One mission of CBMW is to help Christians think through secular and ecclesial trends on gender and sexuality. Through this work, we pore over a lot of different news reports and articles as we attempt to wade through the ceaseless flow of information on the web. In our weekly Gender and Sexuality News Roundups, we aim to distill some of the more pertinent information for you.

The articles below are from a wide variety of sectors and publications, organized generally into three categories. They are presented in aggregate, not necessarily endorsed.

If you see an article that you think should be featured in future CBMW News Roundups, you can send it to cbmwoffice@cbmw.org with the subject “News Roundup.”

Ecclesial Trends on Gender and Sexuality

U.S. Justice Department backs Louisville photographer challenging Fairness Ordinance, Louisville Courier-Journal (Dylan Lovan)

“The Justice Department filed a ‘statement of interest’ this week in federal court saying that the photographer, Chelsey Nelson, is likely to succeed on her claim. Nelson sued Louisville city officials in November, arguing that the city’s ordinance violated the First Amendment. She has written about her business that she ‘can’t photograph anything that conflicts with my religious conviction that marriage is a covenant relationship before God between one man and one woman,’ according to court records.”

L.A. candidate criticized for teaching at a college that didn’t welcome gay students, Los Angeles Times (Emily Alptert Reyes)

“‘Lundquist made a conscious decision as an adult to teach at and cash a paycheck from a school with a discriminatory policy,’ Lee campaign senior adviser Pat Dennis said in a statement, arguing that it raised ‘serious questions about her character and judgment.’ Lundquist says she openly opposed those policies as both a student and a professor and had co-founded a student group that challenged them. In a message to supporters this week, her campaign called the mailer ‘shockingly misleading.’…Lundquist, an astrophysicist and Cal State Northridge educator, attended Principia College, a private college in Illinois that describes itself as a ‘Christian Science community of practice.’ She returned to the school to teach physics in 2008 and 2009.”

Supreme Court to Hear Case on Gay Rights and Foster Care, The New York Times (Adam Liptak)

“The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to decide whether Philadelphia may exclude a Catholic agency that does not work with same-sex couples from the city’s foster-care system. The city stopped placements with the agency, Catholic Social Services, after a 2018 article in The Philadelphia Inquirer described its policy against placing children with same-sex couples. The agency and several foster parents sued the city, saying the decision violated their First Amendment rights to religious freedom and free speech.”

Buttigieg’s candidacy made being gay and openly Christian normal, LGBT activists say, The Washington Post (Sarah Pulliam Bailey)

“Pete Buttigieg made history as the first openly gay presidential candidate to win primary delegates before ending his campaign on Sunday. But LGBT advocates working for more inclusion in churches say the former mayor of South Bend, Ind., broke another, equally important barrier: He spoke openly of his Christian faith in a country where religion and gay rights are often seen at odds with each other. On the campaign trail, Buttigieg talked about how his faith, and his reading of the Bible, influenced his liberal policy positions. He easily quoted scripture, was the first 2020 candidate to hire a faith outreach director and regularly met with religious leaders. Notably, the Democrat tied his faith to his sexuality within the first months of his campaign.”

Secular Trends on Gender and Sexuality

Indonesia proposes bill to force LGBTQ people into ‘rehabilitation’, NBC News (Nico Lang)

“Last month, three lawmakers in Indonesia’s House of Representatives introduced a draft of what is known as the ‘Family Resilience Bill.’ The legislation would force gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people to undergo rehabilitation at a series of religiously-based treatment centers that would hypothetically be opened across the conservative archipelago. If they do not readily submit to rehabilitation, their family members would be compelled to report them. The draft bill also claims that LGBTQ people are a ‘threat’ to the nuclear family and likens homosexuality to incest and sadomasochism.”

Harvey Weinstein Is Found Guilty of Sex Crimes in #MeToo Watershed, The New York Times (Jan Ransom)

“Harvey Weinstein, the powerhouse film producer whose downfall over sexual misconduct ignited a global movement, was found guilty of two felony sex crimes on Monday after a trial at which six women testified that he sexually assaulted them. A Manhattan jury convicted Mr. Weinstein of rape and criminal sexual act but acquitted him on three other counts, including the two most serious charges against him: being a sexual predator.”

Gender-neutral bathroom closed after high school student arrested for sexual assault, The Washington Examiner (Spencer Neale)

“A high school in Wisconsin shuttered its inclusive gender-neutral bathroom after an 18-year-old student was arrested for alleged sexual assault of a minor in the space. The Oneida County Sheriff’s Office said they arrested 18-year-old Austin Sauer for fourth-degree sexual assault, exposing his genitals, and child enticement at Rhinelander High School last week. ‘This was not a random incident, as both students went into the bathroom voluntarily. The male student will no longer be able to be on school grounds, and the gender-neutral bathroom is no longer available to students,’ superintendent Kelli Jacobi said.”

Gender reveal’ sign mocks only girl on highschool hockey team, The Washington Post (Antonia Noori Farzan)

“As the only girl on her varsity ice hockey team, 17-year-old Alyssa Wruble is used to unwanted attention. Spectators routinely cheer louder when she gets hit during a game, she told Lehigh Valley Live this week. But the Pennsylvania high school junior, who practices twice a day and is aiming for a spot on a Division I women’s team, just shrugs it off…Last week, though, things went too far. During a championship playoff game, a crude handmade sign appeared on the rink’s glass, suggesting she wasn’t really a woman. “

Gender and Sexuality Miscellany

The ‘Dating Market’ Is Getting Worse, The Atlantic (Ashley Fetters and Kaitlyn Tiffany)

“The unfortunate coincidence is that the fine-tuned analysis of dating’s numbers game and the streamlining of its trial-and-error process of shopping around have taken place as dating’s definition has expanded from ‘the search for a suitable marriage partner’ into something decidedly more ambiguous. Meanwhile, technologies have emerged that make the market more visible than ever to the average person, encouraging a ruthless mind-set of assigning ‘objective’ values to potential partners and to ourselves—with little regard for the ways that framework might be weaponized. The idea that a population of single people can be analyzed like a market might be useful to some extent to sociologists or economists, but the widespread adoption of it by single people themselves can result in a warped outlook on love.”

Polyamory and the Overton Window, CBMW (Denny Burk)

“I am confident that at this point in 2020, the vast majority of evangelicals recognize that polyamory is sinful and should be opposed. But will that be the case in 2030 after a decade of a widening Overton Window on polyamory? Do we see the ways in which articles like this subtly encourage readers to accept at least part of polyamory as a good thing? Do Christians see that even if polyamory is largely rejected (for now), polyamorous affirmation is also being allowed in? My plea to fellow evangelicals is that we not only have to recognize when the center is threatened but also when people begin aiming at the edges. We must recognize and guard against attempts to broaden the Overton Window of what evangelicals think is acceptable. If we don’t, in ten years we will reap another harvest of people who have affirmed their way right out of evangelical faith.”

Men Too Easily Forgotten, Desiring God (Greg Morse)

“Real men stand up for the oppressed. Real men rule themselves, protect women, store up treasures in heaven, lead their homes, bear responsibility, live consecrated unto kingdom business. Instead of just telling a man how not to use his testosterone, his ambition, his aggression, his strength, we must cast vision on how to use them — redeemed and repurposed — for the glory of God.”

Tim and Kathy Keller on Why Marriage Is Not About Us, The Gospel Coalition (Caleb Wait)

“Since our hope is anchored outside of our performance, married Christians can rest. We can finally allow ourselves to be fully known, not spurned or rejected. The kind of hope the Kellers point us to is the kind that we need. After all, our spouses aren’t only the ones who see the chinks in our armor, but are also the ones who help us put the armor on each day. And even on our bleakest days, that’s what we need most—to be reminded of the righteousness we have in Christ.”