Home News MN religious right continues anti-transgender campaign, goes after Jazz Jennings

MN religious right continues anti-transgender campaign, goes after Jazz Jennings

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MN religious right continues anti-transgender campaign, goes after Jazz Jennings

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Despite stalling in the Minnesota Legislature, a Republican-backed bill targeting transgender-inclusive school policies is getting a lot of attention from Minnesota’s religious right.

HF 1546/SF 1543 would ban public schools from implementing transgender-inclusive policies, and repeal the Minnesota State High School League’s transgender-inclusive appeal’s process. That process was adopted in December and creates a process that allows transgender students to participate on the athletics teams that reflect their gender. HF1546 would also repeal transgender inclusive policies adopted in Minneapolis and St. Paul school districts over the last year.

The Minnesota Family Council released an email last week (April 13) that promoted the idea of “ex-transgender” people, much the same way the group has promoted “ex-gays.” It also took a swipe at transgender teen Jazz Jennings. The email states: “It bears asking: What will happen to Jazz in 50 years? What are Jazz’s parents setting him up for for the rest of his life? What will the long-term medical and psychological effects be? Is this path set out for him by his parents really safe and healthy?” [Editor’s note: MFC misgendered Jennings who identifies as a girl]

MFC followed that email up with one that poked fun at transgender-inclusive laws by claiming that the organization was mounting an anti-ageism campaign:

John Helmberger, MFC’s CEO said this about the campaign to end Ageism: “I have a dear friend who sincerely believes he’s an ‘old soul.’ He has identified as an older man since he was quite young. There’s no reason he should not be allowed to access senior citizens’ discount pricing and Medicare now since he self-identifies over age 65, though his age in birth years is 38.”

MFC then asserts that by allowing transgender people to live their authentic lives, it will lead to their own deaths:

How Christians respond to this latest push from LGBTQ activists has profound social, legal, physical, and – most importantly – spiritual consequences. The lie that a boy can be a girl or a girl can be a boy is… “literally leaving casualties in its wake.”

What will be the consequences for deeply hurting children who are told that they should live out this lie–ultimately chemically altering their bodies with hormones (of which we don’t know all the long-term effects; the effects we DO know include infertility) or even undergoing genital mutilation to help them embrace the “gender identity” adults are telling them they have?

How many gender-confused teens and young adults will end their lives because they can’t find true meaning in the lives society has told them to live?

And, last but certainly not least, if we as a culture reject the basic physical condition of being made in the Creator God’s own image as male or female (“God created mankind in His own image…male and female He created them.” Genesis 1:27), then we reject God Himself (“For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.” Romans 1:20).

How can believers spread the Good News about Jesus’ love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness to a world that rejects even the most basic physical manifestation of His handiwork?

The Minnesota Child Protection League also sent an email to supporters over the weekend asking for donations to put an ad on social media. The ad is similar to one the group distributed in flier form at the Minnesota Republican State Central Committee meeting two weekends ago.

cplactionad

The email stated:

The young man featured in the above ad is actually “gender non-conforming” meaning that he has chosen to present himself as both genders – male and female. In fact, most people do not know that if he wishes, he can choose what team he will play on, the girls’ or boys.’ And in the Minneapolis and St. Paul School Districts, he can even choose what bathroom, locker room and shower he uses. If you find this disturbing, think of the trauma to other children!…
We cannot let this happen! We need to empower the citizens of Minnesota to move legislators into action.

CPLAction is famous for fearlessly taking a strong, clear message to the public. We know we have to give it to them straight! We won’t pretend it’s pretty, or safe. How else will people know this is going on in Minnesota in plain sight? How can parents, families, and voters demand action from Minnesota lawmakers if they don’t know what’s at stake?

We have used the ad shown here, but we need to do more! A lot more!

We need your help! Can you equip us, empower us, to show this ad all across the state?

The work CPLAction does is absolutely essential.

Despite the assertions made by MNCPL, the man in the photo does not identify as “gender Non-conforming.” The Column spoke with the owner of the image last week:

Polina Zadirako of St. Petersburg, Russia, took the image and it’s for sale on Shutterstock for anyone to use. Zadirako runs Queer Studio T, which does artistic photos depicting androgynous, transgender, and gender non-conforming people. The studio also does style, fashion, and makeup for transgender and gender non-conforming people.

The Column reached out to Zadirako to learn more about the photo. “This model is my friend. He is gay. He is not transgender.” In fact, the image is clearly labeled as “androgynous man” on Shutterstock where MNCPL likely purchased the image.

“It’s sad that the photo if being used by an anti-transgender group,” Zadirako said. “This photo was taken by me, and anyone can buy it, but I think that I can’t do anything” about MNCPL’s use of it.

Here are the email sent out by the Minnesota Family Council and the Minnesota Child Protection League over the last week:

Minnesota Family Council, April 13
[gview file=”http://thecolu.mn/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Gmail-Yes-its-perfectly-safe-healthy-for-boys-and-girls-to-be-in-the-same-bathroom.pdf”]

Minnesota Family Council April 17
[gview file=”http://thecolu.mn/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Gmail-No-more-senior-citizen-discounts.pdf”]

Minnesota Child Protection League Action, April 17
[gview file=”http://thecolu.mn/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Gmail-Fwd_-Most-people-have-never-seen-this-ad.pdf”]

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Andy Birkey has written for a number of Minnesota and national publications. He founded Eleventh Avenue South which ran from 2002-2011, wrote for the Minnesota Independent from 2006-2011, the American Independent from 2010-2013. His writing has appeared in The Advocate, The Star Tribune, The Huffington Post, Salon, Cagle News Service, Twin Cities Daily Planet, TheUptake, Vita.mn and much more. His writing on LGBT issues, the religious right and social justice has won awards including Best Beat Reporting by the Online News Association, Best Series by the Minnesota chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, and an honorable mention by the Sex-Positive Journalism awards.

4 COMMENTS

  1. The lie that a boy can be a girl or a girl can be a boy is… “literally leaving casualties in its wake.” NOT TRUE AT ALL !!

    It’s time that IGNORANT People start to gather Emperical Proof of their statements or risk facing THE TRUTH. Ignorant is the working VERB in your case as the Church Is the cause of Trans Deaths and Ridicule because of it’s IGNORANCE.
    The Pope is misinformed as to Transgender as was the Pope in Galileos time. WE were born with the Brain opposite of the Gender we were assigned at birth, now medically proven in a number of ways. Your Bigotry is Tiring as you regurgetate the same old crap attempting to make yourselves RIGHT. You Lie, spend Thousands instead of Learning and least of all, you Do Not Practice Any of Which Christ Taught Much less Follow Your Bible. When you can live and act Christlike you may be taken with thought. Presently, Aristophanes knew people as yourselves, check out what he says about IGNORANCE.

  2. “I was homeless and you wanted a tax break. I was hungry and you asked your Senator to cut SNAP. I was sick and you voted against healthcare for me. I was a transperson who needed equality and a kind word and you gave me neither.”

    ~Jesus, to MFC on the Final Day

  3. Having lost one battle after battle the religious right is running out of targets.

    In attacking Jazz Jennings they show that they have been reduced to picking on school kids!

Comments are closed.