New Educational Resource For Christian Parents On Transgenderism

Email essential part of our God made good to be male and it's good to be female. In either case, we bear the image of God but we don't have the right to change parsecs male or female that God has given us because it's part of his created. This is only policy motives with NC family Pres. John Weston thanks for joining us this week for family policy matters. Our guest today is Peter Sprague Senior fellow for policy studies at family research Council in Washington DC today will be talking with Peter about a new resource. FRC has created to help parents navigate the increasingly public and confrontational transgender movement that were seeing in our culture today, especially in school settings. Where is the issues of access to bathrooms, locker rooms and showers have often taken center stage of Peter is the author of outrage held gay activist and liberal judges are trashing democracy to redefine marriage and he is editor of FRC's agenda setting booklet 25 profamily policy goals for the nation. Peter welcome back to family policy matters is always great to have you on the show. Thank you for having me lead you and the family research Council to create this parents God to the transgender movement in education, we realized that this is one of those issues which, well maybe not every parent has encountered it yet. When they do, it strikes very close to home and it's something that it is very important to them, dealing with their children's education. So either their child may have actually encountered a transgender person have a student or staff member and faculty member in their school who identifies as transgender or they have seen new policies adopted or a new curriculum adopted that basically promotes this and so this is a significant concern to parents who work exposed to that so you know we had family research Council have done several papers. Policy papers in the last year or so on this transgender movement getting into depth on the research and so forth, with lots of footnotes indicating the sources and so forth. But we saw the need for a publication that was a little bit more simple, directed specifically at at parents and telling them, answering the questions.

What do I do what should I do about desks and what do I have to understand about this to be able to communicate effective lights so this parents guide to the transgender movement in education is written at a very very simple level. It's doesn't have a lot of footnotes. You can get that in our other publications, but hopefully it answers a lot of the questions but parents may have as this issue is exploding in our schools will absolutely is exploding in as many of our listeners will recall, the Obama administration issued what they referred to as a guidance letter, but it really was bordering on a mandate of sorts, Peter.

Let's start for the benefit of our listeners by defining some of these key terms that we talk about in this conversation.

Like the words, sex, gender, and transgender.

What do these terms mean well has always meant and should continue to be defined as referring to a person's biological sex at birth and that indicated by a number of factors. There are internal sex organs. There is external genitalia and there is the chromosomal makeup which is found in in every cell of a person's body and those three indicators internal, external and genetic are in the vast majority of people entirely consistent so the transgender activists refer to the fact someone is assigned at birth but that that's ludicrous people's biological sex is identified at birth and is immutable.

Now, however, there is been this growing trend to discuss a person's gender identity as something distinct from their biological sex and identify that some people either wish they were, or want to be or even consider themselves to be of the of the gender male or female, that is not that does not match their biological sex and when that is the case when someone identifies is the opposite of their biological sex or does not identify with their biological sex than they are referred to as a transgender person's gender is a kind of an umbrella term which encompasses what used to be called. We use the term transsexual but that was generally referred to peoplehood actually had surgery to alter their bodies to make it look like they are intended gender. But nowadays there are many people who identify as transgender who have never had any surgeries to alter their bodies or they only had pot partial surgeries and so surgery is not considered a condition for someone to be able to to identify as the opposite sex or as transgender Peter how is identifying as transgender different from having a legitimate biological anomaly, like being intersex or having a disorder of sexual development like this is something that's often thrown into the debate when we talk about this to create a little bit more sympathy for people struggling with their sex or their gender identity, but the fact is there are there are some rare conditions known as intersex conditions or disorders of sexual development. The ESD where there is ambiguity or conflict between some of those indicators that I mentioned the person's internal sex organs, external genitalia or a chromosomes in their cells that where they do not match exactly in terms of of one sex or the other. However, the important point to Rick, then those people deserve compassion certainly.

And as any one else who has a congenital physical or anatomical problems should but the important thing to know is that the vast majority of people who identify as transgender are not intersex today.

They are people whose indicators of biological sex are entirely normal and entirely consistent and it is only a psychological condition which causes them to wish to be the opposite sex of that's important to distinguish those two situations.

Conversation about how to accommodate students who identifies transgender is often couched in language about the application of federal title non-for the benefit of our listeners.

What does title IX study and how does it apply to transgender is yet and you you alluded to this a little bit earlier.

I think I'm title IX. It's that shorthand for law that was passed in 1972. Actually, title IX of the education amendments of 1972 and this was a law that was passed that essentially outlawed discrimination based on facts in any educational program or activity or institution that that is funded by the federal government, which is which is a large number of them, really. The vast majority of them now.

The problem is the LGBT activists are now claiming that discrimination based on sex includes discrimination based on gender identity and they argue this because there was a Supreme Court decision. Back in 1989 that said that gender stereotyping or sex stereotyping could be a form of sex discrimination and they argue that that the gender identity issue falls under that, but there is no statute that has been passed by Congress in it, and enacted into law that that outlaws discrimination based on gender identity in schools were or anywhere else and and there's no Supreme Court decision that has said that either. So we feel this is a complete misreading of title IX which should be understood in terms of the original intent of its congressional sponsors who in 1972 are virtually certain to have met biological sex when they referred to discrimination based on your listening policy matters of resource to listen to our radio show online resources that will be a voice of persuasion in your community to our website family.org Peter for many parents discussing this topic with our children can be a bit disconcerting.

How do you recommend that parents approach conversations with their children about transgender issues and at what age should these conversations start well if you need to talk with them and get get a sense of what it is that they have heard what it is that they understand and how they feel about it and then proceed from there and I and I began, although you know what we are up public policy organization, but we are Christian organization as well. I think the Christian parents. You have to begin with Scripture and that and the story of creation Genesis 127 says God created man in his own image in the image of God he created him male and female he created them. Here's a very short but profound verse which indicates that our maleness and femaleness is an essential part of our humanity, as God made us. It's good to be male and it's good to be female. In either case, we bear the image of God but we don't have the right to change our sex male or female that God has given us because it's part of his created order. So, it all has to begin with those core principles in the creation grades will appear. Many parents as you alluded to have had the unpleasant experience of the child bringing home a book homework assignment or some other task about these very sensitive topics without advance notice to the parents will without the parents permission. What should parents look for from schools and how should they respond to something troublesome presents itself. This is what occupies a significant portion of this pamphlet is advice kind of a kind of a step-by-step how to how to address these issues and how to appeal something that is concerning to you through the proper channels of authority in the school systems. So the first step is always going to be talking to the teacher you wanted. You want to talk to the classroom teacher who is introducing this material or or has discussed it and and find out first from them. What is the source. Now it it doesn't do any good to go in and and be angry with the teacher if the teacher has no choice in the matter and is just implementing a policy that's been adopted at the school system level soaps, but on the other hand, it may be that the teacher is someone with an agenda of his or her own and is instant injecting things into the classes that are not mandated by the school system so you need to know the different and then you can if you're not satisfied with the discussion with the teacher or the teacher is unable to give you satisfaction you go to the principal and in the school if not satisfied with the principal, you can appeal to the superintendent if you don't get satisfaction from the superintendent you can go to the school board generally in elected body, and at that point that's at the point at which you may have to become a citizen activist and really go public with your concern, but it's important to go through that sort of chain of command. First will we completely agree are strong believers in the chain of command and really recommend that to functionally call us with problems like this on first go to the. The teacher then move up the chain of command and it made you say it may take you eventually to the school board to elected officials and even to the state legislature to address a problem that has been encountered, but those we believe as you have stated are really the proper methods to work through it may take a little bit of time and effort, but you make sure you're going to the people who can enact change who can really address directly question to the problems that have arisen. Unfortunately Peter, we are just about out of time for this week, but I want to give you an opportunity to let our listeners know where they can go to get a copy of parents God to the transgender movement in education and learn more about FRC and also how to prepare for and protect themselves and their children against these are unfortunate and contentious encounters. The best place to go is to our website which is FRC.org FRC for family research Council. In this particular pamphlet is available in PDF version online at the moment we are going to be producing printed copies of it. But right now it's online@frc.org/gender just the word gender@afterfrc.org/gender soaps.

That's how they can obtain this pamphlet right now. Thank you for sharing listeners. I want to encourage you to take advantage of this resource. FRC does great work and we're very considerate or will privilege to boot to partner with them and are excited to have this opportunity to talk with Peter about this very important issue is not something that has confronted you yet, it certainly is is coming your way in and will likely do so very soon so be prepared. And even if you don't have children who are in a K-12 or even in college, you are likely to encounter this with grandchildren or with friends and parents of children that you know in your community at your church or whatnot. So please avail yourself of this very valuable resource in without Peter Sprague. I want to thank you so much for being with us on family policy matters. Very grateful for you and thank you for all your great work. Thank you and thanks for your work in North Carolina. Listening family policy matter, and to listen to our radio show online in the morning valuable resources and information about issues important to families in North Carolina website family.org must not