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The Truth About Transgenderism (Part 2)
By Lisa*
In the book When Harry Became Sally, Ryan Anderson explains that when researchers followed people who had sex reassignment surgery over 30 years in Sweden (a culture that is strongly supportive of transgendered people), they found that those who had had the surgery still struggled with severe mental unrest. The suicide rate of those who underwent surgery rose to 20 times that of their comparable peers. He concluded that transitioning to the opposite gender does not produce the happiness people seek. Perhaps this is because their problems go much deeper.
More than 100 follow-up studies of post-operative transsexuals were done by the University of Birmingham. It was concluded that none of those studies provided evidence that gender reassignment is beneficial. The Obama administration came to the same conclusion in 2016. An Obama Centers for Medicare and Medicaid study pointed out a 19 times greater likelihood of death by suicide in individuals who underwent sex reassignment surgery. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services concluded that, based on a thorough review of clinical studies, there was not enough evidence to show that sex reassignment surgery benefitted its patients at all. This is why insurance hasn’t covered it . . . up until now.
Consequences of Sex Reassignments
Telling a gender-confused person they should transition is like telling a bulimic, “Yeah, I know you’re only 80 pounds and wasting away, but since you still think you’re fat, I guess letting you get gastric bypass surgery couldn’t hurt if it will help you feel more thin.”
Jamie Shupe, the first person to obtain a “non-binary” sex classification in America, has a lot to say about the evils of trans medicine. After participating in it for six years, he says it left him with an “eternally scarred psyche” and a host of health issues. Convinced he was a woman during a mental health crisis in 2013, Jamie’s therapist recommended he start on estrogen and testosterone blockers. Jamie says, “I believed that wearing a long wig, dresses, heels, and makeup would make me a woman. The best thing that could have happened would have been for someone to order intensive therapy that would have protected me from my inclination to cross-dress. Instead, quacks in the medical community said, ‘Your gender identity is female.’”
When Jamie began the process of transitioning, doctors and therapists told him he’d soon experience a positive boost in mental health. “It was just the opposite,” he says. “It destabilized my mental health because I was living in a false reality. I was fighting my body . . . . I perfectly understand why this kills people and why there’s such high suicide rate . . . . It’s the program itself that’s killing us.”
Jamie later de-transitioned and currently speaks out against trans medicine. He now admits, “All of my sexual confusion was in my head. I should have been treated. Instead, at every step, doctors, judges, and advocacy groups indulged my fiction . . . .”
When Jamie began the process of transitioning, doctors and therapists told him he’d soon experience a positive boost in mental health. “It was just the opposite,” he says. “It destabilized my mental health because I was living in a false reality. I was fighting my body . . . . I perfectly understand why this kills people and why there’s such high suicide rate . . . . It’s the program itself that’s killing us.”
Jamie Shupe
Much as so-called experts changed the language around addiction to absolve people of personal responsibility, the same is now being done in the trans arena. Just as it’s no longer politically correct to say a drug addict makes a choice by taking drugs (instead they have a disease), we can no longer call men who dress as women “transvestites” because it implies they have a choice as to whether or not they cross-dress. The new vocabulary demands we refer to them as transgender instead. Because if someone is “transgender,” it’s not their fault if they cross dress. They were born inside the wrong body, after all.
The field of transgender medicine will be exposed in decades to come. Top medical professionals believe we will one day look back and say, “Remember when instead of treating the root cause of a mental illness, we encouraged the person to move deeper into their delusion?” We will eventually look back at hormone treatments and sex re-assignment surgery the same way we do the lobotomies of yesteryear.
Promotion of Gender Stereotypes
But until that day we have a wave of men seeking to become women and vice versa even though there is no possible way a man can ever know what it’s actually like to be a woman. This is why feminist icons like Germaine Greer are finally speaking out against transgender ideology. Transgenderism reinforces everything they’ve spent their entire lives fighting against. It promotes old, outdated gender stereotypes (being a woman means putting on a skirt and heels). A group of radical feminists recently had their Twitter accounts suspended for promoting “transphobia” because they were tweeting things like “A man cannot be a woman.” This kind of talk is now considered hate speech in our country.
We will see more and more of this censorship in the coming years (for example, soccer player Jaelene Hinkle, who wasn’t allowed to play on the U.S. team in the World Cup simply because she refused to wear an LGBTQ pride jersey).
Our society does not have an issue with a man whose temperament is more “feminine.” Being sensitive, intuitive, nurturing, caring, artistic, and gentle even though you are biologically male are considered good qualities to most women. I myself have been accused of having many “masculine” qualities throughout my life. I am direct, confident, and unafraid of confrontation. I’d rather watch football than attend a baby shower any day. I majored in criminal justice. I worked with gangs in Chicago. Nothing about my personal interests or life experiences is considered classically “feminine.” But just because a person has qualities traditionally observed in the opposite gender does not mean they should become that gender.
No empowered female would ever accept transgender ideology in any form. It’s an insult to women the world over to suggest that because someone puts on a skirt and wedges, it automatically makes him a woman. We women are not our clothes or shoes. We are not our hair or makeup. Any real woman knows this. Outer beauty has nothing to do with being female. For my brother to think that putting on a dress, wig, and makeup somehow makes him the same as me is perhaps the greatest insult of all time. He has spent 36 years of his life as a man. He knows nothing of what it’s like to be an American female in the 21st century. And he never will.
A group of radical feminists recently had their Twitter accounts suspended for promoting “transphobia” because they were tweeting things like “A man cannot be a woman.” This kind of talk is now considered hate speech in our country.
As I mentioned before, therapists historically viewed cross-dressing as a compulsion to ease anxiety, which is easy enough to understand. People do all kinds of things to ease anxiety. They drink. They eat too much sugar. They waste money on lottery tickets. They smoke weed. They self-harm. But any healthy person knows we should never take a compulsion that’s used to ease deeper pain and start celebrating it as our identity.
Now girls as young as three who like sports and trucks are being told by doctors (and celebrity moms like Charlize Theron) that they are a boy trapped in a girl’s body. They are then put on powerful, reproductive-ending hormones to stop the onset of puberty. Teenagers are having mutilating surgeries simply because they’re into things that are traditionally associated with the opposite gender. Yet gender non-conformity is the very thing scores of people fought against for decades. Girls should be able to do anything boys can do this day and age and vice versa. But now we have trans men smashing records in one girl’s athletic category after another.
Where Are the People of Faith?
And where are the so-called “people of faith” in this madness? Running scared. We don’t want to be labeled ignorant. We don’t want to be called bigots. We know that being deemed “transphobic” can quickly snowball into other adjectives like misogynist or racist.
The message from the Christian community regarding LGBTQ issues seems to be this: we just need to show Christ’s love to everyone by accepting them exactly as they are. And it’s true. Everyone has something they’re struggling with, and no one is exempt. But no one should ever be loved as they are and then left that way. Hence Christ’s final words to the woman at the well: “Go and sin no more.”
If love means supporting someone’s endeavors no matter what they are, shouldn’t we all drive our alcoholic friends to the bar tonight? Real love means speaking the truth, even when it’s not culturally cool.
And though I should not have to spell this out, I will nonetheless. Simply disagreeing with someone on an issue does not mean you are scared of or dislike all people who are on the other side of the issue. I believe transgenderism is wrong. That doesn’t make me transphobic. I believe the greatest victims of transgender ideology are the people who’ve been given the transgender label themselves.
Calling everyone who doesn’t support LGBTQ rights “transphobic” or “homophobic” is insanely ignorant. Trans people should never be made fun of or bullied in any way. They are already dealing with enough as it is; they need our help.
My brother will say that gender is just a tiny part of who he is. But for him to think that he will “still be himself” even if he is a woman is nonsense. He will no longer be a man named Josh. He will be a false caricature of a person who’s requesting that everyone around him deny reality by telling him he’s something he’s not. Of course he’ll retain his personality, his same likes and dislikes. But to say that one’s gender doesn’t ultimately matter in the grand scheme of things shows how deep the confusion goes. I wouldn’t have married my husband if he weren’t male. And as a married woman, I wouldn’t be going out to lunch alone with my girlfriends if they weren’t female.
Despite what my brother and sister-in-law would have everyone believe, the truth is this: gender matters. As the Pope said recently: “Gender is sacred.” Top bishops and cardinals have unequivocally stated that the transgender movement is demonic.
Any good branding expert knows that organizations choose their logos with much thought and care. So yes, there is a reason that the Church of Satan chose Baphomet (the half-male/half-female goat) to be its logo. The goat reminds us that supposedly we are the ultimate decision makers in our life here on earth. We are the designers of our destiny. And while God’s desires for us (like biological sex) are all good, in the end it’s the true self whose desires we must follow. Did God really say, “You have to be male”?
It’s a tale as old as time.
*The author of this true account, a wife and mother, wishes to remain anonymous. Names in this account have been changed.
The diaspora of the Tai Dam refugees in 1975 to Des Moines, Iowa, fueled a first generation of Tai Dam Americans adapting to new ways of life, blending language, culture, and embracing the numerous opportunities in the US. I was part of that first generation. Three years after my parents’ settlement in Iowa, I was born and became the first in my family to acquire an American education and step into a church. We were blessed to have Christian sponsors who helped us transition from our homeland to America.
Every Sunday, our sponsors would take me, my sister, and several of my cousins to church service at the First Church of the Open Bible. Naomi Young was one of the many people who was significant in my life; she gave me my first Bible. Through the faithfulness of Naomi and others at the church, seeds of faith were planted as I was told about a man named Jesus who died on the cross for me. I was curious, but I did not understand and did not accept Him into my life at that time. Attending church was short-lived, coming to a halt when I was eight years old. The seed that was planted in me could not grow because it was never nourished with Truth at home. My parents and grandmother believed and practiced animism and ancestral worship, which is the veneration and honoring of the dead. Confusion infiltrated my mind, and my desire to attend church ceased. While I abandoned everything that was taught to me in Sunday school, I always kept my Bible in a special place underneath my pillow because something in my heart could not throw it away.
The seed that was planted in me could not grow because it was never nourished with Truth at home.
When I was twenty-two years old, my cousin took me to a Buddhist temple to have my fortune read. There, sitting in front of me, were three monks. One monk opened his notebook, wrote in it, then read to me my childhood, present life, and future life story up to the time I would turn thirty years old. He then shut his notebook and told me, “I am done.” When I asked him, “Why?” he told me only, “I cannot read you anymore.” That same week I went to a card reader and had my fortune read. Again, he read my childhood, present life, and up to the age I would be thirty, then stopped. I told him, “You are the second person that could not read me past thirty; tell me – do I die?” He quickly gathered his cards, saying only, “I cannot tell you.”
Throughout my adult life in my twenties, I was in an unhealthy, abusive relationship, which led to an alcohol addiction. When I was twenty-six, I became pregnant and had my daughter, Kaylee, on January 31, 2005. God was already working in my life, and I did not know it; He was molding me and reminding me of who He was through the darkest moments of my life. Around that time, I came upon a childhood friend who worked as a cashier at Hy-Vee; she would tell me, “Soukham, God is so good.” Though I resisted, the words she spoke over me resonated in my heart. Not long after, I found myself attending her funeral. Worship and praise were included in the Christian service. I was confused, but a part of me had the desire to know more about the God they said was so good and how through Him there would be no more pain and suffering. When I left the funeral, the Lord continued to reveal Himself to me through divine encounters. In July of 2008, I took a position at Nationwide Insurance where I reconnected with an old high school friend. She invited me to a Thanksgiving potluck at her church, and my walk with the Lord began soon after.
From the Tai Dam little girl who was born in America and met Jesus in an Iowan church, to the woman who is now taking the hope of Christ back to Southeast Asia, His hand has been in every chapter of my story.
I was thirty years old when I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. The verse that will remain with me forever is 2 Corinthians 5:17: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (NIV).
Now I understand why the monk and card reader could not read my life past the age of thirty. At that age, I became a new creation because of Jesus Christ, and the enemy no longer had a hold on me! Jesus continued to bless me and my daughter. Amid my pain and struggles, God brought a man into my life, my husband Othone (Pong), who became a father to Kaylee. We got married on September 15, 2010. Together the Lord blessed us with two more children, Isaac and Silas. In 2017, the Lord called us to serve in Iowa at Kingdom Life Church (now Kingdom City Church).
In November 2021, the Lord instilled in Pong’s heart a dream to build a charitable foundation to address needs in the vulnerable communities of Southeast Asia. The foundation would have a Christ-centered vision: to make and equip future disciples, providing them with sustainable resources and empowering them to advance beyond their current situation. Through continuous prayer and the Lord’s guidance, the foundation was born in April 2023 and officially named Nations in Need (NIN). Recently in 2023 and 2024, the Lord took Pong, Kaylee, and three of our brothers, Ap, Peng, and Bay, on trips to Southeast Asia where they built relationships, served the communities, ministered to the people, and spread the good news about Jesus Christ. Today, NIN has branched into multiple communities in Southeast Asia. Through the work of a future center in Southeast Asia, we will expand NIN’s mission and go wherever the Lord leads.
Throughout my whole life God has carried me, even when I didn’t know it. From the Tai Dam little girl who was born in America and met Jesus in an Iowan church, to the woman who is now taking the hope of Christ back to Southeast Asia, His hand has been in every chapter of my story. Whether the next chapter is in America, Southeast Asia, or somewhere else, I will follow Christ, forever His new creation.
About the Author
Soukham Khanthavixay
Soukham Khanthavixay and her husband, Pong, are active members of Kingdom City Church in Des Moines, Iowa. They reside in Pleasant Hill, Iowa, with their three children and two dogs. Soukham is a registered nurse at a local county hospital and also works for Nations in Need (NIN), the ministry her husband founded. Her family and ministry team work together to expand the mission of NIN and spread the gospel. To learn more about Nations in Need, follow them on Facebook or Instagram: @nationsinneed.
Spirit and Truth Church began as a dream amidst the stormy backdrop of January 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the challenges that the world faced, we found ourselves thriving, anchored by the belief that God’s plans always prevail. As we say on our website, we are passionate about helping people “find freedom in the fullness” of both the Spirit and the Word. This foundational vision has carried us through times of uncertainty and propelled us forward.
Yet, for all our successes, we reached a point where we felt like we were on an island—thriving, yes, but lacking the covering, coaching, counsel, and care that every church needs to flourish long term. In 2022, at the first MOVEMENT conference, God spoke directly to my heart, telling me that Spirit and Truth Church was meant to be part of the Open Bible Church family. This call was a turning point for our ministry. In 2023, I was credentialed through Open Bible Churches, and in February of this year (2024), we became officially affiliated with Open Bible Churches’ Mountain Plains region. Since then, the blessings have been immense.
For all our successes, we reached a point where we felt like we were on an island.
Being part of Open Bible has been transformative for us. We have received so much investment, training, and support. Open Bible has helped us shore up essential aspects of our ministry: leadership, organization, staffing, budget, facilities, and more. Our growth has been remarkable—we’ve doubled in size, growing from 60 to 120 regular attendees in the past year. This growth, I believe, is a testament to both the godly covering of Open Bible and the Spirit-led outreaches we engage in. Our church has a culture of lifestyle evangelism and hospitality where all our members are witnesses and welcomers. In addition, we have forged strategic partnerships with other ministries.
One of the most exciting partnerships we have is with Every Heart Tours, a ministry led by fiery, Jesus-loving college students from Michigan. These students come to stay with us for a week at a time, engaging in outdoor worship outreaches and “prophetic treasure hunts.” If you’re unfamiliar with this term, a prophetic treasure hunt is an evangelistic practice where participants ask the Holy Spirit to reveal specific details about people they will meet, and then they go into the community to find these “treasures.” It’s a beautiful, Spirit-led adventure allowing us to partner with God and minister to people in our city in a unique way. We’ve seen so many lives touched and transformed through these treasure hunts.
What started as a small church plant in Northern Colorado has since grown into a vibrant community reflecting the heart of God for His people.
One of the most powerful testimonies from these outreaches happened this summer (2024). We had a team of prophetic ministers giving specific words to people as we worshipped in Fort Collins Old Town square. We preached the gospel boldly, and by the end of the night eleven people made the decision to be baptized! We walked down to the Poudre River and witnessed the supernatural power of God as they went under the water and came up renewed. It was a moment that felt like the early church, where “the Lord added to their number daily” (Acts 2:47 NIV).
Of course, ministry isn’t always easy. We’ve faced rejection and opposition. But we hold firm to the truth of Romans 1:16: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes.” The harvest is plentiful, and we’ve seen this reality unfold before our eyes. As we continue to partner with ministries, step out in faith, and preach the gospel, we trust that God will continue to bring more people into His kingdom.
Our journey with Open Bible has been a testimony to God’s faithfulness. What started as a small church plant in Northern Colorado has since grown into a vibrant community reflecting the heart of God for His people. We remain committed to spreading the good news and making sure outreach and evangelism are at the heart of our ministry. The harvest is ready, Open Bible fam – let’s go bring it in!
About the Author
Rob Bray
Rob Bray is a marketplace and ministry leader with over a decade of experience in both business and church contexts. He is the founder and lead pastor of Spirit + Truth Church, an Open Bible Church in the Mountain Plains Region. Rob has catalyzed successful companies, grown healthy ministries, and spoken at influential conferences, workshops, and events. Rob’s expertise and passion have made him a trusted advisor and coach for leaders and entrepreneurs seeking breakthroughs in multiple areas including life, marriage, and business. Rob and his wife Bethany live on their homestead in Fort Collins, CO, with their six children: Nehemiah, Nora, Noelle, Neely, Nayla, and Nicholas. In their spare time, they enjoy hiking, paddle boarding, and snowboarding.
As we approach another election season, we find ourselves once again in an environment bringing tension, division, and uncertainty to people, including those within the Church. It is during times like this, however, that we as the Church can shine brightly. In the face of debates, advertisements, and news that may stir anxiety, we have a divine opportunity to anchor people to the unchanging hope of Christ.
The apostle Paul instructs us that “our citizenship is in heaven” (Phil. 3:20 NIV), and as followers of Christ, our ultimate allegiance is to God and His kingdom. While politics does have its importance and influence, it is reassuring to know our hope is not based upon human leaders or systems but in the Lord who reigns over all.
In the face of debates, advertisements, and news that may stir anxiety, we have a divine opportunity to anchor people to the unchanging hope of Christ.
There is no question that, as followers of Christ, we should engage in our civic duties with a kingdom-minded perspective and a biblical worldview. We vote, we pray for our leaders, we seek the welfare of our communities (Jer. 29:7), and we engage others with love. And as we do all of this, we hold to the truth that God’s sovereignty transcends the outcomes of elections.
In times that seem unstable or fragile, God’s Word tells us “we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken” (Heb.12:28). We serve an “unshakable kingdom.” Governments change, leaders come and go, and through it all, God’s kingdom remains. It is unshakable, eternal, and built upon His righteousness and justice. No election can alter the reality of God’s sovereignty nor shake the foundation of His authority. It is His church that holds the keys to unlock heaven on earth and bring light to the darkness.
Here is the reality we stand upon: It is God who “controls the course of world events; He removes kings and sets up other kings” (Dan. 2:21 NLT), and “the king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord” (Prov. 21:1 KJV).
Because of this truth, we can embrace Paul’s word to the Philippians: “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:6-7 NLT). Based on this passage, if we are a people of prayer who walk in faith, seek God’s wisdom, and are grateful, THEN we know we will experience a peace that goes beyond natural understanding. I am reminded, comforted, and convinced of this truth, and it is an anchor to my soul.
No election can alter the reality of God’s sovereignty nor shake the foundation of His authority.
This November’s election will be followed in December by the celebration of Christ’s birth. What a perfect time to remember that Jesus is Emmanuel – God with us. This name, given to Jesus, is more than just a title; it is a promise that no matter what happens around us, God’s presence is constant and unchanging.
Whether the outcome of the election brings joy or disappointment, whether policies align with your hopes or create concerns, remember Emmanuel – God is with us. He is present in our churches, in our communities, in our families, and in our lives. He is not distant or disconnected; He is personally and actively involved in the lives of His people. Whoever is elected and however people respond – God still sits on the throne, His Kingdom is unshakable, and His plans are unstoppable. GOD IS WITH US.
Some practical steps for consideration:
- Pray for our leaders, regardless of who they are: Pray for their wisdom, discernment, and a spirit of humility.
- Stay united as the body of Christ: Let a heart of unity, love, and the bond of peace be what others see.
- Keep an eternal perspective: Engage in the political process, but keep your eyes fixed on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.
- Live out the things that will remain: faith, hope and love.
About the Author
Michael Nortune
Michael Nortune serves as president of Open Bible Churches. He has ministered in the local church faithfully for 35 years. From his start as a janitor and groundskeeper to lead pastor of Life Church in Concord, California, Michael has had the opportunity to gain experience in every capacity within the church throughout his ministry. Not only does he have hands-on experience on the local level, but Michael has also led at the district, regional, and national levels within Open Bible Churches. Michael and his wife Julie currently reside in Colorado and love living near five of their six children and their spouses. They also treasure the time they spend with their other daughter who lives in Alabama with their first (but not the last) grandson!
