Transgender Rights Trample Homeless Women

A recent commentary on "transgender rights" briefly drew attention to a new development in homeless shelters in New York City. Homeless men can now choose their residence based on whether they feel like a man or woman. While I do not agree with the spirit in which The Trumpet speaks against this development, they do make an important point. Laws attempting to be "gender neutral" or define "transgender rights" have staggering implications in many places throughout our culture. We are now seeing these implications manifested towards the most helpless members of our society. Perhaps the most profound sentence of the entire commentary states:

"To protect the right of a man who says he feels more comfortable as a woman, the law is preparing to trample on the right of women who feel more comfortable in public bathrooms devoid of perverted men."

This is an attempt to eradicate God-given male-female distinctions and causes grave concerns. In reality, women and children with few alternatives may be forced to sleep in dormitories with predatory men simply because these men report that they "feel" like a woman. As Christians we are called to take care of orphans and widows (James 1:27), and many women in our homeless shelters are modern-day widows. If we allow men to sleep in the bunk right next to their young children, what message does this send to a woman who may have already already been abandoned or mistreated by a man?

As our culture increasingly moves away from God and his Word, we will continue to see these developments. All the more reason for us, as the Church, to take care of the poorest of the poor in the name of Jesus. Only through the gospel of our Lord, Jesus Christ, will these women be truly protected. Only Scriptural truth will enable these confused men to understand that their manhood is intrinsic to who they are as created in the image of God. Legislation and transgender rights are not the primary issue. The gospel is. We must stand up against the further distortion of our genders, but most importantly we must proclaim the gospel to the very people who are confused about their gender.

Our churches, my church, and even my own home, must be a safe place for the battered mother of four even when the homeless shelter down the street decides to integrate the living quarters for the sake of "equality" and "rights." It is troubling that homeless shelters, which are supposed to protect, have now become an unsafe place for women. But this does not leave us without hope. It is a reminder to me that if I want to see the effects of sin reversed in my community, I must be a part of my community. If I want men and women to worship God and see the glory of Christ in our genders, then I must speak to the very issue of transgender homeless shelters - and not only to my Christian friends, but also to the homeless person herself.