With NHS England pausing cross-sex hormones for under-18s, Becky Hunter-Kelm believes it’s more important than ever for families and churches to offer loving support, honest conversations, and biblical hope to young people who are struggling
NHS England has just paused prescribing cross-sex hormones to under 18s. While this may be frustrating for 16 and 17-year-olds questioning their gender, it can be considered good news for children who may go on to regret using the cross-hormones later in life.
Previous research into the use of testosterone and oestrogen with under-18s who identify as a gender different from their biological sex did not produce findings clear enough on how helpful or harmful they really were.
it does appear incongruent to offer these drugs to young people who are not legally old enough to drink alcohol, have sex, or drive a car
These cross-sex hormones can cause someone who feels like they are living in the wrong gendered body to develop characteristics aligned with their preferred gender, like a deeper voice or developing breasts. These physical changes are drastic and irreversible - so it does appear incongruent to offer these drugs to young people who are not legally old enough to drink alcohol, have sex, or drive a car.
We know God made us wonderfully and fearfully as male or female at birth and sex recorded at birth is the definition of ‘biological sex’ by the latest UK Supreme Court judgement in this area. But we also know that sometimes young people experience confusing and sometimes distressing feelings when they reflect on their biological sex and how that relates to their ideas of what it means to be a man or a woman in our culture (this is called ‘gender dysphoria’).
Our homes, our churches, and our youth groups need to be safe places for both our children and others to know that they are loved and accepted
As Christian parents, we should be aware that gender dysphoria is real and, according to the NHS, it can be “so intense it can lead to depression and anxiety and have a harmful impact on daily life”.
Our homes, our churches, and our youth groups need to be safe places for both our children and others to know that they are loved and accepted, no matter what they are feeling about their gender and that prescribed hormones are not the quick, easy fix they think they’re looking for.
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I agree with Helen Joyce, the director of advocacy at sex-based rights charity Sex Matters, when she spoke out and called the prescription of cross-sex hormones to under-18s “outrageous” and said the “pause to take stock of the evidence is long overdue. Under-18s are simply too young to consent to such irreversible, life-changing consequences.”
We’ve seen young people take hormones before and regret it. Keira Bell brought a legal case against the government last year because in response to her gender dysphoria she took hormones that altered her body permanently.
So what can we do?
So how can we support young people- or our child- who is struggling with gender dysphoria? How can we get around families in our churches or schools who are going through this- and ultimately, if changing bodies to match what teenagers are feeling isn’t the solution, what is?
1. Became known for compassionate care for gender dysmorphic teens
First, we mustn’t diminish how these children are feeling. We can all remember what it feels like to be 16; now layer the deep confusion about your gender on top of that. It can be a lonely and painful experience. Young people with gender dysphoria will need safe, non-judgmental, caring adults to talk to. Let’s listen to and validate how they are feeling without affirming their desire to transition.
Even though the world divides our personhood into feelings and biology when it comes to gender, the Bible teaches that our bodies and souls are connected
2. Have conversations with your kids and open up the Bible together
Where I live in Türkiye, transgender people are not common out in public, nor are advocacy groups. My 11-year-old son came home after school one day last week and asked me what transgender meant because his mate had used it as an insult during a football match!
This was a stark reminder for me of the need for education; just because we don’t currently live in a part of the world where many transgender young people are seen, it doesn’t mean there aren’t any! I explained to my son what it meant, and we had a conversation about calling someone transgender as an insult: what if a young person was wrestling with questions of gender identity, and overheard? How would that make them feel?
Education within the family unit on the subject is vital, no matter where we live. Secondary schools in the UK will be covering transgenderism in Sex and Relationships education as part of the curriculum- but let’s dig into the subject with our teens at home, and look at what the Bible says: ‘God created us all in his image, male and female.’ (Genesis 1:26). Even though the world divides our personhood into feelings and biology when it comes to gender, the Bible teaches that our bodies and souls are connected. He made us whole beings, in which the Holy Spirit takes up residence.
The Bible teaches us to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice and allow God to transform our minds (Romans 12:1-2)
3. Remember that feelings don’t trump everything else
Next, we have to address our so-called ‘right’ to happiness. The temptation to escape the pain of gender dysphoria by taking cross-sex hormones is so compelling because the world says, ‘If you feel unhappy, you should do whatever it takes to change that- even to the extent of playing God and changing your gender.’ But a good doctor wouldn’t offer gastric band surgery to an anorexic person just because they ‘felt’ fat!
Our feelings are not dependable - especially during adolescence. The prefrontal cortex, responsible for logical decision-making, does not even fully come online until approximately 24 years of age. The Bible teaches us to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice and allow God to transform our minds (Romans 12:1-2). Instead of permanently changing the body to match unreliable feelings, it’s the mind that needs ‘taking captive to Christ’. From discipleship in the truth of God’s word about who we are, to specialised counselling, God is more than able to use us to help bring our precious teenagers through these feelings of gender dysmorphia.
‘Becky, does God still love me even though I’ve changed?’ My answer was resounding: ‘ALWAYS!’
4. Remind everyone of God’s love for all
Finally, there’s one transgender teenager I worked with whom I still pray for and will never forget. Amy was born female. Throughout years 7-9, she came to the after-school club I ran. She attended a couple of our summer residentials, learning more about God and how he made her and loved her. She dropped off through years 10 and 11, and then, finally, when she was in sixth form, dressed as a boy with masculine features, she dropped by the after-school club. We got chatting, and I’ll never forget what she said to me: ‘Becky, does God still love me even though I’ve changed?’ My answer was resounding: ‘ALWAYS!’
Let’s thank God for this NHS decision to pause the prescription of sex hormones to under-18s. As we embrace young people struggling with gender identity with the deep love and compassion God shows to all of us, let’s affirm that we believe God made them in his image, and commit to them because we believe Jesus can bring wholeness.
For more informaiton on transgender questions, see this report from the Evangelical Alliance and this video from Theology in the Raw.
