ADDENDUM::Transgender Woman Attacked and Killed As Baptists Advocate Curing “Transgenderism” with Prayer

In a time when Laverne Cox is killing it and Caitlyn Jenner is making waves, it’s easy to pat ourselves on the back when it comes to transgender issues, but visibility is far from equality or security. As it stands, transgender individuals face discrimination in housing, healthcare, the workforce, and the legal system. Hate-motivated violence against transgender individuals rose by 13% last year, which is significant for a population already four times as likely to be murdered as the general population with one in two sexually assaulted at some point in their lives. And those numbers are likely low due to police reporting tactics. For transgender people of color, this reality is even worse.

Transphobia is real and deadly. Activists are working hard to counter its lethal impacts, but Christianity, in particular, is making things hard for them in the U.S.

• Southern Baptist Conference: ‘Struggling’ LGBT People Can Change Through Christ
• Evangelical transgender conference rejects notion that gender identity can change

There is so much wrong with this sort of position. Being a transgender individual is not a disorder or a function of confusion; it’s embracing who you are. The idea that it’s something that can be “cured” brings to mind the despicable practice of gay conversion therapy. But taking it a step further, Hamilton actually suggests parents turn their backs on their children. He’s literally advocating child abuse under the guise of Christian compassion. When this is what children are taught, it’s no surprise that 80% of transgender individuals report being harassed in school. When this is how we treat them, it’s no wonder that 50% of transgender individuals will attempt suicide at least once before the age of 20.

Transgender Woman Attacked and Killed As Baptists Advocate Curing “Transgenderism” with Prayer

Evangelical transgender conference rejects notion that gender identity can change - The Washington Post

With a statement as such, "ll the speakers have agreed to a statement published last year that rejects 'that a human being could possess a gender other than the one indicated by biological sex.'"  I'm not too sure about how much informed "Christian thought" will take place.

People have the right to their religious beliefs, said Anderson, who had never heard of the biblical counselors group. But he added that he was concerned that the mix of worldviews between religion and science is one “we don’t feel works very well for people.”

“We want to be very careful to keep what psychology has to say from its knowledge distinct from what religion may have to say from its knowledge,” he said.

The Association of Certified Biblical Counselors had planned its conference last year, Lambert said. But nobody could have predicted what has happened since then. Stars such as Laverne Cox of “Orange Is the New Black” and Caitlyn Jenner have turned the national spotlight on transgender issues, and the Supreme Court has legalized same-sex marriage nationwide.

It’s important that seminary students understand the world they live in, he said. And it’s important for Christians to learn to think about the issues in a way that is “not just informed by Christian thought, but informed by Christian care.”

Evangelical transgender conference rejects notion that gender identity can change - The Washington Post