More Christian transantagonism

Last updated 07/27/2025

1. Transgender people, trans women in particular, are portrayed as predators targeting cisgender women and children. This is not unique to Christian circles, but they are a big source of this dangerous stereotype. Right-wing organizations have gone so far as to fabricate stories about trans people preying on cis people.

All this becomes even more reprehensible when you consider some of the responses towards cisgender male Christians who prey upon women and children.

Uncritical examples

Protect your kids from tyrant Obama by James Dobson | World Net Daily (May 2016)

Archived on Wayback Machine, Archive.today, and Ghost Archive

America At The Movies 2016 by Rod Dreher | The American Conservative (May 2016)

Archived on Wayback Machine and Archive.today

House Dem: Religious rights must bow to LGBT by Michael F. Haverluck | One News Now (April 2019)

Archived on Wayback Machine

Commentary

Colleen Francis and the infamous Evergreen State College incident by Cristan Williams | The TransAdvocate

Anti-LGBT Group Admits It Invented Story About Transgender Student Harassing Classmates [UPDATED] by Zack Ford | ThinkProgress (October 2017)

Michelle Duggar's Hypocrisy Regarding Sexual Predators by R.L. Stollar | Homeschoolers Anonymous (August 2014)

The Rod D. Horror Picture Show | slacktivist (May 2016)

Get your own house in order | Kathryn Brightbill (April 2016)

2. Gender roles are a big, big deal in conservative circles. They're the kind of roles that punish people (including children) for acting in ways deemed inappropriate for their perceived gender.

Uncritical examples

Missing the Target: Some Brief Thoughts on Target's Cultural Capitulation by Grant Castleberry | The Council On Biblical Manhood And Womanhood (August 2015, deadnames a famous trans person)

Archived on Wayback Machine, Archive.today, and Ghost Archive

Commentary

None yet

3. The quote “God made them male and female” is brought up to attack transgender people.

Uncritical examples

Trinity Church Confessional Statement (archived in December 2022)

Archived on Wayback Machine

Commentary

None yet

4. Many transantagonistic Christians falsely claim trans activists encourage minors to get surgery when they're young.

Uncritical examples:

12 Ways God-Rejecters Murder, Attack, & Abuse Children | Biblical Evidence For Catholicism With Dave Armstrong (July 2023)

Archived on Wayback Machine, Archive.today, and Ghost Archive

Dispelling Myths About “Mental Illness” A Biblical Perspective by John MacArthur | Grace Community Church (June 2024)

Archived on Wayback Machine, Archive.today, and Ghost Archive

Commentary:

None yet

5. Some Christians try to frame gender dysphoria as a result of society telling people gender isn't determined by sexual characteristics.

Uncritical examples:

Can a person be born with the wrong gender? | Got Questions

Archived on Wayback Machine, Archive.today, and Ghost Archive

Commentary

None yet

More about Christian transantagonism

Christians must unpack their transphobia and stand with transgender communities by Molly Baskette | The Daily Californian (May 2019)

Death by Hate by Celeste Irwin (May 2023, discusses suicide)

Reagan, Racism, and Transphobia at Colorado Christian University Anti-Abortion Event by Heidi Beetle | Colorado Times Recorder (August 2022)

Christian Right tips to fight transgender rights: separate the T from the LGB by Hélène Barthélemy | Southern Poverty Law Center (October 2017)

The Christian nationalist boot camp pushing anti-trans laws across America by Sarah Posner | Insider

This Law Firm Is Linked to Anti-Transgender Bathroom Bills Across the Country by Mary Emily O'Hara | NBC News (April 2017)

Christian Shelter Defends Choice To Reject Homeless Transgender Woman by Carol Kuruvilla | Huff Post (January 2019)

Christian minister to Ohio lawmakers: Trans rights supporters are "possessed by demons" by Hemant Mehta | Friendly Atheist Substack (April 2023)

How evangelical and right-wing media spread a false story about health care for trans youth by Kayla Gogarty and Brianna January | Media Matters For America (October 2019)

How to Tell if Your Church is Welcoming for Transgender People by Fr. Shannon Kearns | Queer Theology (August 2014)

Montana pastor Jordan Hall admits fabricating story about transgender Native American lobbyist by Darrell Erhrlick | Great Falls Tribune (May 2022)

Child Sacrifice is Not Christian | Celestial Navigation (December 2023)

The Duggars, The Jenners, And The Growing Exodus From Christianity | John Pavlovitz (June 2015)

A Catholic U.S. hospital refused to do a trans man's surgery calling it "intrinsically evil" by Daniel Villarreal | LGBTQ Nation (March 2019)

Further information

15 Experts Debunk Right-Wing Transgender Bathroom Myth by Carlos Maza and Luke Brinker | Media Matters For America (March 2014)

Young Children Do Not Receive Medical Gender Transition Treatment by Kate Yandell | FactCheck.org (May 2023)

Recent Anti-Trans Articles Miss the Point of Gender-Affirming Care by Kaiyti Duffy, MD, MPH | Teen Vogue (November 2022)

Women athletes are being abused, and the helpful media aren't helping. | Pervert Justice (June 2024, discusses how policing of trans women has lead to cis women being harassed and attacked, and how people supposedly defending the latter group can reinforce the same standards leading to those attacks)

A Comprehensive Guide To The Debunked ”Bathroom Predator” Myth by Erin Fitzgerald | Media Matters For America (May 2016)

Public Restrooms | DC Trans Coalition (discusses how bathroom bills and predatory stereotypes have harmed trans people)

It always gets me when transphobic politicians argue against recognising the gender of trans youth by bringing up the locker room canard... | David J. Prokopetz (July 2015)

The right is dominating Facebook engagement on content about trans issues by Brianna January | Media Matters For America (July 2020)

Making Sense of Autogynephilia Debates by Julia Serano | Medium (October 2019)