears arguments on transgender rights as cultural battles multiply
Seven things I’m learning about transgender persons | Opinion by Mark Wingfield
Why being transgender is not a sin | Opinion by Mark Wingfield
It’s harder to be trans in America today than it was eight years ago, Wingfield says
The transgender obsession | Opinion by Martin Thielen
Focus on the Family affiliate is the unifying force behind campaign to restrict transgender rights
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