Christian leaders have been reacting to President Trump's attempt to rescind Obama-era guidance aimed at allowing transgender school students to use their bathroom of choice.

There had been speculation Trump would overturn the guidance, issued by President Obama in 2016.

The decision is highly controversial with campaigners on both sides reacting vociferously.

Dr Russell Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission and one of the country's most influential evangelical voices, has released a statement in support of Trump's decision. 'I'm very glad to see the Trump Administration revoke these guidelines This move is good for parents and good for families,' it said. 'Children are not pawns of the state to be used to advance the latest fashionable "right side of history" cause. Christians must continue to insist that the worldview of the sexual revolution harms men and women and advocate for the inherent dignity of all.'

Moore's support is significant, because he has been an outspoken critic of Trump in many areas.

Christian voices are not united in their response, though. In a series of tweets, high profile Jesuit priest James Martin reacted in opposition to Trump's pronouncement. '‪#Trans‪ students endure so many indignities already. They should be able to use whatever bathrooms they choose. Its doesn't hurt anybody,' he wrote. The editor at large of America magazine continued, 'For Jesus, there is no "other." There is no "them." There is only "us." So we must be about openness, acceptance and inclusion. ‪#trans'

The move won't have any immediate effect because of legal challenges which are currently in process.