‘It’s really culty’: Inside the unlikely war a trans conservative is waging on the left

Avery Lee Lockhart, 29, is a conservative transgender content creator who says original research, as well as personal experiences with the left, ultimately led to an embrace of the right.

Lockhart, who lives in California, is outspoken about her Christian faith online with the Instagram account @iamaverylockhart, which has nearly 40,000 followers. Lockhart spoke with Fox News Digital about balancing life as a transgender woman and pushing back against left-wing ideology, particularly on issues related to transgender identity.

Lockhart, who transitioned as an adult, believes that children should not be exposed to transgender topics because of their vulnerability and innocence.

"It's extremely, extremely harmful for children to even be exposed to, or learn about this kind of thing. I think there's nothing more pure than a child's innocence at the end of the day. And children are like sponges, they're going to retain information and pick it up."

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Furthermore, Lockhart emphasized children should not be allowed to undergo hormone treatments or sex-change surgeries.

"I don't think anybody under the age of 18 should be interacting or exposed to this sort of thing. The body doesn't finish developing until you're 25," Lockhart said.

According to the National Institutes of Health, the brain's prefrontal cortex, which plays a key role in decision-making, doesn't fully develop until 25 years of age.

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Lockhart told Fox News Digital that children should be thinking about age-appropriate topics, and transgenderism is not one of them.

"They should be thinking about addition and subtraction. They should think about what kids are wearing the cool shoes on the schoolyard. Like, they shouldn't be thinking about, ‘Oh, I should be changing my gender.’"

Lockhart argued that mental health is at the core of gender dysphoria and root causes are often ignored. Although the content creator doesn't think children should be exposed to gender treatments, Lockhart believes gender dysphoria should be addressed without transitioning.

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"There's a reason why conditions like gender dysphoria are linked to being trans, it's an imbalance in the brain, and it needs to be addressed from the root when you're that young," Lockhart said.

Lockhart believes the pendulum has swung "so far left" on this issue.

"That's why we're seeing such a massive wave of people who are coming out and being like, I'm not OK with this s--- anymore."

Lockhart applauded President Donald Trump for pushing back on this issue.

For example, the Trump administration last week filed a lawsuit against Minnesota as the state continued to buck the president’s executive order to keep males out of women’s and girls’ sports. 

The Justice Department (DOJ) alleged that the state’s Department of Education (MDE) and the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) are in violation of Title IX policies.

The administration has also taken steps to "end the practice of sex-rejecting procedures on children that expose young people to irreversible harm."

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Lockhart, whose politics come as a surprise to many, told Fox News Digital it is "culty" when people expect someone to be a liberal for being transgender.

"I think it really kind of shows that independent thought is not that big anymore, because it's like… you need me to believe this, or you need to believe that. And there's no in-between."

Lockhart said becoming a conservative was a result of experiences with the left and personal research, including more acceptance of differing opinions on the right compared to on the left.

"If I interact with a conservative and I have a differing opinion than a conservative, it's usually a pretty tame and calm conversation."

In contrast, Lockhart said a difference of opinion with liberals can result in ad hominem attacks and "buzzwords," including "Nazi" and "fascist."

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However, Lockhart doesn't believe the right is perfect when it comes to this issue and cited issues on both sides. The influencer hoped conservatives and liberals could come together and have conversations. 

"I need to spread differing opinions and, you know, show people that, like, independent thought does still exist and not everybody is just going to blindly follow a narrative from the left or the right anymore," Lockhart said.

Lockhart added that it was when Charlie Kirk was assassinated that led to a desire to speak out. "I want to honor him, I need to speak out," the influencer said. 

Even while living as a transgender woman, Lockhart acknowledges that the lifestyle, "does go against the creation of God."

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"We’re called sinners because we are going to sin," Lockhart said. "That’s why Jesus died on the cross for our sins, past, present, and future."

Lockhart described being baptized again as an adult last November. "I feel like I've been having a lot of thoughts of not necessarily de-transitioning, but kind of more of an understanding that this is not like a path maybe that was meant for me," adding that God "doesn't make mistakes."

However, Lockhart reiterated that the transgender identity is still a comfortable one.

Lockhart, although exposed to Christianity as a child, spent years as a nonbeliever. It was through meeting a friend at Turning Point USA that led her towards faith after attending events and attending church again shortly thereafter.

"I'm not worrying about these small minor things that used to dominate my life with my anxiety, and I'm instead putting my faith in God that He's going to show me a path, or He's going to give me answers or give me guidance in whatever form that may be."

Fox News' Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report