Quick Takeaways

• You are the expert on your child. No outside organization, practitioner, or ideology should override your God-given responsibility to protect and nurture your family.

• Parental rights include the right to accurate information. Making wise healthcare decisions requires understanding which approaches help families and which ones cause harm.

• Conversion therapy undermines parental authority by inserting unqualified practitioners between you and your child, often blaming parents for their child's struggles.

• Faith-based alternatives exist that honor both your beliefs and your child's well-being without damaging your family bond.

• Research shows family acceptance protects children from depression, substance abuse, and suicide while strengthening faith and family connections.

When your child tells you they identify as transgender, one of the first things you may feel is a deep sense of responsibility. As a Christian parent, you want to honor God, protect your child, and make decisions rooted in wisdom rather than fear. You also want to exercise the parental rights that scripture and our legal traditions have long recognized as sacred.

The good news? You do not have to choose between your faith and your child.

Your Role as a Parent Matters Most

Research from the Family Acceptance Project confirms what scripture has always taught: a parent's love and support are the single most important factors in a child's health and well-being. When children feel loved unconditionally by their parents, they are protected against depression, substance abuse, and suicidal thoughts. This remains true even when parents are navigating disagreements or working through difficult questions together.

Brandon Boulware, a Christian father and son of a Methodist minister, learned this firsthand. For years, he tried to change his daughter, forcing her to wear boy clothes, get short haircuts, and play on boys' sports teams. His intentions were protective, but the result was devastating.

"My child was miserable," Brandon testified before Missouri lawmakers. "No confidence, no friends, no laughter. I had a child who did not smile."

The transformation came when Brandon stopped trying to change his daughter and started loving her as she was. The change, he said, was immediate. Today, he has a confident, smiling, happy child.

What Undermines Parental Authority

Some practitioners and programs claim to offer solutions for children who are transgender or experiencing same-sex attraction. But a closer look reveals that these approaches often undermine the very parental rights they claim to support.

Conversion therapy, for example, frequently positions an outside practitioner as the expert on your child while suggesting that something you did as a parent caused your child's gender confusion. This approach drives a wedge between parent and child rather than strengthening the family bond. It replaces your judgment with that of a stranger who profits from your family's pain.

As Martha Conley, a Christian mother, explained in her Supreme Court testimony: "As parents, we're vulnerable when we're told our child can be 'fixed.' We want to believe there's a way to make their path easier. Laws like Colorado's protect us from being misled by those who would profit from our fear and love."

Religious parents deserve ethical, evidence-based care that supports the whole family. Any intervention that promises to change your child while charging thousands of dollars and producing no lasting results is not protecting your parental rights. It is exploiting them.

Faith-Based Alternatives That Strengthen Families

The most effective approaches for Christian families focus on strengthening relationships, not changing children. The Family Acceptance Project has developed resources specifically for religiously conservative families, helping parents learn to support their children while honoring their faith values.

This approach works because it recognizes a fundamental truth: parents do not have to have all the answers. Listening and learning are acts of love. You can hold onto your convictions while creating space for your child to feel safe coming to you with their questions and struggles.

Sean Madden, a father of a transgender daughter and longtime Republican, put it this way: "There is nothing conservative about interposing the state between a child and their parents and physicians who know best how to care for that child."

True parental rights mean having access to accurate information, not being manipulated by practitioners who promise outcomes they cannot deliver. It means keeping your family together through difficult seasons rather than outsourcing your child's care to strangers who may cause lasting harm.

Making Healthcare Decisions with Wisdom

As you navigate healthcare decisions for your child, remember that discernment is a Christian virtue. Ask questions. Seek providers who want to strengthen your family rather than divide it. Be wary of anyone who promises to "fix" your child or who blames you for your child's struggles.

Legitimate therapy focuses on helping your child develop coping skills and navigate challenges while supporting your relationship with them. Conversion therapy promises a fixed outcome that no ethical therapist can guarantee.

Your child needs you now more than ever. With the right support and information, your family can emerge from this season stronger, closer, and more resilient in faith.

FAQs

Can Christian parents support a transgender child while staying faithful to their beliefs? Yes. Research and the experiences of countless Christian families show that supporting your child does not require abandoning your faith. The Family Acceptance Project has developed approaches specifically for religiously conservative families that decrease health risks while honoring family values.

What is the difference between legitimate therapy and conversion therapy for transgender youth? Legitimate therapy focuses on helping young people strengthen their relationship with their family and develop healthy coping skills. Conversion therapy promises to change your child's identity, a fixed outcome that no ethical therapist can guarantee and that research shows causes significant harm.

Do parental rights include choosing conversion therapy for my child? Parental rights include the right to make informed decisions based on accurate information. Conversion therapy has been ruled consumer fraud in court, with no credible evidence that it works and documented evidence of harm. True parental authority means protecting your child from ineffective and harmful practices.

What resources exist for Christian parents of transgender children? Faith-aligned resources include the Family Acceptance Project, which offers tools designed for religious families. These approaches have been shown to reduce suicide risk and depression by half while maintaining family connections and faith values.

How can I protect my parental rights when making healthcare decisions for my transgender child? Start by seeking providers who prioritize your family's bond rather than inserting themselves between you and your child. Ask directly whether they try to change children or support them as they are. Avoid practitioners who blame parents or promise outcomes they cannot deliver.