Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness…So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them” Gen 1:26-27.
Rearranging reality
Blue is for boys and pink is for girls – or so we thought. Earlier this year, Target, a chain store in the USA, announced a change in its stores: children’s toy and bedding sections would soon become gender-neutral. The retailer is removing dual ‘building sets’ and ‘girls’ building sets’ aisles. While this may seem surprising to us, for parents in Europe, the idea of gender-neutral parenting is nothing new.
What is gender mainstreaming?
In 1999, the European Union signed a legally-binding protocol to enforce member states to legislate public policies that remove references to male and female. Closely connected to the radical homosexual agenda and to the feminist movement, these policies have been called “gender mainstreaming” (GM).
Sweden and Switzerland
Sweden seems to be one of the biggest proponents of GM. Children are no longer referred to boys and girls at school, but rather by the gender-neutral term “friends”. In 2012, Sweden introduced a gender-neutral personal pronoun “hen” to the country’s vocabulary. A children’s clothing company in Sweden has done away with its designated boys’ and girls’ sections to become a gender-neutral outlet, and a toy catalogue in the same country featured a boy in a Spider-Man costume pushing a pink baby carriage. In Switzerland, parents of school children are no longer to be called mother or father, but “parent 1” and “parent 2”.
Unisex toilets and toys
In other public policy moves across Europe, separate toilets for males and females have been replaced with unisex toilets. Parents are being encouraged to allow their child to explore their gender identity, through cross-dressing and through playing with toys not normally considered appropriate for their sex.
Confusing children
Actors Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have been praised by their fans for their apparent decision to support what is being perceived as their child’s exploration of her gender identity [or rather, confusion]. Pitt and Jolie’s 9-year-old biological daughter, Shiloh has reportedly asked to be called ‘John’ by their family and arrived at the Unbroken film premiere with a cropped haircut and wearing a tuxedo/tie combination. This typifies the promotion of gender-neutral parenting.
While those in support of gender-neutral parenting say this allows children to break free of gender stereotypes, other parents say that this makes children vulnerable to being teased by their peers and to being very confused about their identity.
Christian parents harassed
For Christians in Europe, especially Christian parents who do not want their children indoctrinated with homosexual, or gender mainstreaming, propaganda at school, this is yet another threat to religious freedom and a means for governments, radical homosexual and feminist groups to harass, or even prosecute, Christians who voice their opposition to such policies. Any opposition to “gender mainstreaming” is labelled as “homophobic”, “bigoted”, “narrow-minded” and “hateful.”
Anti-Gender Mainstreaming march in Germany disrupted
When up to a thousand conservative Christ-ian parents at a rally in Stuttgart, Germany (1st February 2014) were protesting against a new gender-mainstreaming, “sexual diversity” curriculum in their schools, homosexual demonstrators blockaded the march, interrupted the rally speeches with heckling and assaulted the listeners, through shoving and throwing paint bombs and eggs. A poster that was against the homosexualising of children was set on fire by the rioters.
Parents’ God-given responsibility
God’s Word is clear. We are “fearfully and wonderfully made” and are created as either male or female. A parent’s God-given responsibility is to “train their child in the way he should go” and to bring them up in the “nurture and admonition of the Lord.” This includes affirming their God-given sexual identity and modelling Biblical roles of brother or sister, husband or wife, father or mother.
“Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.” Matthew 18:6
Gender-neutral Bible
The 2011 New International Version Bible raised concerns from many denominations, as it inserted gender-neutral pronouns such as “brother or sister”, “they” and “them”, instead of the classic “he” or “him” references.” References to God remain “Him”, “He” and “the Father.”
Some feminists are advocating for references to God as Father to be removed in church liturgy and even the Bible. This is in rebellion to God’s chosen revelation of Himself using male pronouns.
Where did the concept of “gender” come from?
In ‘Resist Gender Ideology! United Appeal from Three Branches of Christendom’, Professor Peter Beyerhaus explains, “The introduction of the concept of ‘gender’ goes back to New Zealand psychologist John Money (1921-2008). Based on an extremely dangerous experiment with small children, he claimed that it is not biological predisposition, but upbringing which defines the expression of gender roles, i.e. gender is determined by nurture not nature.
While women’s rights movements had initially demanded only equal rights for women, since the “third wave” of the feminist movement in the early 1990s, it has, in addition, been about the social and functional equality of women in all spheres of life. GM activists endeavour to enforce the absolute equality of the sexes in all areas. In addition, they maintain there are not just two genders, but a variety.”
European Union legislation
“The term ‘gender-mainstreaming’ was first discussed in 1985 at the 3rd UN World Conference on Women in Nairobi. In 1997, the European Union declared GM as a mandatory task for its member states. In 1999, this was enshrined as legally binding. Consequently, all EU member states laid down GM within their statutory guidelines. This means, first, that no differences in the treatment of people of both sexes may be made in all sectors of public life. The implications for all this are revolutionary.
Gender studies in academia
“Lesbian philosopher and professor at University of California, Berkeley, Judith Butler, is considered to be a pioneer thinker of gender ideology. In her opinion, because male and female, and marriage and parenting roles support patriarchy, these differences should be eliminated. Part of this for her, is the introduction of ‘gender-neutral language’.
Within two decades, Judith Butler’s ideas have become regular curriculum subjects at many universities under the name ‘Gender Studies’.”
A war against patriarchy
Gender mainstreaming is serving to compound Hollywood’s war against the Biblical idea of patriarchy – that the husband is the head of his wife and the father is the leader of his home.
Radical homosexuals, feminists, and gender activists’ agenda to destroy the family and the image of God displayed through male and female, is ultimately a war against God Himself. Marriage is meant to be a picture of the Gospel – a husband laying his life down for his wife – just as Christ sacrificially gave up His life for His Bride – the Church.
“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the Church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the Word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious Church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish” Eph 5:25-27.
Coming to a university near you!
According to information revealed to us by a University of Cape Town (UCT) Student Representative Council (SRC) leader, this year the SRC at UCT seriously discussed doing away with male and female bathrooms and even residences, and having a SRC cross-dressing day in order to promote a LGBTI-friendly campus! Homosexual indoctrination “sensitisation workshops” are proposed as part of the Orientation Week programme for new students.
Phillip Rosenthal of Christian View Network, has evaluated a new policy drafted for UCT. He says: “The UCT ‘Draft Sexualities Policy’ proposed by the UCT HIV/AIDS Inclusivity and Change Unit (HAICU) amongst other proposals: prohibits the use of ‘heteronormative language’ i.e. gender distinctive and pro-marriage words like male, female, husband, wife, boyfriend, girlfriend in teaching, institutional communication and all publications by staff and students and requires ‘sensitivity training’ (i.e. brainwashing with political correctness) for academic staff and student leaders. Supporters boast that this is the ‘first’ South African university to consider such a policy, which implies they hope it will spread to other campuses.”
According to a study by the University of Massachusetts, there are over 150 college campuses across the US that have set-up gender-neutral restrooms. Rosenthal explains: “Such policies force universities to decide gender by ‘self-identification’, for example, if a male says he is female, then he can get access to live in a female residence and share the same bathroom facilities and showers, etc – although it does allow for exceptional referral to co-ed residences. Overseas, such policies have led directly to the sexual abuse of women – e.g. privacy invasion and sexual groping – and it is likely the same will happen at UCT.”
What you can do
Such policies could be used to persecute Christians as was done earlier this year to the UCT SRC Vice-Chairperson Zizipho Pae.
Christian students and parents should voice their concerns and objections to such policies to the Student Representative Council and Vice-Chancellor of your university. Email the Vice-Chancellor of UCT – Max Price at vc@uct.ac.za to urge rejection of the UCT ‘Draft Sexualities Policy’ and the disbanding of HAICU.
Gender mainstreaming and homosexual indoctrination and persecution of Christians is God’s judgement on nations whom He has “given over to their sinful hearts’ desires” Rom 1:24. Unless we repent, seek His Face (2 Chronicles 7:14) and by prayer and action resist this anti-family agenda, our children will be subjected to even greater anti-God indoctrination and persecution.
TARYN HODGSON is the International Co-ordinator of the Christian Action Network, www.christianaction.org.za