GAY TRUTH

Back in May, I wrote a column for First Things on the ongoing persecution of Finnish politician Päivi Räsänen, who has been consistently targeted over the past several years by LGBT activists for her outspoken advocacy of biblical sexual ethics. Since I interviewed her last, she has been interrogated by Finnish police yet again—simply for articulating her Christian beliefs in public.  Räsänen is not an insignificant figure in Finland. From 2004 to 2015, she served as chair for the Christian Democrats, and from June 2011 to May 2015 she was Minister for the Interior of Finland. Her husband is a Lutheran pastor, and her Christian views were well-known. Not until Section 10 of Finland’s Criminal Code dealing with hate speech was amended in 2011 to include “sexual orientation” did she run into any trouble.  Suddenly, the expression of orthodox Christian views held by countless millions could possibly consider hate speech, and perhaps even prosecutable. That, at least, is what Räsä...

The Guardian gets everything wrong about Christianity. It is a pro-LGBTQ online left-leaning news site. Their opening quote is riddled with lies.  "Conservative religious believers, of whom there are perhaps 4 billion in the world today, mostly Christians and Muslims, still suppose that homosexuality is sinful."   Well, it is sinful not because of personal beliefs, but beliefs based on scripture. The Bible clearly states homosexuality is a sin. Biological design of our bodies affirms homosexuality is not natural but a lifestyle choice based on lust emerging from a sinful heart.  Sometimes their belief is an expression of genuine hatred; sometimes it is an unconsidered expression of belonging in a prejudiced society. In countries where this is a generally accepted prejudice, they probably don’t think about it much. In countries where gay people are accepted and affirmed as equals, fundamentalists have to think more carefully. Some retain their beliefs but place ...

Australia: The proposed bill allows a minister of religion to refuse to solemnise a homosexual marriage for any reason, including if it conflicts with the doctrines of his denomination or his conscientious beliefs. Marriage celebrants may also be exempt and religious bodies and organisations may refuse to make facilities available or provide goods or services. Some groups have sought to have conscience provisions removed. If marriage between two people of the same sex was made lawful, the proposed amendments to the Marriage Act 1961 and the Sex Discrimination Act 1984 set out in the Draft Bill do not go far enough to ensure the protection of freedom of religion in Australia . The proposed amendments are limited to protections for ministers, civil celebrants and religious organisations in relation to the provision of services for a same-sex wedding ceremony.  There is, however, no protection for a religious organisation or individual believer to hold and promote a view...

I am one of six adult children of gay parents who recently filed amicus briefs with the US Supreme Court , asking the Court to respect the authority of citizens to keep the original definition of marriage: a union between one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others, so that children may know and may be raised by their biological parents. I also live in Canada , where same-sex marriage was federally mandated in 2005. I am the daughter of a gay father who died of AIDS. I described my experiences in my book: Out From Under: The Impact of Homosexual Parenting . Over fifty adult children who were raised by LGBT parents have communicated with me and share my concerns about same-sex marriage and parenting. Many of us struggle with our own sexuality and sense of gender because of the influences in our household environments growing up. We have great compassion for people who struggle with their sexuality and gender identity —not animosity. And we love our parents. Yet, when we go...

Critics of the polarising Safe Schools program have stepped up demands for it to be axed after revelations several NSW ­students including a four-year-old preschool child have been receiving support with gender transitioning. Australian Christian Lobby spokeswoman Wendy Francis claimed a reported spike in cases of gender dysphoria, where someone’s biological sex doesn’t align with their gender identity, had followed the rollout of Safe Schools. “Safe Schools didn’t come in to address the problem, this is happening after the Safe Schools program has been introduced,’’ she said. “The thought that four-year-olds would be seeking to change their gender is madness. We are sacrificing our children to a rainbow ideology.’’ NSW Education Department deputy secretary of school operations Greg Prior revealed in parliamentary estimates this week a number of students were “going through gender transition in our schools, with the youngest being a four-year-old’’. He said Safe Schools was only one...

“Gender dysphoria” (GD) is a condition in which a person may feel unhappy with his or her biological sex, express a desire to be the opposite sex, or even insist that he or she is of the opposite sex from what his or her genes and anatomy indicate. People who choose to adopt a “gender identity” different from their biological sex are known as “transgender.” This condition is increasingly being identified not merely in adults, but even in very young, pre-pubescent children. The American College of Pediatricians (an organization formed as an alternative to the larger and more liberal American Academy of Pediatrics), has now released an important paper on “Gender Dysphoria in Children.” It provides a significant medical and scientific counterweight to the growing ideology that demands affirmation of “transgender” identities—even in children. I encourage those interested to read the College’s press release and the full study . For those wanting a brief summary, however, here are fiv...

Gender Identity  Lawrence S. Mayer ,   Paul R. McHugh The concept of biological sex is well defined, based on the binary roles that males and females play in reproduction. By contrast, the concept of gender is not well defined. It is generally taken to refer to behaviors and psychological attributes that tend to be typical of a given sex. Some individuals identify as a gender that does not correspond to their biological sex. The causes of such cross-gender identification remain poorly understood. Research investigating whether these transgender individuals have certain physiological features or experiences in common with the opposite sex, such as brain structures or atypical prenatal hormone exposures, has so far been inconclusive.  Gender dysphoria — a sense of incongruence between one’s biological sex and one’s gender, accompanied by clinically significant distress or impairment — is sometimes treated in adults by hormones or surgery, but there is little s...