I'm a politically conservative Christian. Six years ago, God blessed my husband and me with a beautiful daughter. Like all parents, we want to do everything we can to keep her safe.

A few years ago, I found myself caught up in an article on Facebook about legislation to block transgender people from using bathrooms of their identified gender. The article cited safety concerns, arguing that pedophiles would sneak into bathrooms, dressed as the opposite sex, to hurt our children. I bought this hook, line and sinker. After all, I wanted to keep my daughter safe.

Now, my daughter is in school, and one of our favorite families has a sweet girl (who was physically born a boy). Our daughter is not concerned that this little girl used to be a little boy; she's a girl, and they both like to play dress-up. This family has strong Catholic roots; they do not fit the caricature of experimental parents forcing a new gender identity on their kid. Rather, just like my husband and me, they want to keep their child safe.

This is when the foundations of my Methodist faith kicked in, and I started using reason and research to answer my questions. Here's what I learned:

Frank Gonzales speaks about his daughter, Libby (center), 6, with her mother, Rachel Gonzales, at a news conference in Austin in March. The author's daughter became friends with Libby at school. (Deborah Cannon / The Associated Press)

1. Why does a family allow a child to be transgender?

Parents aren't forcing transition on their kids; they're helping save their kids' lives. Transgender children have a significantly higher rate of mental health issues and suicide attempts than nontransgender children, according to a study in the Journal of Adolescent Health, because of the stigma and bullying they face. Kids who are allowed to transition, however, have mental health similar to their nontransgender peers.

Parents meet with doctors and counselors and go through extensive sessions before their child begins to transition, according to guidelines from the University of California at San Francisco. Young transgender children like my daughter's friend do not have surgery to change their physical anatomy.

2. Is my child really in danger of transgender people in the bathroom?

This is where fearmongers love to stir things up, and it's what I initially reacted to on Facebook. But I've learned that the last thing transgender people want is conflict or recognition that their physical anatomy does not match their gender identity. Think about it: We don't know who around us is transgender because transgender folks don't reveal their private parts to us in public restrooms.

Further, it's already illegal to peep, molest or assault others. Regardless of gender, the best way to keep all children safe is to teach them about body awareness, strangers and what to do if they are in danger.

3. Why can't transgender children just use a special bathroom?

Special bathrooms remind me of the not-so-distant past when we labeled restrooms "White" and "Colored." Separate but equal is not equal.

When a transgender child is forced to use a separate bathroom, it allows others to discover that they are transgender. If we want to keep all of our children safe, then we need to allow transgender children the privacy of simply being a boy or girl and not that transgender boy or transgender girl.

So how do you handle locker rooms where your kid changes in front of others? I've learned that many schools have private changing areas, and many children (regardless of gender) change in bathroom stalls. There is not a universal answer to this but, where resources allow, I think all of our children would prefer to change in privacy.

4. Should my concern for my child's safety override the safety concerns for a transgender child?

If I am living by fear, then I am always going to respond with "my child is more important." If I am living by faith, then I realize that God loves all of his children equally. If I start applying reason, I see that my fear has been fanned by people who are focused on discrimination and judgment and not on actual facts.

5. What if I just don't believe in this transgender thing?

I don't think you have to believe that transgender is a real identity to agree that all of our children deserve to be safe. Please ask yourself: What am I afraid of? Can I find data that supports it? I don't think you can, because I've tried.

As a Christian, I look to the Bible for guidance. One verse that strikes me is from Luke 18:16: "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these." Note that this doesn't say, "Let only the nontransgender children come to me."

Once I started applying my Methodist reasoning, I had to face the fact that I had been living in fear and not in faith, reacting to something I didn't understand. God has blessed me with friendship with a family that is facing the challenges of protecting a child simply because she is transgender. As a fellow Christian, how can I do less than join them in protecting her and all of our children?

Yvette LaCroix is a retired financial industry executive in Dallas. She wrote this column for TexasGOPVote.com. Email: Ylacroix3000@gmail.com

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