We Knew Political Attacks Were Coming. What Now?
We knew this attack was coming. We knew after $215 million was spent on attack ads that it was a top priority of this administration to inflict suffering on transgender people. We knew what was outlined in Project 2025. That does not make it hurt any less and it doesn’t make our outrage any less powerful.
Five years ago, I committed to a new mission to help faith communities become informed advocates and safe spaces for transgender people and their loved ones. I had no idea then that the stakes of being informed advocates would be so high.
What’s been happening is significant for all Americans, no matter how we voted, no matter how we believe, and no matter if we know someone who is transgender. It is no exaggeration to say that my mission now impacts us all. I’ll also share some good news, including the positive work being done and how we can make a meaningful impact. Hope sustains us.
I’d like for us to consider together the recent executive orders so that we can understand what is happening and talk about it with our friends and family. Starting on day one, the new administration signed executive orders that strip rights, deny medical care, and put transgender people in harm’s way. These policies are disguised in protective language, filled with misleading phrases, and taken almost verbatim from the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 agenda. They distort faith, deny science, and ignore the lived experiences of transgender people. They also have implications for the erosion of rights for all Americans. I have a brief summary of each, including its significance, on my website.
These executive orders have been met with opposition from civil rights organizations, LGBTQ+ advocacy groups, medical professionals, service members, and families who argue that they undermine the rights and well-being of transgender individuals and all Americans. There are already legal challenges to these orders. Enforcement of the care ban was temporarily blocked by a federal district court on February 13. State legislation protecting care still stands.
I am thankful for the ongoing work done by advocates, attorneys, faith leaders, and community organizations. These executive orders do not stop the good work of many helpers. We can support our local organizations by listening to their needs and acting on their requests for help.
Fundamental falsehoods
The executive orders were built on three fundamental falsehoods: being transgender is a sin, an illness, and a threat. These falsehoods are not new. Historically, when political parties begin taking away the rights of marginalized groups, the rights of all people are at risk.
A warning from history
The targeting of transgender people by governments has occurred throughout the last century, particularly when new administrations seek to solidify their power. When democracies yield to authoritarianism, the erosion of rights often begins by targeting immigrants, minority groups, and LGBTQ+ people.
We can see an example in Hungary where Viktor Orban scapegoated LGBTQ people, justifying the repression as a move to protect “family values” and to promote the idea of “biological sex” over gender identity, all while his party undermined democracy. For several years, journalists have warned the United States to pay attention to how Orban has consolidated power, undermined Parliament and courts, rigged elections, and how political strategists in the U.S. have looked to Orban as a model. This moment in America bears a chilling resemblance to the rise of autocracies. I hope you will take seven minutes to learn more by listening to a recent PBS News Hour interview on this topic with Kim Lane Scheppele, the Laurance S. Rockefeller professor of sociology and international affairs at Princeton University.
Remember, one of the first acts of Nazi repression in 1933 was the raiding and burning of the Institut für Sexualwissenschaft in Berlin. This institute, led by Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld, was a pioneering center for research on gender and sexuality. It provided medical care and early gender-affirming treatments for transgender people. The Nazis looted the institute, destroyed years of research, and used its records to identify queer individuals for persecution.
The iconic photo of the May 10, 1933, bonfire—where Nazi soldiers and Hitler Youth burned books and medical research they said were “un-German”—serves as a haunting reminder:
When a government begins by targeting transgender people, more persecution often follows.
Last week, crowds gathered at the Stonewall National Monument to protest the administration’s removal of transgender people from the nation’s history of the gay rights movement. (There were also a number of other erasures and deletions, a far quieter form of censorship than book burnings but no less effective or damaging.) The protesters chanted, “No LGB without the T!,” and “When they’re done with us, they’re coming for you—wake up, wake up, this is your fight too!”
We must see this moment as a time to stand together for justice and mercy.
And what does the Lord require of us? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with our God (Micah 6:8).
Fundamental truths
The truth is that:
Transgender people embody the expansive beauty of God’s creation.
Gender-affirming care is supported by medical professionals around the world.
Transgender people are not a threat and deserve to live in peace.
Transgender people embody the expansive beauty of God’s creation
Despite what you might have heard, transgender people have existed throughout history and many people of faith recognize that gender can exist beyond a strict male-female binary.
[Read more: What does the Bible say about gender identity?]
We are called to love, to reach out to the marginalized, and to seek justice. This message fueled faith leaders in the civil rights movement, and it must fuel us now.
Meanwhile, the leaders pushing these executive orders are undergirded by preaching a distorted version of Christianity—one that condemns and seeks to erase people from public life.
Gender-affirming care is supported by medical professionals around the world
Respected medical organizations that support gender affirming care include:
American Medical Association (AMA) – Supports gender-affirming care as medically necessary and opposes bans on such care. (Link)
American Psychiatric Association (APA) – Affirms that being transgender is not a mental disorder and supports access to gender-affirming care. (Link)
American Psychological Association (APA) – Recognizes gender-affirming care as essential to mental health. (Link)
American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) – Supports evidence-based, gender-affirming care for transgender youth. (Link)
Endocrine Society – Publishes guidelines for the medical treatment of transgender individuals, emphasizing the importance of gender-affirming care. (Link)
World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) – Sets global standards for transgender healthcare, including hormone therapy and surgery. (Link)
American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) – Supports the right of transgender individuals to access gender-affirming healthcare. (Link)
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) – Affirms that gender-affirming care is part of comprehensive reproductive and sexual health care. (Link)
American Public Health Association (APHA) – Advocates for policies that support transgender health and access to care. (Link)
National Association of Social Workers (NASW) – Recognizes the importance of gender-affirming care and the need to protect transgender individuals from discrimination. (Link)
American College of Physicians (ACP) – Supports gender-affirming care and opposes discrimination against transgender individuals in healthcare. (Link)
Pediatric Endocrine Society (PES) – Recognizes the necessity of gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth. (Link)
Organizations oriented toward erasing transgender people and stripping them of their rights have formed with official sounding names to create confusion. These organizations oppose gender-affirming care, often promoting pseudoscientific views that contradict established medical consensus. Notable among these are American College of Pediatricians and Do No Harm.
The American College of Pediatricians should not be confused with the American Academy of Pediatrics. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is the 95-year-old organization of more than 67,000 pediatricians that seeks to “attain optimal physical, mental, and social health and well-being for all infants, children, adolescents and young adults.” The American Academy of Pediatrics supports evidence-based, gender-affirming care for transgender youth.
The American College of Pediatricians, on the other hand, was formed in 2002 as a conservative advocacy group when the AAP supported LGBTQ parents’ adoption rights because of the family stability benefits for children (source). The American College of Pediatricians, which makes its rounds through right-leaning media, only has about 700 members and advocates for conversion therapy among other anti-LGBTQ attacks on healthcare (source). The Southern Poverty Law Center has designated the American College of Pediatricians as a hate group.
Do No Harm has lobbied state legislatures to ban gender-affirming care for youth and argues against diversity initiatives in medical education.
Transgender people are not a threat and deserve to live in peace
The real threat is the systemic violence, discrimination, and stigma that trans people endure daily—now amplified by government policies that embolden those who wish to harm them.
The executive orders that started on day one have been a relentless wave attempting to erase the very existence of trans and intersex people and undermine the rights that so many have fought for, and for so long. I feel the weight of it - this pain, this injustice - and I know you do, too. It’s hard not to despair in the face of such cruelty, but we must hold on to the truth that love and compassion are not just abstract ideas, they are our guiding light in this fight.
I’m holding on to the words of Jesus in his first sermon where, in Luke 4, he quotes from Isaiah 61: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me…to proclaim good news to the poor…to bind up the brokenhearted.”
This is the call I felt when I was 17, and it still rings true in these difficult days. Jesus teaches us to love, to show compassion, to serve the marginalized - and now, more than ever, I feel called to continue this work of justice and love for the transgender community, despite the sorrow and challenge we face. We know that love and compassion are not easy paths, but they are the way forward. And even in the face of hardship, we must hold on to hope.
What do we do now?
Stay informed
I know, following current events can be overwhelming. That’s why I’m grateful for the work of Erin Reed, who sends regular updates on current events impacting transgender people. Her updates are insightful and take only a few minutes to read. I highly recommend subscribing at Erin In The Morning. (You can also read for free without subscribing.)
Read:
Transforming: The Bible and the Lives of Transgender Christians by Austen Hartke, founder of Transmission Ministry Collective
What Does God Think? Transgender People and the Bible by Cheryl B. Evans
Trans-Gender: Theology, Ministry and Communities of Faith by Justin Tanis
Contact your representatives
Equality Virginia provides action alerts for advocating against anti-trans policies. If you’re unsure what to say, they offer helpful suggestions and sample language. Follow Equality Virginia on Instagram for updates.
The ACLU provides opportunities for action on a federal level. Click here to engage.
You can sign up for action alerts from the Human Rights Campaign by clicking here.
And view a list of actions from the NAACP here.
Calling and emailing matter.
Support organizations that assist transgender people
Transmission Ministry Collective – Provides Christian faith-based support and resources for transgender people and allies.
You can find a list of resources on my website.
Stay connected
Connecting to each other is proven to help maintain wellness and support advocacy. I invite you to let me know what allyship or advocacy has motivated you. What stories are giving you hope and inspiration? You can email me using the form below.
These are difficult times for the transgender community, and our support as allies makes a difference. Love and community are our superpowers!