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

Several years ago, I received an urgent call to visit a dying man in the hospital. I didn’t know Ray well, but I knew him well enough to know he was paying a high price for his hard living. Though he’d make peace with God through Christ, his liver was in conflict with his body.

When his ex-wife phoned me, she was standing at his bedside. Ray, she explained, was knocking at death’s door. Though I hurried, he entered it minutes before I arrived. The hospital room had a “just happened” feel to it. The ex-wife saw me enter and looked up. With eyes and words, she explained, “He just left.”

Ray silently slipped out. Departed. One moment here. The next moment … where? He passed, not away, but on. Yet on to where? And in what form? To what place? And, once there, what did he see? We so desire to know.

Who in your life “just left?” When the breathing of your spouse ceased, the beating heart in your womb stopped, or the beep of your grandmother’s monitor became a flat-lined tone, what happened in that moment?

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And what will happen to you in yours? Barring the return of Christ, you will have one … a last breath, a final pulse. And … then what? What will we be after we die? What will happen? Answers vary.

Nothing, some people say. We will decay and or disintegrate. Death is a dead end. Our works and reputation might survive, but not us.

Or, we become part of the universe. Eternity absorbs us like a lake absorbs a raindrop. We return to what we were before we were what we are… we return to the cosmic consciousness of the universe.

Christianity, on the other hand, posits a new, startling idea. “Death has been swallowed up in victory” (1 Cor. 15:54 NIV). According to the promise of the empty tomb, my friend Ray awoke in a world so wondrously better than this one that it would take God himself to convince Ray to return to earth.

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This is the Christian hope. This hope is verified by the Easter miracle, that stunning moment we celebrate as Easter. Do you know this miracle?

It was Sunday morning after the Friday execution. The sky was dark. The disciples had scattered. And the Roman executioner was wondering about breakfast or work or his next day off. But he was not wondering about the fellow he had nailed to a cross and pierced with a spear. Jesus was dead and buried. Yesterday’s news. Right?

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Wrong.

“There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. The angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.’” (Matt. 28:2-6 NIV)

And out he marched, the cadaver-turned-king, with the mask of death in one hand and the keys of heaven in the other. He has risen!

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We know what happened to Christ when he died. What happens to those who believe him?

Simple, because the tomb is empty, the promise of Christ is not. If you trust Christ with your life, he will take care of you in death.

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When you die, your spirit will immediately enter the presence of God. You will enjoy conscious fellowship with the heavenly Father and with those who have gone before. Your body will join you later. We believe this is true because of scriptures like this one: “We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord” (2 Cor. 5:8 NIV).

When Ray’s ex-wife asked me what happened to him, I could rightly say, “He is away from his body and at home with the Lord.”

Have you made this the hope for your life? If not, doesn’t it make sense that you do so? Doesn’t it make sense that you know your destination?

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Travelers do. I’ve engaged in dozens of airplane conversations in my life. When I’ve asked, “Where are you headed?” people always have an answer.

Every traveler worth a flight mile knows that the purpose of the plane is to carry us from one place to the next. Do you understand that the purpose of this life is to do the same? You were made for more than airplane peanuts and in-flight entertainment. You were made to go home.

Jesus Christ rose from the dead, not just to show you his power, but to reveal your path. Just like he did for my friend Ray, He will lead you through the valley of death. He will lead you home.

“Death has been swallowed up in victory” (Cor. 15:54).

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During the holiest week of the Christian calendar, “Jesus Crown of Thorns” is bringing the story of Christ’s victory after death to the screen, with its final season and series finale now available on Fox Nation.

As the story of Christ’s ultimate sacrifice approaches its conclusion, betrayal, sorrow and the ultimate triumph over death recapture the essence of what makes Holy Week so special.

“The resurrection of Jesus is the message of Christianity,” Father James Martin, S.J., said in the series.

“It means that hope has triumphed over despair, love has triumphed over hate, and that nothing is impossible with God.”

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In the series finale, Andrew and Matthew encounter a stranger on the road to the village of Emmaus, recognizing his true identity only when they break bread together – a pivotal moment reflecting the Gospel account of the risen Christ appearing to his followers.

Meanwhile, Saint John the Apostle recalls Christ’s promise that he would rise three days after his death — a promise soon fulfilled before his disciples.

“Because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe,” Jesus tells them.

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“This is what I told you. Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me… the Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins, will be preached in his name to all nations.” 

As Christians across the globe reflect on Christ’s sacrifice, hope remains at the center of the story, pointing toward the promise of the resurrection this Easter Sunday.

Among those who remained closest to Christ in those final moments was the Apostle John, a figure whose loyalty and faith are central to the series’ portrayal of both the crucifixion and the resurrection.

Actor Alister Hawke, who portrayed John in the series, sat down with FOX Business’ “Varney & Co.” last week to discuss that unyielding loyalty, previewing the series finale while discussing what it means to portray the apostle widely considered the most beloved by Christ.

“He seems to find his feet when all the other disciples kind of slip away and fall away,” Hawke said.

“Ultimately, he’s a man that chose to stand up for what was right over and above what was easy in that moment.”

Hawke said having a “deep understanding” of the world and Biblical texts is crucial to capturing a role so crucial to the Gospel.

“I think one thing that’s really interesting for me playing John is experiencing that journey in real time, so, for example, not everyone’s got a Bible. We don’t know how the story is going to end and the pressure is so, so high in those situations and circumstances, and experiencing that and living that was a really special thing.”

The series finale brings that journey to its ultimate conclusion, depicting not just Christ’s suffering but the fulfillment of a promise foretold long before the crucifixion.

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As the story closes, it echoes the words of the prophet Isaiah, a reminder of the meaning behind the sacrifice at the heart of the Christian faith: “He was pierced for our transgressions… and by his wounds, we are healed.” 

To watch the series finale of “Jesus Crown of Thorns” this Easter, subscribe to Fox Nation.