“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them (Genesis 1:27 NIV).

–Moses

Imagine this conversation between two chess players in a hotly contested match:

“Checkmate!”

“Hardly, my friend.”

“But your king’s trapped.”

“That’s no longer my king,” he says, as he uses the piece to take the other’s bishop. “I’m identifying the king as a queen.”

“Say what?”

“Yep. Was a king, now a queen.”

“But you can’t do that. It violates the rules of chess–rules in place since the game was invented.”

“I sure can. It was a king, but I imagined it to be a queen; hence, the change in identity. Think of what this will do to the world of chess!”

“Dude, not only would it never fly in the U.S. or World Chess Championships, it wouldn’t even pass muster at the chess tournament down at the local civic center.”

“All I need is enough people to buy into this concept. You just watch me. I’m gonna change the chess world. You’ll see. “

Okay, not a perfect metaphor, but I bet you know where I’m headed. Yes, the transgender phenomenon. This seemingly came out of nowhere, caught on, and is now thrust into the limelight on a regular basis. Furthermore, those of us with, let’s say, a more traditional opinion of the male and female genders are expected to accept it now as a normal part of mainstream America.

But it isn’t. Don’t take my word for it … just ask Anheuser-Busch. The simple fact is less than half of one percent of the U.S. population, age thirteen and up, identify as trans.

Another simple fact: gender is an identifiable demographic, both by genotype (XX vs. XY) and phenotype (outward appearance). That’s Biology 101 or, as today’s popular chant goes, “That’s the science.”

In my medical training, we studied the condition in which a child is born with ambiguous genitalia. We were taught not to refer to the newborn as “he” or “she” when speaking with the parents; then, once the decision was made as to which phenotype would be most easily achieved surgically, the baby was labeled “boy” or “girl.” That’s how significant gender assignment at birth is, and should remain. Incidentally, this condition is so rare I never saw it in 38 years of practice dealing with thousands of newborns.

To be sure, there are individuals who have gender dysphoria, a disorder in which the person’s biological sex and their gender identity don’t match. I suspect they’re dealing with their confusion painfully and privately. They need expert therapy and our compassion, not ridicule.

Others, however, may be simply caught up in this cultural, “anything goes” phenomenon, and seem happy to flaunt it in parades, on runways, in schools, and on social media. If they’re adults, they’re free to make decisions for themselves–as long as they’re not hurting others, especially children. They don’t seek my opinion or validation.

But exposing young children to trans fashion shows, trans book readings, and trans education at school are all a bridge too far for me. Worst of all, putting ideas in the heads of kids far too young to make such a monumental, life-changing decision as gender reassignment is patently wrong. If you believe that, you should speak up and say it must stop. This is about protecting children, not suppressing rights.

I’m old enough to remember that girls who played “boy games” were tomboys and boys who wore pink were sissies. Those were silly notions, but they dissipated as kids reached adolescence. Today, how many would be labeled “gender confused?” Any child who might yield to the adult influence of gender reassignment and actually consent to it needs counseling and therapy.

What I do regret is that this pop culture focus on gender reassignment is  just another example of people turning away from Biblical principles and believing they’re in charge of their gender. I don’t know the statistics, but I’d wager dollars to donuts that the vast majority of Americans believe God created man and woman, and He didn’t intend for them to mess with His creation.

All of that to say this: It’s with us now, like it or not. I don’t see trans women and trans men going away (By the way, why the “trans” qualifier? If they’re now women, or men, why do they refer to themselves as trans women and trans men?). The rest of us have to decide how we’ll respond to this cultural craze. Can we accept them as people first–God’s children just like everyone else–and not hate them or judge their worth as fellow humans?

I know that’s a big ask, but it’s something worth pondering. After all, who among us wants to cast the first stone?