Welcome to Breakpoint, a daily look at an ever-changing culture through the lens of unchanging truth. For the Colson Center, I'm John Stone Street. Many inevitable social movements have turned out to be not so inevitable. And the most notable recent example is transgenderism. In the latest development of this fast-moving story, earlier this month, the U.S.
Supreme Court upheld a Tennessee law that prohibited so-called transgender care for minors, including hormone therapy and sex reassignment procedures.
Now, predictably, the American Psychological Association threw a fit about the ruling, scolding the court for disregarding, and I quote here, decades of psychological research and clinical consensus and jeopardizing the health and well-being of transgender youth. Aside from further eroding their public credibility, the APA statement ignores the obvious fact that any consensus around so-called transgender care and identity is collapsing.
Somebody needs to tell the American Psychological Association that it's not 2016 anymore. First, there was the CAS report, which questioned key claims of transgender medicalization, and then there was the closing of Britain's. Only gender clinic, the Tavistock Clinic. Also, in recent days, in addition to this Supreme Court ruling, LA Children's Hospital announced it would close its Center for Transgender Youth, one of the largest and oldest clinics of its kind, and a hub for so-called gender reassignment surgeries on children. for years.
Also in recent days, LA Children's Hospital announced it would close its Center for Transgender Youth, one of the largest and oldest clinics of its kind, a hub for gender reassignment surgeries on children. And public opinion has also shifted. Earlier this year, the Pew Research Group reported that about two-thirds of adults now support policies that require trans athletes to compete on teams that match their biology. And most adults also support outlawing gender identity curriculum in elementary schools. Compared to just three years ago, more Americans now support laws that require people to use the bathroom that corresponds to their sex.
And more also favor banning transgender surgeries on minors. You might have also heard when Olympic gymnast Simone Biles went after Riley Gaines on X over this issue. Public sentiment turned out in support of, surprise. Riley Gaines. And then just last week, the University of Pennsylvania signed an agreement with the Office of Civil Rights of the Department of Education about men competing in women's sports.
Penn will now strip Leah Thomas of his swimming wins against women, reinstate the integrity of women's athletic teams and spaces, and yes, apologize to the women whose rightful athletic records, titles, or similar recognitions were stolen by a male athlete.
So here we are somewhat on the other side of this cultural confusion. And there are two crucial lessons that we can learn. About how culture changes and about how to fight future battles. First is just how unpredictable and fragile supposedly inevitable cultural progress is. A few short years ago, corporations, government agencies, higher education, entertainment, science, medical establishments were all being aligned in support of this idea that boys can become girls and vice versa.
But then there were a few courageous athletes and artists and filmmakers, D-transitioners, a handful of public figures like J.K. Rowling and Jordan Peterson who spoke out. Unfortunately, there were too many Christians and high-profile pastors unwilling to do the same. And yet, remarkably, those voices were enough to start the resistance. The momentum of the trans movement has now slowed and faltered.
And though irreversible damage was inflicted on far too many individuals, especially children, The mutilation of bodies and the poisoning of minds has turned out to be not inevitable or irreversible, at least culturally speaking. And that should embolden us all to be willing to break the spiral of silence sooner. and to stand courageously against false ideas in the future. After all, what makes the worst ideas flourish is when people are convinced that resistance is futile.
Now the second lesson to learn is just how quickly social contagions can spread. We need to look closely at just how an observably absurd and unscientific idea Like what makes up the transgender ideology, took over the West. That should humble us all. That should highlight the danger of losing a high and shared view of the human person. In fact, until we can agree broadly on what it means to be human, what sex is for, what male and female mean, what marriage is, why there are givens to our embodied nature, Well, we remain susceptible to To other absurd and dangerous notions.
And so we should ask, even as this particularly bad idea is in retreat, what so-called inevitable bad idea might be next? How can we as Christians be better prepared and willing to respond the next time? As neither a prophet nor the son of a prophet, a likely but tentative guess is that we will encounter new and dangerous forms of transhumanism. Just as transgenderism began with the belief that the body's just a vehicle for the so-called authentic self.
So will also visions of biological enhancement and AI relationships and new forms of designer baby eugenics and yes, attempts at immortality. And anyone who believes that there are created givens to the human person and moral boundaries that should limit the expression of our so-called true selves, well, they will once again be castigated and accused of hate and bigotry and being anti-science. But that shouldn't change the fact that Christians who understand that humans are made in the image of God. Have to speak out. They have to do so early and often, and especially clearly, no matter the cost.
Well, thank God that this trans ideology, though far from being fully defeated, is faltering.
However, short of a cultural revolution, In which our createdness is embraced, and the myth of self-creation is rejected. The West will continue to be vulnerable to the next bad idea that comes along and claims to be inevitable. For the Colson Center, I'm John Stone Street with Breakpoint. Today's Breakpoint was co-authored by Shane Morris. If you're a fan of Breakpoint, leave us a review wherever you download your podcast.
And for more resources to live like a Christian in this cultural moment, visit us at breakpoint.org. In a culture that's facing a crisis of mental illness and suicide, Christians of all people should be able to point people to hope. But you have to learn how to bring Christ's hope to those who are around you and are suffering. In the free online course, Hope Always, Dr. Matthew Sleeth, equips Christians to understand this current epidemic of mental illness and suicide and learn what the scripture says to those who are suffering and to those helping those who are suffering.
Especially if you're a parent, a pastor, a teacher, a friend working with the next generation, Hope Always will help you break the silence. And offer real hope to those who need it most. Sign up today at colsoneducators.org. That's colsoneducators.org.
