{"id":33792,"date":"2021-03-28T20:31:20","date_gmt":"2021-03-29T01:31:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/?p=33792"},"modified":"2025-06-28T14:38:20","modified_gmt":"2025-06-28T19:38:20","slug":"how-do-i-advise-someone-who-claims-to-have-gender-dysphoria","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-do-i-advise-someone-who-claims-to-have-gender-dysphoria\/","title":{"rendered":"How do I advise someone who claims to have gender dysphoria?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\t

Question:<\/h2>\n

Good day! I hope you are doing well.<\/p>\n

I have a friend who’s a transgender atheist, though she did not surgically alter her body (since she’s barely a teenager). She inwardly feels that she is a he. She has even demanded us to call her by a male name, as her sort of new alias.<\/p>\n

Now I know that transgenderism, in general, is rather sinful. And I hold that belief.<\/p>\n

She has come to me for advice on what to do with her gender dysphoria (her dislike of being in a woman’s body while in a male mindset). I gave her advice that’s, let’s just say, not in accordance with God’s Will. I am about to repent of that sin. When things regarding sexuality and gender overall, I think I should just send them to someone else.<\/p>\n

Still, I’m curious, What would you do in my position? What would you say?<\/p>\n\t

Answer:<\/h2>\n

Since she claims to be an atheist, biblical answers won’t make much of an impression, so we will approach this by pointing out the facts that God already told us.<\/p>\n

She claims to feel like a boy. Thus, my question is: Just what does a boy feel like? What does a girl feel like? Often, the answers may strike you as odd. I know what a boy feels like because I am one. However, a girl’s description of what boys feel generally doesn’t align. For instance, boys tend to describe themselves in terms of actions. Girls tend to describe themselves in terms of feelings and emotions. It isn’t absolute, but the trend is there.<\/p>\n

If she claims to like boyish things, then I would ask who made the rule as to what boys or girls must like? This causes a dilemma for many people because they are assigning gender roles while at the same time denying that such roles exist.<\/p>\n

Next, ask how many biological genders there are. The answer is only two. (See There Are Only Two Sexes<\/a>). There are XX and XY chromosomes, which we label “female” and “male.” While there are a few rare chromosomal defects, she doesn’t have one. If there was a crime and her DNA was found at the scene, the police would rightly say that the suspect was a female. To claim there are more or that a person isn’t the gender of his or her DNA is denying reality. We usually say that a person who denies reality has problems. If I insist that there is a pink elephant in the room, agreeing with the delusion doesn’t make it real. While she is discontented with who she is, science shows that claiming to be the other sex doesn’t solve the discontentment. See Sex Reassignment Doesn’t Work<\/a><\/p>\n

These points are designed to prompt your friend to think. They may not convince her, but they will likely bother her, and perhaps later she will change her mind.<\/p>\n

I think that one of the stronger points is that the vast majority of young people who claim gender dysphoria grow out of it. “98% of gender confused boys and 88% of gender confused girls eventually accept their biological sex after naturally passing through puberty” [“Gender Ideology Harms Children<\/a>“, American College of Pediatricians, 2016].<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Question: Good day! I hope you are doing well. I have a friend who’s a transgender atheist, though she did not surgically alter her body (since she’s barely a teenager). She inwardly feels that she is a he. She has even demanded us to call her by a male name, as her sort of new…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[305],"class_list":["post-33792","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-answer","tag-transgenderism"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":19266,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/if-a-woman-has-surgery-to-become-a-man-does-god-see-her-as-a-male-or-a-female\/","url_meta":{"origin":33792,"position":0},"title":"If a woman has surgery to become a man, does God see her as a male or a female?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 24, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I have written to you before and was well satisfied with your answer. I believe you do a wonderful work on this site for God. My question is: We were discussing Chasity Bono at work, who is about to have surgery to become a man. As far as we\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":90822,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-kinds-of-sex-are-included-in-leviticus-1822\/","url_meta":{"origin":33792,"position":1},"title":"What kinds of sex are included in Leviticus 18:22?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 27, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: According to Leviticus 18:22, \"Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman; that is detestable\" (NIV). My Question: Is it oral or anal sex, or something else? What if the person is a transgender woman, meaning male to female? Answer: \"You shall not\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":48206,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/should-the-church-accommodate-transgender-members\/","url_meta":{"origin":33792,"position":2},"title":"Should the church accommodate transgender members?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 9, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: What is the church's position on those who are transgender? Are there three genders: Male, Female, and Transgender? If someone has transitioned from male to female or female to male, would they be welcomed at your congregation? For example, would Bruce Jenner (now Caitlyn) be welcomed or does she\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":51947,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/does-galatians-328-support-gender-diversity\/","url_meta":{"origin":33792,"position":3},"title":"Does Galatians 3:28 support gender diversity?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 19, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hi Mr. Hamilton, I've found out that a large number (possibly a majority) of my friends are LGBTQQIAA+. Some are genderqueer, transgender, gay, lesbian, pansexual, and asexual. A very large percentage of my year group is not straight or cisgender. I know that having homosexual sex is wrong. Should\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":87038,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/gender-affirming-care-does-not-work\/","url_meta":{"origin":33792,"position":4},"title":"“Gender-Affirming Care” Does Not Work","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 7, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Source: \"Treatment for Pediatric Gender Dysphoria: Review of Evidence and Best Practices,\" Department of Health and Human Services, 1 May 2025. \"Health authorities have also recognized the exceptional nature of this area of medicine. That exceptionalism is due to a convergence of factors. One is that the diagnosis of gender\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Issues"","block_context":{"text":"Issues","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/issues\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":86582,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/fatal-flaws-in-transgender-brain-studies\/","url_meta":{"origin":33792,"position":5},"title":"Fatal Flaws in Transgender Brain Studies","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 12, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Source: Colin Wright, \"Transgender Brain Studies are Fatally Flawed,\" City Journal, 14 March 2025. \"The notion that males can have 'female brains,' and vice versa, rests on a flawed interpretation of 'brain sex' studies that in no way demonstrate or even suggest a definitive biological basis for 'gender identity.'\" \"The\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Issues"","block_context":{"text":"Issues","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/issues\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33792","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33792"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33792\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33792"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33792"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33792"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}