Bible and the Transgender Experience. Linda Herzer
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WHAT WE ARE AND ARE NOT TALKING ABOUT
LGB and TQI
I am a minister who identifies as straight and nontransgender. Four years ago I joined the staff of a church where most of our congregants identified as gay, lesbian, or transgender. As a result, I began encountering the acronym “LGBTQI” with some frequency. I learned that “LGBTQI” is an abbreviation for “lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, and intersex.” I also learned that lumping all these letters together sometimes leads to the misunderstanding that being L, G, or B is the same as being T, Q, or I. However, this is not the case. There are some very important distinctions between these terms. (If these terms are new to you, as some of them were to me, know that I will explain them in greater detail in the next chapter.)
The words “gay,” “lesbian,” and “bisexual” refer to one’s sexual orientation. Sexual orientation, generally speaking, has to do with whom one is attracted to romantically. The word “transgender,” broadly speaking, refers to one’s gender identity and/or one’s gender expression. Gender identity has to do with a person’s internal sense of themselves, whether they know themselves to be a woman, a man, or possibly both or neither. Gender expression has to do with how people outwardly express their gender through dress, mannerisms, hairstyles, vocal inflections, and so on.
My transgender congregants helped me understand that being transgender has nothing to do with one’s sexual orientation, that gender identity and sexual orientation are two totally different things. They explained it this way: Being gay is about who you go to bed with; being transgender is about who you go to bed as. Consequently, transgender individuals can be gay or straight or bisexual or any of the various sexual orientations that human beings experience.
Regarding the “Q” and the “I” in “LGBTQI,” persons identifying as queer or “questioning” could be referring to their sexual orientation, their gender identity, their gender expression, and/or all three. The word “intersex” refers to one’s biology. People who are intersex are born with genitals, internal reproductive organs, or chromosome patterns that do not fit typical definitions of male or female.1.
Many helpful books have been written about what the Bible has to say about homosexuality, that is, about the LGB, so that is not what we will look at here. In this book, we will consider what scripture has to say about the TQI—about gender and biological variance. So let’s begin!
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CULTURAL CONTEXT
Now and Then
When I was earning my Master of Divinity degree at Asbury Theological Seminary, our professors taught us that, when it comes to understanding the Bible, “context is everything!” This meant that we were never to try to understand scripture by simply looking at an isolated verse.
I once heard a joke that illustrates this point. A person was feeling discouraged and uncertain about their future direction. They decided to look in the Bible to find guidance for their life. The Good Book fell open to Matthew 27:5, “He [Judas] went out and hanged himself.” Not finding that to be very encouraging, the person decided to try again. So they put their finger down on another random page and read, “Go and do likewise” (Luke 10:37). Surprised, they tried a third time, opening to “What you are about to do, do quickly” (John 13:27). Truly, context is everything!
The cultural context of the transgender experience in America today is very different from that of biblical times. It is also important to understand that the modern context of the trans experience, which includes the very words used to describe that experience, is highly fluid, continually shifting and changing. I am about to offer some basic definitions and descriptions. However, if you are reading this book much past 2017, you may want to check a website like that of the
National Center for Transgender Equality (www.transequality.org) for more up-to-date definitions and information. Likewise, not everyone currently agrees on the definitions and usage of these terms, and usage may vary from country to country. Keeping these disclaimers in mind, let’s first try to arrive at an understanding of the cultural context of gender variance in the United States today. Then we will consider the biblical context.
TRANSGENDER—AN UMBRELLA TERM AND A SPECIFIC TERM
Today the word “transgender” is commonly used as an umbrella term that includes many categories of gender variant individuals. Chances are you have seen media coverage of trans celebrities like Caitlyn Jenner, Laverne Cox, Janet Mock, Chaz Bono, and Jazz Jennings. Or perhaps you have watched television shows featuring trans characters, programs like Glee, Orange is the New Black, Trans-Parent, Sense8, and The Bold and the Beautiful, or reality shows featuring trans individuals such as Becoming Us, I Am Cait, I Am Jazz, and several seasons of America’s Next Top Model. If so, you are familiar with one category of trans persons, namely, those who used to be called transsexual but are now usually just described collectively as transgender or simply “trans.” (Note: The word “transgender” is an adjective, not a noun, so you would not refer to transgender persons as “transgenders.”) Individually, trans people may be referred to as a “trans woman” or a “trans man,” or as MTF (male to female) or FTM (female to male). These are persons whose gender identity does not match the gender they were assigned at birth.1
Most transgender individuals desire to live “full time” as the gender they identify as, so they dress and style their hair and present themselves accordingly, as much as they feel they can. (Lack of financial resources, state laws, or fear of losing friends, family members, church membership, and careers keep some trans people from living full time in what they know to be their true gender identity or making all the changes they might like to make.) Most transgender adults and some trans teens take, or wish to take, steps to medically alter their biology. According to these individuals’ personal preferences and available resources, such steps could include taking hormones, electrolysis, and/or surgical operations. (A word about proper etiquette: Because a transgender person’s gender identity is about who they know themselves to be internally, it is never appropriate to ask about their external anatomy or what surgeries they have had.)
I was surprised to learn that taking testosterone will drop a trans man’s voice and allow him to grow facial hair. However, taking estrogen does not raise the pitch of a trans woman’s voice, and, while it slightly retards facial hair growth, it does not stop it. Because of the impact of hormones on voices and hair growth, trans men are more likely to “pass” than are trans women. In fact, the first time I had a conversation with a trans man, I never even realized that the deep-voiced man with a full beard with whom I was speaking was transgender…until he made a reference to that fact about ten minutes into our conversation!
Trans men and trans women usually seek to change their name and the gender marker on their legal documents such as driver licenses and passports, although states have different laws governing this process. Those who are coming out as adults often find themselves in marriage and family counseling and possibly in the process of divorcing. Some marriages survive the revelation that one spouse is transgender; others do not. Teens and young adults who come out as transgender may be cut off from parental support. If they do not receive parental support, these young people often end up homeless and on the streets. Trans people who are members of faith communities often fear rejection from these communities and struggle with what it means to relate to their Higher Power as a trans person. Some ultimately leave their faith traditions while others develop an even deeper and more meaningful spiritual life. Many trans individuals struggle with employment issues, often finding themselves unemployed, underemployed, or dealing with harassment in the workplace if they are employed.2
The years-long process during which transgender individuals are making various social, legal, and medical changes is referred to as “tran-sitioning.” I have had the honor of becoming good friends with a trans woman in transition. When I first met Gabrielle, she had only been out for