Relations Year in Review: Highlighting family matters

The 12 months of 2025 were marked by several big stories related to gender issues, starting with President Donald Trump’s executive order recognizing men as biological males and women as biological females. Scandals made headlines, too—among them, a U.K. scandal involving grooming gangs and a confession from a Christian music artist. Finally, the year saw the departure of a notable figure in the world of evangelical radio and family counseling.

Back to male and female

President Donald Trump took the oath of office for his second term in January, and in the following weeks he signed a slew of executive orders, including some that more clearly defined gender and sexuality. One executive order declared the United States would recognize only two unchangeable sexes—male and female. Another order protected federally funded women’s sports programs from male participation, and another directed Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to roll back Pentagon policies allowing soldiers to identify as members of the opposite sex.

U.K. grooming probe

Prompted by public comments from SpaceX founder Elon Musk, the U.K.’s Home Office in January vowed to investigate reports of so-called “grooming gangs,” referring to the alleged widespread, organized child sexual abuse and exploitation. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper ordered police departments across the United Kingdom to reopen all police investigations involving child sexual exploitation where authorities did not take further action after gathering the facts about the situation. She ordered authorities across the country to collect more data on grooming gangs, some of which she acknowledged were Pakistani. Earlier this month, the U.K. announced a three-person panel that would investigate the claims.

Newsom’s pivot 

California Gov. Gavin Newsom surprised pretty much everyone in March when he admitted that allowing males to participate in women’s sports is patently unfair. His comments came during a March discussion with the late Charlie Kirk, founder of the conservative nonprofit Turning Point USA, who was assassinated in September. Kirk appeared as a guest on the pilot episode of the governor’s new podcast, This Is Gavin Newsom. While Newsom expressed sympathy for people who claim to be transgender, he broke with an unofficial Democratic Party line supporting males’ participation in girls’ and women’s athletics.

Case closed 

The U.S. Department of Justice in March officially closed its yearslong investigation into the Southern Baptist Convention and its leaders, filing no new charges. The department began its investigation of the denomination’s response to sexual abuse claims after the release of a report by Guidepost Solutions in 2022. Guidepost’s independent investigation, commissioned by the SBC, outlined allegations of mishandling abuse claims and mistreating abuse survivors. Federal prosecutors concluded the 2½-year investigation without leveling any new charges or fines against any SBC entity or leader, SBC attorneys said.

Fencing mismatch 

Also in March, USA Fencing expelled female athlete Stephanie Turner from a tournament for refusing to compete against a man who identified as a woman. Footage showed Turner preparing to face Redmond Sullivan at the Cherry Blossom Open in Maryland on March 30. Just before the match began, spectators saw Turner kneel and remove her mask. Turner had decided to take the knee after seeing Sullivan’s name in her pool the night before, according to her interview with Fox News. Turner told the referee she could not go forward with the match because she would have to face a male opponent.

British common sense 

In April, justices of the U.K.’s top court ruled unanimously that a 2010 British equality law defines a woman as someone born female. Men cannot be considered women for equality purposes, the court ruled, even if they have a gender recognition certificate that legally identifies them as female. In their ruling, the justices found that not protecting the definition of women as based on biological sex could endanger the availability of single-sex spaces such as changing rooms, homeless shelters, or medical facilities. Giving men who have such a legal certificate the same protections as women under the U.K.’s Equality Act would give those people more rights than other men who say they are women but don’t have the certificate, according to the ruling.

Take it down 

U.S. President Donald Trump signed the so-called Take It Down Act into law in May, banning the creation of AI-generated pornography that depicts altered images of people without their consent. It also prohibits the distribution of genuine intimate images of someone without his or her consent. The law aimed to combat the rise of online exploitation and so-called revenge porn, the vindictive sharing of inappropriate images of someone without permission. The Senate unanimously passed the bipartisan bill in February before a landslide vote of approval from 409 members of the House in late April. Only two members of the House voted against the measure, and 22 others opted not to vote.

A double life

Former DC Talk member and Newsboys lead singer Michael Tait in June issued a statement saying that previously reported accusations against him of drug abuse and inappropriate sexual behavior were largely true. In his 630-word statement, titled “My Confession,” Tait admitted that while he might dispute certain details of the allegations, over a span of about two decades he had abused alcohol and cocaine and occasionally touched men in a sensual way without their consent. Tait characterized his conduct as sin and said he blamed no one but himself. He went on to apologize to his family, friends, fans, and bandmates for deceiving them. Tait, who had left the Newsboys in January, insisted that he started seeking forgiveness and healing before the allegations were made public.

Notable departure 

Christian author, psychologist, and family advocate James “Jim” Dobson Jr. died in August. He was 89 years old. In 1970, he wrote the first of his many books, Dare To Discipline. Seven years later, Dobson started the Christian advocacy group Focus on the Family. Its first radio broadcast was a 25-minute weekly program that was carried on 40 stations. In less than 10 years, the broadcast reached global status. The ministry expanded in other ways, too, including several film series, monthly newsletters, the launch of several magazine titles, and the revival of children’s radio theater through its Adventures in Odyssey program. In 2009, Dobson resigned from the board of directors of Focus and ended his broadcasting career there, citing “significant philosophical differences” with his successor. He soon launched the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute, continuing his mission through Family Talk, a nationally syndicated talk show.

So-called gay marriage 

In November, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal that might have overturned the precedent set in Obergefell v. Hodges, its 2015 decision that established a right to so-called same-sex marriage. WORLD Opinions columnist Katy Faust argued the case didn’t provide the best opportunity to set precedent. The victim was Kim Davis, a former Kentucky county clerk who spent five days in jail after refusing to issue a marriage license to two men. Davis wanted to be reimbursed for the hundreds of thousands of dollars a court ordered her to pay to the same-sex couple.