LaRell Herbert told Allie Beth Stuckey he grew up Mormon and experienced gender confusion from a young age, with his entire worldview shaped by LDS doctrine. When his belief in the Mormon church dissolved, he said he accepted evolutionary explanations and identified as transgender.

Herbert said he later encountered Christianity and the gospel "changed everything," leading him to reject his transgender identity. He now speaks about his experience as evidence that gender dysphoria can be addressed through religious faith rather than medical transition.