Additional Resources
Resource Categories:
Ask Me First MN's Parent Resource Guide
A Christian Response to Transgender Issues
Locally Relevant
Legal Issues
Science and Medicine
Gender Identity Ideology
Videos
Book Recommendations
Helpful Websites from a Secular Point of View
Resource Pages
Now Available: Minnesota Parent Resource Guide
The Parent Resource Guide clarifies confusing terminology, describes the health consequences of the transgender trend, debunks popular myths, and offers a wealth of constructive ideas for parents who want to work with their schools to foster a genuinely inclusive climate based on truth and compassion.
By Ask Me First MN
Responding to the Transgender Issue
What is the Transgender Agenda, and how should Christians respond?
An excellent summary of the historical origins of gender ideology, its implications for free speech and practice of religion, and the impact it has on young people.
By Sharon James
If Your Child Says S/he's Transgender
An excellent guide on how to respond when your child announces they identify as transgender.
By The Arlington Parent Coalition
A six-part series on transgenderism that is based on a Scriptural understanding of man and woman. Includes resources.
By Focus on the Family
When Transgenderism Enters Your World, free PDF guide
Sign up using your email to receive this free PDF guide which explains the basics of the transgender issue. The guide illustrates how transgenderism affects our culture, describes the basics of the ideology, and defines transgender terminology. Includes ideas and guidance for dealing with specific scenarios.
By Focus on the Family
Gender Confusion in Our Schools
How can parents and students take a stand for children’s privacy and safety—while at the same time demonstrating the love of Christ to hurting people around them?
By True Tolerance, a project of Focus on the Family
Understanding and Responding to the Transgender Movement
A comprehensive document from the Family Research Council that sheds light on the transgender movement and offers tools to help you respond.
By Dale O’Leary and Peter Sprigg
Time for Parents to Resist Transgender Activism
Minnesota parent and Ask Me First grassroots coordinator, Emily Zinos, tells of her personal experience with transgender activism in a local charter school.
By Emily Zinos, Ask Me First MN
The Christian Response to Gender Dysphoria
We must approach individuals with gender dysphoria with both grace and truth, walking with them in understanding while avoiding affirming confusion.
By Andrew T. Walker for the Gospel Coalition
He, She, Ze, Zir? Navigating pronouns while loving your transgender neighbor
How to gracefully interact with transgender family members, coworkers, or church visitors while also obeying Scripture and your conscience.
By Andrew T. Walker
Transgender Persons, Human Dignity and Our Response
A Catholic response to gender ideology from the Minnesota Catholic Conference.
By Jason Adkins
Heartbreaking and Trendy: Celebration of Gender Confusion
Ask Me First MN is an opportunity to speak out in defense of God’s most beautiful creation: men and women.
Emily Zinos for the MFC Team Blog
Locally Relevant
Letter to Minnesota School Districts: You Have the Freedom to Protect Privacy of ALL Students
A letter distributed to school boards across Minnesota explaining that the Transgender Toolkit violates student privacy, undermines parental authority and discriminates against female athletes.
By Alliance Defending Freedom and North Star Law and Policy Center
MN Parental Curriculum Review Law (120b.20) “Opt-Out Law”
MN parents have the right to review all curricula used in their child’s public school classroom, and if they object, they have have the right to arrange for alternate instruction.
Katherine Kersten on the Minnesota Department of Education’s Transgender Toolkit
How is it “safe” to encourage children to make irreversible, life-transforming decisions on a matter that is poorly understood by medical professionals?
By Katherine Kersten
A local charter school's experience with transgender activism.
By Katherine Kersten
Pediatric gender clinics: We may look back and ask 'what were we thinking?’
A new pediatric gender clinic at Children's Hospital Minnesota puts kids in harm’s way.
By Katherine Kersten
A review of a guidebook recommended for use in MN public schools by the MN Department of Education's Transgender Toolkit.
By Child Protection League
The Minnesota State High School League Transgender Policy
The appeals process by which biological boy may play on girls' sports teams.
Commentary on the MSHSL transgender policy in First Things
Commentary on a new policy on transgender athletes which would allow a biological male or to play on a team with girls.
By Carl R. Trueman
Legal Issues
Heritage Foundation report on how to best accommodate the dignity, privacy, and safety concerns of students who identify as transgender while also addressing the dignity, privacy, and safety concerns of other students.
By Ryan Anderson and Melody Wood of the Heritage Foundation
Sexual Ideology Indoctrination: The Equality Act’s Impact on School Curriculum and Parental Rights
Heritage Foundation report on the impact the Equality Act could have on school curricula and child health.
By Andrea Jones and Emilie Kao
How to Think About Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) Policies and Religious Freedom
The law must leave people free to engage in actions based on the conviction that we are created male and female and that male and female are created for each other.
By Ryan T. Anderson, Heritage Foundation
A Brave New World of Transgender Advocacy
An adapted chapter of Ryan T. Anderson’s book, ‘When Harry Became Sally’, printed in the Winter 2018 edition of the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy.
By Ryan T. Anderson
Anti-Discrimination Laws Are Wielded against a Shelter for Battered Women
Whenever anti-discrimination laws reference gender identity instead of sex, vulnerable women are put at a serious disadvantage.
By Howard Slugh and Aylana Meisel
Public Restrooms—Your Privacy and Safety
Cities and states across the nation have slowly been adding “gender identity” to public accommodations non-discrimination laws.
By Focus on the Family
Rendering the Sexed Body Legally Invisible: How Transgender Law Hurts Women
The distortion of legal language pertaining to biological sex is a particular threat to laws concerning women.
By Erika Bachiochi
Model Student Privacy Policy for Public Schools
A model privacy policy from Alliance Defending Freedom regarding student use of restrooms, locker rooms, showers, and other school facilities where students may be in a state of undress in the presence of other students.
By The Alliance Defending Freedom
Legal Experts: Transgender Pronoun Mandates Are Unconstitutional
Government mandates that force people to use a transgender person’s preferred name and pronoun are unconstitutional restrictions on the First Amendment right to free speech, legal experts say.
By Peter Hasson
Science and Medicine
Transgenderism: A Pathogenic Meme
Renowned psychiatrist Dr. Paul McHugh explains why gender dysphoria should be treated with psychotherapy, not surgery.
By Dr. Paul McHugh
Problems with Puberty Suppression in Treating Gender Dysphoria
Paul W. Hruz, Lawrence S. Mayer, Paul R. McHugh
Gender Ideology Harms Children
The American College of Pediatricians urges healthcare professionals, educators and legislators to reject all policies that condition children to accept as normal a life of chemical and surgical impersonation of the opposite sex. Facts – not ideology – determine reality.
By The American College of Pediatricians
KEY ISSUES IN DECISION-MAKING FOR GENDER TRANSITION TREATMENT: Questions and answers
Are “gender transition treatments” safe, “curative” and in the child’s best interest?
By Dianna Kenny, PhD
Pushing Kids Into Transgenderism Is Medical Malpractice
It is sadistic to use the public school system, which holds a captive audience, to engage in a social gender identity experiment with the nation’s young people.
By Walt Heyer
“My Child is Transgender. Make Her a Son.” Guidance for the Doctor.
Helpful health information for medical practitioners to share with their patients regarding transgender issues.
By Andrè Van Mol, MD
A slide presentation detailing an overview of transgender studies with a particular focus on youth.
By Paul Dirks, Director of Research at Parents United Canada
Gender Dysphoria in Children: Summary Points
The American College of Pediatricians urges health professionals, educators and legislators to reject all policies that condition children to accept a life of chemical and surgical impersonation of the opposite sex as normal and healthful.
By The American College of Pediatricians
Gender Dysphoria in Children: Full Statement
New "affirmative" treatment protocols of Gender Dysphoria are founded upon an unscientific gender ideology, lack an evidence base, and violate the long-standing ethical principle of “First do no harm.”
By The American College of Pediatricians
Medical professionals who dare to question the unscientific party line of supporting gender transition therapy will find themselves maligned and out of a job.
By Michelle Cretella, president of the American College of Pediatricians
Misunderstanding a New Kind of Gender Dysphoria
Teens who present unexpectedly with discomfort in their sexual identity may have Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria.
By Lisa Marchiano
Understanding Gender Identity Disorder
Gender Identity Disorder in children is a highly treatable condition. The majority of children treated by those with expertise in this area are able to embrace the goodness of their masculinity or femininity.
By Richard Fitzgibbons
An in-depth look at gender identity from a medical and psychological point of view in this third part of a series surveying scientific research on the mental health issues faced by LGBT populations.
By Dr. Lawrence S. Mayer, Dr. Paul R. McHugh
A study of parental observations of adolescent-onset gender dysphoria.
By Lisa Littman
There's Growing Evidence For A Link Between Gender Dysphoria And Autism Spectrum Disorders
Mounting evidence over the last decade points to increased rates of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and autism traits among children and adults with gender dysphoria.
By Zhana Vrangalova
Gender Dysphoria Resource for Providers, 3rd Edition
An informational resource on gender dysphoria you can share with your medical provider.
By Dr. William Malone
Gender Ideology
The Transgender Movement is a Vehicle for Censorship and State Power
Stella Morabito identifies four features that indicate the transgender movement's role as a vehicle for state centralization of power.
By Stella Morabito
Opposing the Transgender Movement
Embolden people who know in their hearts and minds that trans ideology is utterly false and destructive. They will resist if they see others doing so.
By Amy Contrada
Walt Heyer lived as a woman for nearly a decade before he found hope and healing as a man of Christ.
By Walt Heyer
An African-American Woman Reflects on the Transgender Movement
Nuriddeen Knight imagines what would happen if she had declared that the race of her body didn’t match that of her mind and then compares this thought experiment to the ideas inherent in transgenderism.
By Nuriddeen Knight
The Transgender Revolution and the Rubble of Empty Promises
Ultimately, the transgender question is about more than just sex. It’s about what it means to be human.
By Russell Moore, President of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention
Being a man or a woman is not about what we do or what we look like, it’s about who we are.
By Pia de Solenni
Videos
VIDEO: Man or Woman? Understanding the Church's teaching on Transgenderism
Length: 1:08
Transgenderism has been a major cultural phenomenon in the last several years. How should believers respond to this new ideology? Should changing public policies be encouraged or resisted? What is the loving response to those who identify as transgender? Come discover the richness of our faith and the beauty of God's plan for human sexuality.
John-Mark L. Miravalle, professor of Systematic and Moral theology at Mount St. Mary's Seminary in Maryland.
VIDEO: Transgender Talking Points for Kids
Length: 3 minutes
Katy Faust of CanaVox encourages parents to establish themselves as the expert on tough questions and makes it easy for parents to talk to their kids about the transgender issue.
VIDEO: Dr. Michelle Cretella: Puberty blockers are “institutionalized child abuse."
Length: 6 minutes
Dr. Michelle Cretella explains how transgender ideology has infiltrated her field and produced large-scale child abuse through chemical castration, sterilization, and surgical mutilation.
Michelle Cretella, M.D., is president of the American College of Pediatricians, a national organization of pediatricians and other health care professionals dedicated to the health and well-being of children.
VIDEO: How the Ideology of Genderism is implanted in Children through Sexual Education
Length: 18 minutes
Gabriele Kuby demonstrates how sex education is being used to undermine the child’s understanding of sexual identity.
Gabriele Kuby, German sociologist, author, and researcher.
VIDEO: He or She? How Should I Refer to Transgender Friends? Ask Pastor John
Length: 10 minutes
Pastor John Piper discusses the importance of upholding the truth in our relationships with those who are transgender-identified.
VIDEO: Eight Theses That Help Us Think Biblically About Transgenderism
Length: 41 minutes
Dr. James Anderson shares eight principles based in Christian anthropology that help us to understand and respond to transgenderism.
Dr. James Anderson, Associate Professor in Theology and Philosophy at the Reformed Theological Seminary, Charlotte, North Carolina
VIDEO: The Politicization of Gender: Disfiguring Western Culture
Length: 57 minutes
Professor Douglas Farrow explains that gender is separate from sex, and that it is an ideology bent on eliminating sexual difference and devaluing our bodies.
Douglas Farrow, Faculty of Religious Studies, McGill University, Montreal
VIDEO: The Terrible Fraud of 'Transgender Medicine'
Length: 41 minutes
A former member of the Johns Hopkins University Hospital group where "transgender medicine" was developed describes the lies, bad medicine, and fraud behind that movement. Quentin Van Meter, MD, FCP is a pediatric endocrinologist. He is a Fellow of the American College of Pediatricians and the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists.
By MassResistance
VIDEO: Biology Isn’t Bigotry Video
Length: 1:07
Women from the Hands Across the Aisle coalition participate in a panel discussion of how women from the political right and the left can work together to fight transgender ideology.
Heritage Foundation
VIDEO: Title IX and Transgender Politics in Public Schools
Length: 1:13
A presentation on gender identity in MN law and public school policies, with practical tips on how parents and students can exercise their rights to privacy and free speech.
Autumn Leva of Family Policy Alliance
VIDEO: The Unintended Victims of Bathroom Bills and Locker Room Policies
Length: 11 minutes
Women tell their stories of why single-sex bathrooms, locker rooms, and showers really matter.
Alliance Defending Freedom
Length: 11 minutes
The Obama “Bathroom Mandate” used to bully schools into adopting bathroom, changing room and housing policies that eradicate privacy has been rescinded.
By Ask Me First MN
VIDEO: Gender Dysphoria in Children: Understanding the Science and Medicine
Length: 1 hour
Panel Discussion of the risks involved in transgender medical procedures for children. Hosted by The Heritage Foundation with Dr. Michelle Cretella, Dr. Paul Hruz, and Dr. Allen Josephson
Book Recommendations
The New Normal: The Transgender Agenda
Edited by Dr. Lisa Nolland
The ideology that individuals can recreate their gender identity and demand society’s approval is now commonplace in the UK. In this book, Christian thinkers in the fields of philosophy, sociology, theology, literature and medicine explain the background to this ‘new normal’ and why it damages both the individuals concerned and the wider society.
Love Thy Body: Answering Hard Questions about Life and Sexuality
By Nancy R. Pearcey
Why the call to Love Thy Body? To counter a pervasive hostility toward the body and biology that drives today's headline stories. Bestselling author Nancy Pearcey goes beyond politically correct talking points to give a riveting exposé of the dehumanizing impact of secularist views of life and sexuality, demonstrating that they undermine human dignity and destroy human rights. Many people absorb media mantras on watershed ethical questions without being aware of their hurtful implications.
When Harry Became Sally: Responding to the Transgender Moment
by Ryan T. Anderson
The transgender movement has hit breakneck speed. In the space of a year, it’s gone from something that most Americans had never heard of to a cause claiming the mantle of civil rights.
But can a boy truly be “trapped” in a girl’s body? Can modern medicine really “reassign” sex? Is sex something “assigned” in the first place? What’s the loving response to a friend or child experiencing a gender-identity conflict? What should our law say on these issues?
When Harry Became Sally: Responding to the Transgender Moment provides thoughtful answers to all of these questions. Drawing on the best insights from biology, psychology, and philosophy, Ryan T. Anderson offers a balanced approach to the policy issues, a nuanced vision of human embodiment, and a sober and honest survey of the human costs of getting human nature wrong.
Paper Genders: Pulling the Mask Off the Transgender Phenomenon
by Walt Heyer
This book debunks the glowing promises of gender change surgery and exposes the heart-breaking story of suicide and wrecked lives that the advocates would prefer to keep hidden.
Gender, Lies and Suicide: A Whistleblower Speaks Out
by Walt Heyer
In GENDER, LIES AND SUICIDE, Walt Heyer analyzes the issues which fuel the tragedy of transgender suicide and shares selected stories from the many people who write him seeking to undo the tragic consequences from their decision to change genders.
by Walt Heyer
One church says "No" to a scary person. Another church says "Yes" and the astonishing results demonstrate why Scripture says of faith, hope and love that "the greatest of these is love." This inspiring true story will encourage and equip you and your church with ways to show God's love to a transgender person.
Sex Scandal: The Drive to Abolish Male and Female
By Ashley McGuire
Men and women used to cheer: vive la différence!
But now, contrary to all science and common sense, we’re supposed to believe that there is no difference. (And if you insist there is, you just might be accused of a hate crime!) Our culture—and our laws—are endorsing a worldview rooted in craziness.
by Daniel Moody
Why are words such as Husband and Mother having their legal meaning changed? What is transgenderism? And what happens when persons living in the womb are declared to be legal non-persons? Besides being more user-friendly than the original book, this expanded edition of The Flesh Made Word contains new material in support of the claim that transgenderism is a by-product of abortion laws. If you want to know why the world seems to be bending out of shape, this book is for you.
The Global Sexual Revolution: Destruction of Freedom in the Name of Freedom
by Gabriele Kuby
Gabriele Kuby surveys gender ideology and LGBT demands, the devastating effects of pornography and sex-education, attacks on freedom of speech and religion, the corruption of language, and much more. From the movement's trailblazers to the post-Obergefell landscape, she documents in meticulous detail how the tentacles of a budding totalitarian regime are slowly gripping the world in an insidious stranglehold.
God and the Transgender Debate: What does the Bible actually say about gender identity?
By Andrew Walker
What is transgender and gender fluidity? What does God's Word actually say about these issues? How can the gospel be good news for someone experiencing gender dysphoria? How do churches respond?
This warm, faithful and careful book helps Christians understand what the Bible says about gender identity. It will help us to engage lovingly, thoughtfully and faithfully with one of the most explosive cultural discussions of our day.
Transgender: Christian compassion, convictions and wisdom for today's big questions (Talking Points)
By Vaughan Roberts
There’s been huge cultural change in the last few decades. Same-sex marriage would have been unthinkable 20 or 30 years ago. Now it’s almost universally accepted in the Western world. Now suddenly the issue of transgender is the next big social, cultural issue that has dominated the headlines.
Vaughan Roberts surveys the Christian worldview and seeks to apply these principles to the many complex questions surrounding gender identity. This short book gives an overview and a starting point for constructive discussion as we seek to live in a world with different values, and love, serve and relate to transgender people.
Helpful Websites from a Secular Point of View
A community of parents & friends skeptical of the "transgender child/teen" trend.
A website for parents who are concerned about the current trend to diagnose ‘gender non-conforming’ children as transgender.
First, Do No Harm: Youth Gender Professionals
Professionals Thinking Critically about the Youth Transgender Narrative.
A coalition of progressive and conservative women drawing attention to the harm the transgender movement causes to women and girls.
Resource Pages
American College of Pediatricians
Sex Change Regret: A Site for People Who Regret Changing Genders
Walt Heyer, who formerly identified as transgender, offers this resource for those who regret their own transition.
Resource page from the American College of Pediatricians on Gender Identity and Gender Dysphoria
An extensive list of resources on sexual identity from the American College of Pediatricians
Help 4 Families Ministry serves families who have a loved one who cross dresses or lives the life of transsexual. Our goal is to demonstrate God’s grace and love through the difficulties that gender identity disorder brings to families and their loved ones. Help4Families provides encouragement, loving support, and a compassionate approach to restoration.
Resources for those looking for hope and healing of gender identity issues
Resources that may be helpful as a starting point for those looking for hope and healing for gender identity issues.
Compiled by Focus on the Family