Transpeople find ourselves increasingly the subject of attack from certain proponents of Christianity. The issue of gay marriage is galvanizing religious conservatives, and trans issues are also becoming larger blips on their radar screens. As we gain footholds in employment and other civil rights, and as we further our own efforts to obtain adequate health care and to end violence against people due to gender variance, we find these self-appointed moralists reacting more and more virulently against their sense of increasing disorder in their world. The more threatened they feel, the more vicious their attacks. To counter this, I think we must appeal to them from the same source of justification that they attempt to use against us.
I recently returned from Oslo, Norway, where I was invited to speak at the Third International Symposium of the Norwegian Organization for Transsexuals (LFTS) on December 6, 2003. At that conference I had the pleasure to have translated for me the remarks of Gunnar Stalsett, Bishop of Oslo for the Lutheran Church of Norway. Speaking on "Humanity and Faith," he had a lot to say about the meaning of human dignity as confirmed by faith, and clearly he believes transsexual and transgendered people possess human dignity.
Bishop Stalsett said that love of God cannot be separated from love of our fellow human beings; to look in God's face we need only to look into the faces of others. The confirmation of our humanity is achieved in conjunction with others. He said that the problem is that some people think they are honoring God by doing evil toward other people. He said we are obliged to understand and love ourselves in order to fulfill God's commandment to love others as ourselves, and that being different is a part of humanity, not a punishment for sins. He said a lot more than this, but he was speaking in Norwegian, and I didn't get a verbatim translation.
His were encouraging words for the 165 people attending this symposium. Transpeople, physicians, sociologists, psychologists and sexologists alike, religious or not, all appreciated the sincerity and hopefulness of the bishop's message. To be confirmed by an authority of faith, even if the faith is not our own, is still a kind of confirmation that transpeople and those who work with and for us appreciate in our quest for understanding. That's not to say that we couldn't proceed without such blessings -- because certainly we could -- but having them is especially important for people who identify strongly with their faith.
There are three important resource books that transpeople might want to be aware of as they look for religious succor in a cold or dangerous world. In 2001,Virginia Ramey Mollenkott released "Omnigender: A Trans-Religious Approach," from Pilgrim Press (www.pilgrimpress.com). Pat Conover's "Transgender Good News" from New Wineskins Press was published in 2002 (www.newwineskinspress.com). Now we also have the Rev. Justin Tanis' "Trans-Gendered: Theology, Ministry, and Communities of Faith" (also from Pilgrim Press), the first book of its kind by an FTM cleric. Tanis, a minister and director of leadership development for Metropolitan Community Churches (MCC) in West Hollywood, brings out many voices of transpeople who are looking beyond binary thinking, and also documents the ordeals experienced by several other transsexual ministers. All three of these books speak to the need for spiritual community for transpeople and the gifts that transpeople can bring to communities of faith. For those who are seeking, or those whose families or friends need reassurance that transness does not have to mean faithlessness, I strongly recommend that you review each of these books and share the one(s) you feel are most appropriate or speak to the needs of your intended audience.
At times we can all use a bit of spiritual comfort, and a little gospel music can go a long way. If you ever get a chance to hear them, go see the Transcendence Gospel Choir, the all-trans vocal group founded by Ashley Moore. I've watched this group from its humble beginnings in early 2001, and the passion, commitment and joy that Ashley and her friends deliver in song after song is absolutely inspirational. Check out their Web site at www.tgchoir.org, where you can order their CD and get information about the performers and their schedule of performances. This choir exemplifies the power of spirit and truly delivers the message of community. Motivated by their Christian faith, some real power in this choir comes through their transness. Their hearts are on their sleeves, and their joy is in their faces when they bring you their message of human goodness through faith and love. You can see God when you look at them. And if the message don't get ya, then the rhythm will.
Whatever your faith, keep it. We'll need all the support we can get, from within ourselves as well as from others outside the LGBT world, to withstand the conservative backlash that's building now. We can overcome the hatred, the prejudice and ignorance, and we can show the world what love and being human really means.
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