Dr. Everett Piper, president of Oklahoma Wesleyan University and CEO of Open Doors USA, claimed yesterday that Religious Right activists are now “the true liberals” and the “true feminists” because they fight against cultural acceptance for transgender people.

While substituting for Family Research Council president Tony Perkins on the “Washington Watch” radio show, Piper laid out his case against critics who say the church is too political. He defended FRC’s record on issues including gender identity—which Piper characterized as “one of the most incredibly silly” ideas of our time.

“Why are we being silent in the face of a culture that is degrading and insulting a female by saying that she’s not a biological fact, but she’s nothing but a fantasy and a fabrication of a dysphoric male who wants to raise his hand on a given day and say he’s a woman?” Piper asked.

He continued, “Why is it too political for us to defend the dignity and the identity of a woman? You can’t be a feminist if you deny the feminine. We are the true feminists today. We are the true liberals today.”