We live in a day in age where we are allowed to be what we want to be. From the time that we are little, we are encouraged to “dream big” or “think outside of the box.” Despite race, gender, or social class, we all should be given a chance as to what we want to do with our lives. After all, “the sky’s the limit!”… right? But our choices don’t end with what career path we will choose, who we will marry, or where we will live. In our culture today we are allowed to choose our gender identity.
Now, this is a topic of major debate. A liberal might say, “You should be allowed to be who you want to be.” But a conservative would say, “Gender isn’t a choice. You are who you are.” There are a lot of subjects with gray areas. It isn’t always as simple as a right or wrong answer. When it comes to the topic of gender identity, the answer is simple: God created male and female. Anything else is going against God’s standards. But that isn’t what many people believe anymore.
Joseph Backholm, director of Family Policy Institute of Washington, interviewed several students from Seattle University in a Youtube video called College Kids Say the Darndest Things: On Gender. His purpose was to discover how young adults view the issue of gender identity. When Backholm asked whether there should be gender specific restrooms, most of the students answered that if a person identified himself or herself with that gender, then he or she should be allowed to use that bathroom. The students also stated that the person should be allowed to choose his or her gender, and therefore choose a bathroom that “they felt comfortable using.”
After watching this video, I felt very frightened for the future of our country. How can we not decide the difference between a male and a female? How can we tell people that they have a choice as to what gender they will identify with when we can’t even tell them the difference? Our depraved natures are becoming more apparent even though we are supposed to be such a technologically advanced society.
God has told us the truth from the beginning of time: “He created them male and female” (Genesis 5:2). But the devil has twisted and contorted what God says to be true. We become confused and start to believe the lies that he feeds to us, such as the lies that “People are born this way—they can’t help who they are” or “you have a choice to be whatever gender you associate with.” This issue is black and white. There is no choice as to what gender you are. If you were born a female, then you are a female. If you are born a male, you are a male. You cannot change that even if you decide to become a transgender. Christians need to respond to this problem with certainty and finality. We need to be able to tell people why we believe as we do with scripture references to back it up. But we also need to respond to these confused people with Christ’s perfect love. Only then do we have a chance of solving this gender identity crisis.
