Transgender Identity: From One Catholic's Perspective

Let me begin by stating categorically what this post is not meant to do. It is not meant to judge anyone.

*Only God is omniscient - only he knows people's hearts and true intentions, so only He can judge with genuine justice.
*It is not meant to damn or condemn (I'm certainly no saint myself).

What it is, however, is a series of observations regarding the transgender phenomenon from my own perspective, looking through the lenses of a somewhat objectively minded (albeit imperfect) B.A. "certified" anthropologist.


First I will explain what I think this phenomenon is all about.
Then I will briefly describe what I think Christians ought to consider doing to address these types of delicate transgender issues.

I do not have a vested interest to offend or hurt anyone... But I do have an obligation to speak the truth when I have reason to believe it will help even one single person. 

The transgender movement is getting a lot of attention these days. But what you don't see in the popular media very often is how many transgenders attempt suicide.
Bruce Jenner, now wanting to be recognized as Caitlyn Jenner, admitted to Diane Sawyer that he contemplated suicide, following a surgery to remove his adam's apple (link here). This may have made the news due to the Jenner's high profile status, but what about the countless others who suffer unnoticed?

According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, a survey conducted by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and National Center for Transgender Equality indicates that the the rate of suicide attempts among respondents is a staggering 41% (Haas, Rodgers, & Herman 2014:2). Compare that to the overall U.S. population rate of suicide attempts which is 4.6% (Haas, et al 2014:2).
You don't have to be very clever to realize that this is quite a significant difference. There is a high rate of suicide attempts among those who identify as transgender. What is the cause of this? Who can say? What matters is that there is clearly an underlying problem that is not being dealt with. The trans question goes deeper than many people realize.

The following is by no means perfect science or perfect doctrine, but is something I've picked up from various psychology and anthropology readings and classes.

The zeitgeist of our age espouses the philosophy that gender identity exists on a continuum rather than (as formerly believed) a binary concept. People often identify themselves as having varying levels of "female-ness" or "male-ness". For example, a girl who exhibits many traditionally "male" characteristics such as competitiveness, aggressiveness, or as being rather strong might identify as being more manly, or a "tomboy". On the flip side, males who exhibit womanly traits might consider themselves more effeminate.
What we need to remember is this: these characteristics are culturally defined - although they are generally consistent across cultures.
A woman can exhibit manly characteristics without identifying as a man and vice versa.
Western cultures - particularly the American culture - are not very hospitable to allowing the expression of this, however. How many men do you see going around in women's clothes because they like it, and yet still get to join his friends at the bar to watch football? You're right. It never happens. It's taboo.

Let me back up a second and extrapolate on what it means to be a man or a woman, in terms of physical sex.
Sex is genetically determined. Apart from exceedingly rare cases of true hermaphroditism, all people either have an XX (female) or XY (male) sex chromosome configuration. If you have XX you are genetically and physically a female (exhibited by eggs and accompanying hormones such as estrogen, etc), and if you are XY you are genetically and physically a male (exhibited by sperm and accompanying hormones such as high testosterone, etc).

It can be conceived that a woman might have higher male hormones which could make her subjectively feel more the way men supposedly feel. However that subjective feeling does not mean that she is a man because her sex chromosomes - particularly the way they are expressed in her reproductive organs - define her womanhood. The same goes for a man with high levels of estrogen. We are not given the ability to step outside of our bodies, look objectively at “male” essence and “female” essence and then pick one and say “that’s me”. Our perspective is always subjective.

In his book, When Harry Became Sally, Ryan Anderson states, “Our minds and senses function properly when they reveal reality to us and lead us to knowledge of truth. And we flourish as human beings when we embrace the truth and live in accordance with it. A person might find some subjective satisfaction in believing and living out a falsehood, but that person would not be objectively well off.”

Transgender people often claim they have always identified more with the opposite sex and "feel" more like the opposite sex than they were born. I pose this question (assuming the person is genetically male and intellectually honest):
1) Have you ever been a biological female, that is to say, have you ever had XX sex chromosomes?
-All males must say no, because science has not advanced so far as to allow people to change their sex chromosomes.
2) Then I would ask, if you have never been genetically female, how could you ever know what a genetic female feels subjectively?
-They cannot answer, because they have never been in that situation.
3) If you have never been a female, and you cannot know how a female feels subjectively, then how can you claim to identify that way?
-...

The tragedy is this: rather than believing the problem is with society, transgender people believe the problem is with themselves. That they have been "born in the wrong body". This is nonsense!
Just because you subjectively feel "effeminate" according to what society dictates does not mean your physiology is wrong.
Being a man and exhibiting traditionally womanly characteristics and liking dresses and high heels does not mean you're a woman inside. It means gender stereotypes are not binding.
I can conceive of a culture in which girls predominantly prefer the color blue and often take the leading role in relationships. I can conceive of a culture in which boys like the color pink and prefer to stay at home cleaning and looking after children.

What is sad is that, in seeking to realize their personal preferences, people who choose to label themselves transgender often do so in order to be accepted.
Unfortunately, it is not enough for them to declare, "I am a man, and I like to wear makeup and sing in the shower." To do so would emasculate them - which is perceived of as being worse in American culture than being transgender. Feminine men are ridiculed and shunned. Crying in public is absolutely forbidden, if you are a man. Transgenders, on the other hand, are increasingly praised and encouraged, especially by liberal universities, mainstream media, and social media platforms such as Twitter. It is easier to say "I was born in the wrong body!" because that makes outsiders more sympathetic than they would be towards someone who can control his or her own preferences and outward expression.

The high suicide attempt statistics among transgenders belies the fact that these people are hurting.
I realize that not all transgender people feel exactly the way I've described, but from my observations this is nonetheless an attitude that is quite prevalent within the transgender community.

Here's the main point I would like to make concerning how we ought to treat our dear, afflicted brothers and sisters. All transgender and transsexual people are beyond being thoroughly convinced of their plight. It is not a belief that they hold, but rather it is a conviction that touches the core of their personal identity. This is not something to be dealt with lightly. It is a matter of life and death for many of these people, who feel so beaten down by their existential distress.

Subjectively, they feel that "it's my life, I know what I feel like on the inside". I understand that mentality! I used to think I was bisexual. For years. I found women attractive, and I even dated a girl for several months at one point. On the outside, for all intents and purposes, I was bisexual. I felt fulfilled in my relationship with the other girl. It wasn't just a "phase", and I too was thoroughly offended by people who seemed to claim they knew me better than I knew myself!

Once I met my husband, however, I realized something. I had thought I was bisexual because my need for real, genuine love was so desperate that I was willing to accept it from anyone. In addition, I had allowed my own feelings and behaviors to define something that only God is the author of. He created my body in a particular way, and my selfish distortion of His plan was not sufficient to alter who I really am: a woman, made in His image, with the capacity to be a co-creator of immortal beings.

What is the responsibility of the Christian toward someone struggling with their sex/gender identity? Let's meet these people where they are. That is what Jesus did, while in the midst of a broken, confused world. Don't try to convince them they are wrong. No argument in the world will sway someone who thinks they were born the wrong sex. Not the ones I've discussed in this post, nor any of the others. Instead, we need to live our lives as an example. Treat them with love. Let them see how much joy there is in carrying our own personal crosses with Christ. All of us have crosses, and transgenders arguably have acutely heavy ones.

We ought to be reaching out where we can to help people realize that it's OKAY if you do not conform to gender stereotypes. It is OKAY to be a feminine man or a masculine woman!
But please do not go so far as to disparage your worth by thinking you are anything other than what God made you to be - a man or a woman in His image and likeness. We live in a broken world, where sin has distorted Truth and confused our senses. I can guarantee one thing, though: in heaven, you will be fully male or fully female - perfected in your glorified body, as God intends.

Transgender individuals are the same as you and I, and they deserve all of the respect, dignity, and love as anybody else.
To love, however, is not to allow people to persist in deleterious attitudes and practices. In most situations, when we encounter someone who identifies as transgender it will only be in passing. The best thing we can do in those situations is to simply treat them as we would any other fellow human being. That includes praying for them, that they might become who God fully intends them to be. Their dignity extends infinitely beyond their struggles with their gender identity, just like the dignity of anyone stretches beyond their particular faults and failings. Fundamentally, we are all children of God.

To love is to help walk someone out of destruction by caring for them as a friend and fellow human being. Allow people to seek refuge in your confidence and give them the courage to open up so they can take small steps towards discovering who they are really meant to be.