Latest news with #FamilyResearchCouncil
Fox News
6 days ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Louisiana pastor says he was fired from library job for objecting to trans pronoun use
A Louisiana pastor claimed he was fired from his second job at a local library this month for refusing to use a transgender employee's preferred pronouns. Luke Ash, lead pastor of Stevendale Baptist Church in Baton Rouge, was a library technician at the East Baton Rouge Parish Library until he was fired on July 10, he recently told Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, on his show "Washington Watch." According to Ash, he was in conversation with a co-worker on July 7 about a new staffer that she was training. The new staff member, Ash says, was a biological female who preferred to be called by male pronouns. "I refused to use those preferred pronouns. The next day I was reprimanded by my supervisor and the head of reference, and Thursday morning I was fired," he told Perkins. According to WBRZ, Ash was handed a copy of the library's inclusivity policy, which says it fosters an environment where all employees are "welcomed, accepted and respected" and have the right to be addressed by their chosen name and pronouns. But the Christian employee said he couldn't "lie" and violate his religious convictions. He was notified a few days afterward that he had been terminated. At a library meeting last Thursday, a group of local pastors confronted the Baton Rouge library board and demanded Ash's immediate reinstatement. Pastor Lewis Richerson spoke at the meeting but was repeatedly interrupted by board members who told him his comments were not on the meeting agenda and therefore in violation of Louisiana's Open Meetings Law. "Sir, do we need to get security for you? Because you are not following open meeting laws," board president Candace Temple told the pastor. Richerson defended his comments to WAFB, saying that the group's demands pertained to the library budget. Over 30 pastors also penned a letter to the library board on July 17 calling on the board to change its policy and "correct this injustice." The East Baton Rouge Parish Library did not return Fox News Digital's request for comment.
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
FRC Hosts Lift Up Life Broadcast on Third Anniversary of Dobbs SCOTUS Decision
WASHINGTON, June 24, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, on the third anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, Family Research Council hosted a broadcast, Lift Up Life: A Day of Prayer and Fasting for Life, now available for viewing on the Stand Firm app or at On why FRC hosted the Lift Up Life broadcast, Family Research Council President Tony Perkins commented: "As chemical abortion continues to take innocent lives and put women at risk, this is a moment for urgent, hope-filled prayer and unified action," said Perkins. "During his term, President Biden implemented harmful FDA policies that stripped away critical safeguards for women and dramatically expanded access to mifepristone. New research shows that 1 in 10 women who take mifepristone experience serious medical complications, and chemical abortion now accounts for at least 63% of all abortions in the United States. We need the Trump administration to reverse these dangerous Biden-era policies and reinstate the protections that value both mothers and their unborn children." WHO: Tony Perkins, Family Research Council PresidentDavid Benham, Cities4Life PresidentJason Benham, Benham Companies Co-FounderDavid Bereit, Life Leadership Conference Executive DirectorCraig DeRoche, Family Policy Alliance President & CEOJohn Ensor, PassionLife PresidentRep. Andy Harris (R-MD-01), Bipartisan Congressional Pro-Life Caucus Co-ChairRep. Mark Harris (R-NC-08)Jack Hibbs, Calvary Chapel Chino Hills Founding & Senior PastorPhil Hopper, Abundant Life Church Lead Pastor in Lee's Summit, MOBishop Vincent Mathews, Tabernacle Church Senior Pastor in Southaven, MSBunni Pounds, Christians Engaged PresidentMayra Rodriguez, Global Pro-Life ActivistMary Szoch, Family Research Council Director of the Center for Human Dignity WHAT: Lift Up Life: A Day of Prayer and Fasting for Life WHEN: Available to stream on Tuesday, June 24, 2025 WHERE: On FRC's Stand Firm app or Download the Stand Firm app from the Apple and Google Play stores: View original content: SOURCE Family Research Council Sign in to access your portfolio
New York Post
13-06-2025
- Health
- New York Post
Detransitioner discusses life after living as a woman in new book
A man who lived as a woman for years believes those who struggle with their gender need to address the underlying issues that drive them to question their identity in order for them to 'embrace' who God made them to be. Walt Heyer, 84, detransitioned 40 years ago after identifying as a woman for eight years. Heyer runs a ministry and website called 'Sex Change Regret' where he says he's helped thousands of people who regret trying to change their gender. Advertisement Heyer and Dr. Jennifer Bauwens, Director of the Center for Family Studies at the Family Research Council, spoke to Fox News Digital about their new book, ' Embracing God's Design ,' which addresses 'the spiritual and psychological crisis behind transgender identity.' The book details the major players in the history of the transgender movement and argues that left-wing activism has influenced diagnostic and ethical standards in the counseling field and harmed patient care over the past two decades. The authors argue that uncovering the root causes of gender confusion is essential to treatment. They also give advice on how friends and family can help those struggling with their gender identity. 4 Walt Heyer, 84, detransitioned 40 years ago after identifying as a woman for eight years. Getty Images 4 Heyer and Dr. Jennifer Bauwens, Director of the Center for Family Studies at the Family Research Council, wrote a book called 'Embracing God's Design,' on 'the spiritual and psychological crisis behind transgender identity.' Fidelis Publishing Advertisement Bauwens, a former trauma therapist and researcher, claims that a great number of people who experience gender confusion also were abused, neglected or had other adverse experiences in their childhood. Professional counseling standards have changed over the years and now push for affirming one's gender identity as part of treatment, she said, adding that this doesn't address the patient's trauma. 'When you look at the data, around half of those who identify as transgender also report some type of abuse, whether it be emotional, psychological, physical, sexual abuse,' Bauwens told Fox News Digital. 4 'When you look at the data, around half of those who identify as transgender also report some type of abuse, whether it be emotional, psychological, physical, sexual abuse,' Bauwens said. Family Research Council Advertisement 'It's actually not only malpractice, it's borderline criminal to treat someone with a surgical procedure who clearly matches the profile of someone who's had really severe abuse,' she said. 'Some of the reasons that are used to quickly get people 'gender-affirming care,' such as suicidality, that's a very common experience of someone who's had abuse. Self-harm is a very common experience of somebody who's abused.' Heyer's own history of gender confusion started at a young age with family members who abused him. 'I was being cross-dressed by my grandma secretly and she was affirming me. She made me a purple chiffon evening dress and that was a secret for about two-and-a-half years,' he explained. 'When I decided to take the purple dress home and my parents found it, and they realized grandma had been cross-dressing me, and I was enjoying it as a four or five, 6-year-old boy, then the heavy discipline started with my father. Then his adopted teenage brother sexually molested me. So that's where the trauma comes in.' Advertisement Heyer started identifying as a female as a teenager and became an alcoholic in his 20s as he dealt with the grief from his father dying from cancer. He started taking cross-sex hormones and was eventually diagnosed with gender dysphoria in his 40s and underwent sex change surgery to live as 'Laura Jensen' for eight years. He said his therapist 'didn't take into account that I'd been sexually, physically and emotionally abused which was really the problem, and it wasn't gender dysphoria.' 'I've worked with thousands of people over the last 20 years. And when I work with them, I always ask them, what caused you to not like who you are?' Heyer said of his ministry. 'When we dive into this discussion, they peel back the issues, and we look back, and we find out that they were sexually abused and emotionally abused, physically abused. They were abandoned. They were in foster care.' 4 Heyers said his therapist 'didn't take into account that I'd been sexually, physically and emotionally abused which was really the problem, and it wasn't gender dysphoria.' Prostock-studio – 'Something happened that caused them to not like who they are. It's not even a gender issue. That's why Jennifer referred to it as an identity issue. They like to say that it's a gender issue because then you can apply hormones in surgery, but that doesn't fix the problem.' Heyer credits God for 'redeeming and restoring his life,' as well as a few Christian counselors who helped him to get sober, address his gender issues, and turn his life around. The Christian authors believe that the modern gender movement is a spiritual battle that should be taken seriously by people of faith. 'The gender movement isn't just about erasing male or female. It's actually about erasing the very image of God and family, because family is the first place that we learn safety, security, and there are attributes of male and female that God has uniquely embedded in our DNA, in our design,' Bauwens said. 'And when you erase those or attempt to erase those, you're erasing an aspect of the very heart and nature of God.' Advertisement 'We look at our young people in our world, especially our country right now, and many people are saying, 'why is there such a mental health crisis?' As if we can divorce this current issue from the very mental health crisis that we're trying to fix,' she continued. 'When you erase the very design of God, in a generation or try to do that, then we're left with people who have no identity, no rudder, no sense that there's a higher purpose to life, that there is meaning through relationship and how God made us… So I would argue that there's much more at stake with the battle we're facing. And it's really a good fight of faith that we are embracing here,' Bauwens said.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Detransitioner pens new book about 'embracing God's design' after living as a woman for eight years
A man who lived as a woman for years believes those who struggle with their gender need to address the underlying issues that drive them to question their identity in order for them to "embrace" who God made them to be. Walt Heyer, 84, detransitioned 40 years ago after identifying as a woman for eight years. Heyer runs a ministry and website called "Sex Change Regret" where he says he's helped thousands of people who regret trying to change their gender. Heyer and Dr. Jennifer Bauwens, Director of the Center for Family Studies at the Family Research Council, spoke to Fox News Digital about their new book, "Embracing God's Design," which addresses "the spiritual and psychological crisis behind transgender identity." The book details the major players in the history of the transgender movement and argues that left-wing activism has influenced diagnostic and ethical standards in the counseling field and harmed patient care over the past two decades. The authors argue that uncovering the root causes of gender confusion is essential to treatment. They also give advice on how friends and family can help those struggling with their gender identity. From Trans Man To Traditional Mother: How One Woman Broke Free From Ideological Chains After Finding Christ Bauwens, a former trauma therapist and researcher, claims that a great number of people who experience gender confusion also were abused, neglected or had other adverse experiences in their childhood. Read On The Fox News App Professional counseling standards have changed over the years and now push for affirming one's gender identity as part of treatment, she said, adding that this doesn't address the patient's trauma. "When you look at the data, around half of those who identify as transgender also report some type of abuse, whether it be emotional, psychological, physical, sexual abuse," Bauwens told Fox News Digital. "It's actually not only malpractice, it's borderline criminal to treat someone with a surgical procedure who clearly matches the profile of someone who's had really severe abuse," she said. "Some of the reasons that are used to quickly get people 'gender-affirming care,' such as suicidality, that's a very common experience of someone who's had abuse. Self-harm is a very common experience of somebody who's abused." I Was Traumatized By So-called 'Gender Affirming' Care. Trump Must Protect Others From This Abuse Heyer's own history of gender confusion started at a young age with family members who abused him. "I was being cross-dressed by my grandma secretly and she was affirming me. She made me a purple chiffon evening dress and that was a secret for about two-and-a-half years," he explained. "When I decided to take the purple dress home and my parents found it, and they realized grandma had been cross-dressing me, and I was enjoying it as a four or five, 6-year-old boy, then the heavy discipline started with my father. Then his adopted teenage brother sexually molested me. So that's where the trauma comes in." Heyer started identifying as a female as a teenager and became an alcoholic in his 20s as he dealt with the grief from his father dying from cancer. He started taking cross-sex hormones and was eventually diagnosed with gender dysphoria in his 40s and underwent sex change surgery to live as "Laura Jensen" for eight years. He said his therapist "didn't take into account that I'd been sexually, physically and emotionally abused which was really the problem, and it wasn't gender dysphoria." Detransitioner Slams Trans 'Pseudoscience' That Doctors Said Would Solve Her Mental Distress: 'It's Quackery' "I've worked with thousands of people over the last 20 years. And when I work with them, I always ask them, what caused you to not like who you are?" Heyer said of his ministry. "When we dive into this discussion, they peel back the issues, and we look back, and we find out that they were sexually abused and emotionally abused, physically abused. They were abandoned. They were in foster care." "Something happened that caused them to not like who they are. It's not even a gender issue. That's why Jennifer referred to it as an identity issue. They like to say that it's a gender issue because then you can apply hormones in surgery, but that doesn't fix the problem." Heyer credits God for "redeeming and restoring his life," as well as a few Christian counselors who helped him to get sober, address his gender issues, and turn his life around. The Christian authors believe that the modern gender movement is a spiritual battle that should be taken seriously by people of faith. "The gender movement isn't just about erasing male or female. It's actually about erasing the very image of God and family, because family is the first place that we learn safety, security, and there are attributes of male and female that God has uniquely embedded in our DNA, in our design," Bauwens said. "And when you erase those or attempt to erase those, you're erasing an aspect of the very heart and nature of God." "We look at our young people in our world, especially our country right now, and many people are saying, 'why is there such a mental health crisis?' As if we can divorce this current issue from the very mental health crisis that we're trying to fix," she continued. "When you erase the very design of God, in a generation or try to do that, then we're left with people who have no identity, no rudder, no sense that there's a higher purpose to life, that there is meaning through relationship and how God made us… So I would argue that there's much more at stake with the battle we're facing. And it's really a good fight of faith that we are embracing here," Bauwens article source: Detransitioner pens new book about 'embracing God's design' after living as a woman for eight years
Fox News
13-06-2025
- Health
- Fox News
Detransitioner pens new book about 'embracing God's design' after living as a woman for eight years
A man who lived as a woman for years believes those who struggle with their gender need to address the underlying issues that drive them to question their identity in order for them to "embrace" who God made them to be. Walt Heyer, 84, detransitioned 40 years ago after identifying as a woman for eight years. Heyer runs a ministry and website called "Sex Change Regret" where he says he's helped thousands of people who regret trying to change their gender. Heyer and Dr. Jennifer Bauwens, Director of the Center for Family Studies at the Family Research Council, spoke to Fox News Digital about their new book, "Embracing God's Design," which addresses "the spiritual and psychological crisis behind transgender identity." The book details the major players in the history of the transgender movement and argues that left-wing activism has influenced diagnostic and ethical standards in the counseling field and harmed patient care over the past two decades. The authors argue that uncovering the root causes of gender confusion is essential to treatment. They also give advice on how friends and family can help those struggling with their gender identity. Bauwens, a former trauma therapist and researcher, claims that a great number of people who experience gender confusion also were abused, neglected or had other adverse experiences in their childhood. Professional counseling standards have changed over the years and now push for affirming one's gender identity as part of treatment, she said, adding that this doesn't address the patient's trauma. "When you look at the data, around half of those who identify as transgender also report some type of abuse, whether it be emotional, psychological, physical, sexual abuse," Bauwens told Fox News Digital. "It's actually not only malpractice, it's borderline criminal to treat someone with a surgical procedure who clearly matches the profile of someone who's had really severe abuse," she said. "Some of the reasons that are used to quickly get people 'gender-affirming care,' such as suicidality, that's a very common experience of someone who's had abuse. Self-harm is a very common experience of somebody who's abused." Heyer's own history of gender confusion started at a young age with family members who abused him. "I was being cross-dressed by my grandma secretly and she was affirming me. She made me a purple chiffon evening dress and that was a secret for about two-and-a-half years," he explained. "When I decided to take the purple dress home and my parents found it, and they realized grandma had been cross-dressing me, and I was enjoying it as a four or five, 6-year-old boy, then the heavy discipline started with my father. Then his adopted teenage brother sexually molested me. So that's where the trauma comes in." Heyer started identifying as a female as a teenager and became an alcoholic in his 20s as he dealt with the grief from his father dying from cancer. He started taking cross-sex hormones and was eventually diagnosed with gender dysphoria in his 40s and underwent sex change surgery to live as "Laura Jensen" for eight years. He said his therapist "didn't take into account that I'd been sexually, physically and emotionally abused which was really the problem, and it wasn't gender dysphoria." "I've worked with thousands of people over the last 20 years. And when I work with them, I always ask them, what caused you to not like who you are?" Heyer said of his ministry. "When we dive into this discussion, they peel back the issues, and we look back, and we find out that they were sexually abused and emotionally abused, physically abused. They were abandoned. They were in foster care." "Something happened that caused them to not like who they are. It's not even a gender issue. That's why Jennifer referred to it as an identity issue. They like to say that it's a gender issue because then you can apply hormones in surgery, but that doesn't fix the problem." Heyer credits God for "redeeming and restoring his life," as well as a few Christian counselors who helped him to get sober, address his gender issues, and turn his life around. The Christian authors believe that the modern gender movement is a spiritual battle that should be taken seriously by people of faith. "The gender movement isn't just about erasing male or female. It's actually about erasing the very image of God and family, because family is the first place that we learn safety, security, and there are attributes of male and female that God has uniquely embedded in our DNA, in our design," Bauwens said. "And when you erase those or attempt to erase those, you're erasing an aspect of the very heart and nature of God." "We look at our young people in our world, especially our country right now, and many people are saying, 'why is there such a mental health crisis?' As if we can divorce this current issue from the very mental health crisis that we're trying to fix," she continued. "When you erase the very design of God, in a generation or try to do that, then we're left with people who have no identity, no rudder, no sense that there's a higher purpose to life, that there is meaning through relationship and how God made us… So I would argue that there's much more at stake with the battle we're facing. And it's really a good fight of faith that we are embracing here," Bauwens said.
