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Billy Graham Evangelistic Association vs. transgender people

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The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association is an American Christian nonprofit with affiliated entities internationally. It produces consistently anti-transgender content, most notably via their publication Decision Magazine.

Background

William Franklin “Billy” Graham, Jr. (1918–2018) was an American Christian evangelist who was one of the most influential religious figures of the twentieth century. Graham first gained national prominence during the 1949 Los Angeles Crusade and went on to preach at large evangelistic meetings (“crusades”) in more than 180 countries and territories. Graham also served as a counselor to U.S. presidents from Harry S. Truman through Barack Obama.

Graham and spouse Ruth Graham (1920–2007) had five children, all of whom have been involved in evangelical ministries:

  • Virginia Leftwich “Gigi” Graham Foreman (born 1945)
  • Anne Graham Lotz (born 1948)
  • Ruth “Bunny” Graham (born 1950)
  • William Franklin Graham III (born 1952)
    • William Franklin “Will” Graham IV (born 1975)
    • Roy Austin Graham (born 1977)
    • Edward Bell Graham (born 1979)
    • Jane Austin “Cissie” Graham Lynch (born 1986)
  • Nelson Edman “Ned” Graham (born 1958)

In 1950 Graham founded the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA), which expanded the ministry through publishing, broadcasting, films, and global outreach. Franklin Graham took over as BGEA chair in 2001, and Franklin Graham’s children have held roles at BGEA and associated entities. Billy Graham’s nephew Melvin has also served as chair of the BGEA board.

In 2025, BGEA reported annual support and revenue exceeding $178.8 million.

International offices and entities

BGEA has maintained offices in Buenos Aires, Tokyo, and Hong Kong.

BGEA laos has official entites outside the United States, including:

Anti-trans activism

From the onset, Billy Graham condemned sexual immorality. In 1974, Graham became more explicit about condemning diverse sexualities, writing “We traffic in homosexuality at the peril of our spiritual welfare.” At the start of the AIDS crisis, Graham stated “Is AIDS a judgment of God? I could not be sure, but I think so.” Graham later retracted this statement. In a 1997 interview, Graham said “I think that the Bible teaches that homosexuality is a sin, but the Bible also teaches that pride is a sin, jealousy is a sin, and hate is a sin, evil thoughts are a sin. […] I don’t think that homosexuality should be chosen as the overwhelming sin that we are doing today.” Graham never explicitly expressed belief about trans and gender diverse people.

Billy Graham’s child Franklin Graham has been explicitly anti-trans in public statements. In 2016, Graham told The Washington Post “Why would we change all of our bathrooms so that some weirdo can say, ‘I feel like a woman today. And I’m going to go into a girls’ locker room.’ […] That’s sick. It’s just sick. Sick, sick, sick, sick.”

In 2022, Franklin Graham wrote:

“Culture may insist that a person’s gender is determined by whim, not birth. “I feel like I am a girl, therefore it doesn’t matter that my birth certificate and biological body state that I am a boy.” How tragic it is that schools are teaching impressionable young children that it’s acceptable to dress and act like a different gender than was given to them by God. Not only are they told it’s acceptable, but they actually are encouraged to transition. This is such a lie from the pit of hell, and it’s devastating to those who buy into its perverted logic. 

The Bible is clear. “From the beginning of the creation, God ‘made them male and female’” (Mark 10:6). There is no such thing as a transgender person.”

Franklin Graham has made a number of explicitly anti-trans social media posts, including:

A July 2017 Facebook post stated “Of course our churches should be welcoming of transgender people, in the same way we should be welcoming of anyone, because everyone needs the life-changing Good News of Jesus Christ. […] “God’s Word is unchanging, unwavering and true. Yes, we have compassion for all, but compassion must be based on truth. God did not make people transgender—He made them male or female. And a service acknowledging someone’s gender change is a service celebrating a departing from God’s will. The Bible tells us, ‘For the time will come when people will not endure sound doctrine, but they will gather to themselves in accordance with their own desires, having itching ears. but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions’ (2 Tim. 4:3).”

October 23, 2017: [after North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper signed an executive order affirming LGBTQ rights]: “Thanks to the gov, people of NC will be exposed to pedophiles & sexually perverted men in women’s public restrooms.”

February 4, 2022: “I’ve met South Dakota @GovKristiNoem and appreciate that she’s not afraid to take a stand for what is right. She proved that again when she signed a bill into law banning boys from participating in girls’ sports in her state.”

August 8, 2022: “80-yr-old Julie Jaman had been going to her local YMCA for over 35 years, but in July she was banned because she reported a man in the women’s shower room and told him to leave. Don’t her rights count? Remember, who you elect into office impacts important policies and laws that define the rights and safety of not only yourself, but also your children and grandchildren. Pray for our nation.”

October 7, 2022: [replying to Fox News article on “genderless schools” : “AL @AGSteveMarshall said the Biden Administration is using federal dollars to try to force schools to comply with their transgender agenda that they can’t impose in the ballot box. But AL isn’t biting. He said the people of AL will not be forced into this. We have to stand up against these ungodly agendas that are coming across our country like a tidal wave. Pray for our nation & leaders like @AGSteveMarshall who are working to do the right thing. I hope voters in every state will call on their attorneys general to do the same.”

April 17, 2023: [replying to Fox News article]: “Last week @ElonMusk tweeted that parents & doctors who put children through transgender medical treatments that cause sterilization should “go to prison for life.” It’s shameful that any adult would be part of feeding this confusion. Children & young people are suffering lifelong consequences from drugs & surgeries that maim body, mind, & spirit. This madness needs to stop.”

May 1, 2023: “Is @RobertKennedyJr the only Democratic politician who hasn’t lost his mind? I appreciate that he had the guts to come out publicly against biological males playing in women’s and girls’ sports. He said, “I think women have worked too hard to develop women’s sports over the past 30 years I watched it happen and I don’t think that’s fair.” I agree with him 100% on this.”

June 28, 2023: [replying to Charisma News article]: “Human biology professor, Dr. Johnson Varkey told students gender is determined by chromosomes X & Y—a biological fact. He was fired from the job he had held for almost 20 years & is now fighting to get it back. Many schools value the lies of wokeness more than truth. Alumni, parents, & faculty need to take a stand! I hope he gets his job back & universities wake up & see they don’t have to give in to the lies.”

August 21, 2023: “Thank you to our NC legislators for taking the right steps to override @NC_Governor Roy Cooper’s vetoes on critical issues including parental rights, protection of minors from gender reassignment surgery, and to clarify that women’s sports are for women.”

June 12, 2023: [replying to a Fox News article]: “Dr. David Mackereth had been practicing medicine for 26 years & was fired from his job because he objected to using preferred pronouns for patients. In medicine, if we begin to ignore the truth, this hurts everyone regardless of race, sexual orientation, or religion.”

September 20, 2023: [about a Fox News article on students protesting school’s trans-inclusive bathroom policy]: “These high school students said enough is enough and organized a walkout protest when their school would not keep males out of the female restrooms! They want the Pennsylvania school district to see that their own rights, their privacy, and their safety have been ignored. More parents and students need to stand up to the agenda-driven bullies.”

March 30, 2024: “President Biden has declared tomorrow—Easter Sunday—as “Transgender Day of Visibility.” This once again shows how little respect President Biden and his administration have for God. On the most significant day of the Christian calendar, when the Church around the world celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ who died and shed His blood for the sins of mankind, the Biden administration uses this opportunity to flaunt sin, to glorify sin, and to celebrate sin. The Bible says, “
they proclaim their sin like Sodom; they do not hide it. Woe to them!” (Isaiah 3:9). Judgment is coming. Instead of celebrating sin, we need to confess our sins, repent of our sins, and ask for God’s forgiveness.”

May 4, 2024: AR Gov.@SarahHuckabee Sanders is a gracious & smart lady—& she’s tough when need be! She is rejecting changes the Biden Admin made to Title IX. She said, “truth is important. Biology is important,” & the “differences between men & women are important.”

February 3, 2026: “If you’re a Democrat, you might want to question what your representatives in Washington are spending money on! $240 million in taxpayer dollars spent on transgender testing for rats, mice, and monkeys? You can’t get more depraved than this. Thank you President @realDonaldTrump, @elonmusk, and @DOGE for cutting this out.”

Decision Magazine

Billy Graham founded Decision Magazine in 1960. It’s has bencome BGEA’s key vehicle for anti-transgender propaganda.

References

Conley, Garrard (February 12, 2021). Billy Graham Made Queer Lives Hell on Earth. them https://www.them.us/story/billy-graham-made-queer-lives-hell-on-earth

Grossman, Cathy Lynn (March 1, 2016). Franklin Graham wants your heart, not your vote. Washington Post / Religion News Service https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/religion/franklin-graham-wants-your-heart-not-your-vote/2016/03/01/122e5a06-dfcf-11e5-8c00-8aa03741dced_story.html

Anti-trans coverage

Neffinger, Veronica Olson (June 2, 2022). What 8 Christian Leaders Had to Say on Transgenderism. Crosswalk https://www.crosswalk.com/church/pastors-or-leadership/what-10-christian-leaders-had-to-say-on-transgenderism.html

Staff report (July 17, 2017). Franklin Graham: ‘Of Course Our Churches Should Be Welcoming of Transgender People 
” Charisma https://mycharisma.com/news/franklin-graham-of-course-our-churches-should-be-welcoming-of-transgender-people/

Selected materials by BHEA

Graham, Franklin (September 1, 2022). Franklin Graham: Our Unchanging God. Decision Magazine https://www.billygraham.ca/stories/franklin-graham-our-unchanging-god/

Resources

Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)

GLAAD Accountability Project (glaad.org/gap)

Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (billygraham.org)

Facebook (facebook.com)

Instagram (instagram.com)

X/Twitter (x.com)

YouTube (youtube.com)