Co-pastor of The Crossing Church Keith Simon gave a sermon on October 13, 2019 that discussed gender roles in the bible. Though he began by emphasizing the church’s approach to inclusion and diversity, much of his conversaiton fixated on the church’s view that transgender people are living against God’s design. This sermon has been widely criticized by Columbia’s LGBTQ community for its inclusion of language and ideas frequently associated with transphobia and anti-trans violence.