Professional counselors can help individuals and their families evaluate their situation and provide important support and education for individuals undergoing gender transition. In the broader context of the Purity Code this is a minor passage which is accompanied by prohibitions against intercourse with a menstruating woman, wearing clothing made of mixed fibers, sacrificing a blemished animal and remarrying a former wife. Taken together the prohibitions of the Purity Code amount to arbitrary cultural taboos as contrasted with the more profound precepts of the Ten Commandments. Biblical scholars and theologians warn of the danger of selective interpretation of the Bible in a way which upholds some passages while ignoring others and overlooking the broader context. Judged strictly by Hebrew standards the entirety of modern civilization would appear to violate the Purity Code.
Most transgendered persons identify themselves as heterosexual.
However, transgendered people are perceived by most people as homosexuals, and thus are discriminated against in similar ways. Like gay men, lesbians and bisexuals, transgendered people face employment and housing discrimination. They are also denied public accommodations and access to health care for their medical conditions. But unlike gay men, lesbians and bisexuals, transgendered people are much more likely to fall victim to discrimination and hate crimes, because most of them possess physical or behavioral characteristics that readily identify them as transgendered. The largest subgroup of transgendered persons are crossdressers who are mainly heterosexual men, although there are also women who crossdress.