(I owe some of the material here to Greg Hartington who presented a number of us with a paper that helped us get some understanding of the terms, and then helped us discuss some of the issues.)
The world of hetero-sexuality is not monolithic, neither is the world of homo-sexuality, and we should not try and place transgender somehow under any ‘homosexual’ heading. In this section I will simply add a few comments, given that the Bible does not cover this area directly. Transgender is not a sub-section of ‘gay’, but in as much as it does not line up with the binary categories some of the principles of interpretation from the previous sections will also apply.
It is important to grasp the definitions that are in common use so that we can navigate what is being discussed with some measure of understanding.
Gender Identity: how I think of myself; my psychological sense of gender. What I think. (So much of which is formed in the womb.)
Gender expression: how I live, how I behave, what I wear. How I look and act.
Biological sex: genitalia, body shape, hormones, chromosones, brain structure. What I have.
A trans-woman:
- Assigned male gender at birth
- Biological sex gender at birth
- Gender identity is female
- Has transitioned to female expression, and may also have had physical surgery.
Likewise a trans-man is the reverse of the above description of a trans-woman.
Sexual Orientation – another element: to whom a person is attracted romantically and / or sexually (and the attraction romantically and sexually might not be the same). Who I love.
The table that follows indicates factors that seem to determine male / female.
| ♂ | ♀ |
| XY Chromosones | XX Chromosones |
| Hormones: androgen, testosterone | Hormones: progesterone, oestrogen |
| Male genitalia, body shape | Female genitalia, body shape |
| Male Brain Structure | Female Brain Structure |
| Male Identity | Female Identity |
Usually, all of these line up neatly. For example, someone with XY chromosomes gets hormones for male development in the womb, and then is born with male genitalia, and grows up through puberty into a typical male shape, with a male brain structure and who thinks of themselves as male. And vice versa for women. (The brain structure is somewhat debated as to whether there is a clear difference, but it seems there is considerable weight of opinion that favours this distinction.)
BUT NOT ALWAYS.
(There are cases of Intersex… where it is not clearly defined as above table shows. The biological markers not fitting the binary approach.)
And some people have a deep-seated, permanent sense that their gender identity is different from the one assigned at birth. There might be many diverse factors in this, but there are in some cases at least some biological cause.
Is gender reassignment surgery necessary? Not all wish this. And it is NOT the same as surgery for (e.g.) cancer, as any surgery is related to identity and seeking to bring the ‘felt’ identity, the gender that is identified with and the biological sex in line. There are those who wish to suggest that the emotional identity should therefore be re-aligned (healing, therapy, counselling?). This can be argued for but a strong counterpoint is ‘WHY should emotional realignment take priority over the physical?’ Rather than home in with a view that we have a situation of gender confusion we could be better involved in seeking to give support to the person who is actually seeking to correct any confusion!
Other notes:
Conservative Judaism
An influential body of rabbis of Conservative Judaism in the USA (less strict than the Orthdox wing of Judaism, is the second-largest denomination in America. The largest, the more liberal Reform movement, passed a similar resolution previous year, and the small Reconstructionist movement is similarly supportive) passed a resolution 2016 calling for synagogues to be ‘explicitly welcoming’ to transgender people.
The rabbis’ resolution began by stating, ‘Our Torah asserts that all humanity is created b’tzelem Elohim, in God’s Divine Image.’ It discusses historical evidence of ‘non-binary gender expression’ in Jewish texts dating back to the third-century Mishnah, and points out current-day discrimination against transgender Americans in employment, medical care and voting rights.1
‘Cross-dressing’?
In the Babylonian Talmud (Nazir 59a), the (Jewish) Sages argue that it is not plausible to read the verse in Deuteronomy literally, since wearing the clothes of another gender could not possibly be seen as an abomination. Instead, the Talmud understands the Torah prohibition this way: wearing clothes of another gender in order to falsify your identity, and infiltrate spaces reserved for the ‘opposite’ sex, is what is forbidden. The key point here seems to be that cross-dressing is only prohibited when there are ulterior motives involved—in this case, the violation of another person’s space and therefore trust. When it comes to cross-dressing in and of itself, the Talmud is crystal clear: ‘There is no abomination here!’
Deuteronomy 22:5 ‘A woman must not wear men’s clothing, nor a man wear women’s clothing, for the Lord your God detests anyone who does this.’ The word translated as ‘clothing’ here, keli, is translated elsewhere as ‘armor’, and the word translated as ‘man’, geber, normally means ‘warrior’. This implies a prohibition against intent to deceive by pretending to be a warrior, or for a warrior to deceive by disguising himself as a woman.
Examples to consider
Jacob preferred to be with his mother at home, enjoyed cooking and was smooth-skinned, in contrast to his brother, who was hairy and preferred to hunt and be outdoors. (Genesis 25).
Joseph, Jacob’s son, was given an ‘ornate robe’ by his father (Genesis 37:3); the Hebrew word used here for the robe (ketonet passim) is used elsewhere to mean ‘the kind of garment the virgin daughters of the king wore’ (2 Samuel 13:18). This is the only other biblical example of this word.
Coat of many colours / long sleeves / or…
Gen. 37: 3
(ESV) Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his sons, because he was the son of his old age. And he made him a robe of many colors.
(NIV) Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made an ornate robe for him.
(NRSV) Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his children, because he was the son of his old age; and he had made him a long robe with sleeves.
2 Sam. 13:18
(ESV) Now she was wearing a long robe with sleeves, for thus were the virgin daughters of the king dressed. So his servant put her out and bolted the door after her.
(NIV) So his servant put her out and bolted the door after her. She was wearing an ornate robe, for this was the kind of garment the virgin daughters of the king wore.
(NRSV) Now she was wearing a long robe with sleeves; for this is how the virgin daughters of the king were clothed in earlier times.
The Resurrected Jesus & Eschatology
A further question is not how these situations relate to Creation but what sign might be within them with regard to something eschatological. In the series of books ‘Explorations in Theology’ I suggest that the Incarnation is located in the very sharp end of human failure, the world of the male and the Jew, and that as a Jewish male Jesus died. His death is not to demonstrate Jewish male supremacy, but to nail those to the cross. If we follow that trajectory I posit that Jesus, not as Jew nor as male, but as the firstborn of all those who are to follow is raised; no longer Jewish… no longer male.
Perhaps spiritually (culturally, emotionally and inter-relationally) the insistence by the binary-only advocates and the insistence of the transgender advocates could be suggesting that in the very conflict of opinions we have a sign that our world is pushing toward something that is not yet visible, to a gender-free new age. If that be so, we focus on (as we always should) seeing each other no longer after the flesh, but in the light of a new creation. In order to live at peace with one another we would then need to give space for people to express themselves gender wise in the way that is most comfortable for them, in the temporary season before the parousia when (as I see it) gender and biological sex becomes something of the past.
Some pastoral / practical notes
In suggesting that the Bible does not condemn all forms of homosexual relationships, nor that of the transgender community, we should first be very careful about placing on anyone who identifies in some way within that community a burden that is too heavy to bear. Our first response should be one of acceptance and embrace.
In the same way that God does not approve of all heterosexual expression we do not assume that God approves of all homosexual expression. What is done sexually is important.
Although we can critique an agenda that some carry of pushing a freedom of experimentation, we also need to understand that this can be seen as a minority voice pushing back against what has been oppressed, where there was an implicit restriction and only one path (binary). Perhaps an over-reaction and one that carries an agenda… but that will always be a perspective held by the majority.
Damage can be done by a climate that pushes a direction where, for example, one undergoes surgery to regret it later; however, one has also to acknowledge that an insistence on ‘therapy / deliverance will cure’ can cause huge damage.
Given that the Bible can be made to (almost) say whatever we want it to say, we have to respect those who take a different view to ourselves. What cannot, though, be respected is any hate or dehumanisation.
There will always be a variety of personal stories. They help educate and can even persuade us of a position that might or might not change our previous perspective. However, we should not take a story that defends our position as therefore the only authentic story that can be universally applied to anyone whose (e.g.) sexual orientation was the same as the story-teller.
We probably have a tendency to want neat lines that can be drawn that gives us some simple principles to apply. Given the deep core identity issues that are within us when we explore sexuality along with the strong views and pressures that are within society, we have to readily accept that there will be situations that do not work out as easily as we would like. In those situations we are willing to journey with people and try to help find the most redemptive path forward. That path might differ from person to person.
Thanks for reading these posts. I have no intention of offending anyone. My plea is not that anyone agrees with me. We have to live with our own conscience and integrity. I think we benefit enormously when we hear those that we disagree with also… and that stories are so important. My journey is not that of someone else. We journey uniquely, seeking to discover what ‘pleases the Lord’. The video below is of a baptist pastor from Dallas and his journey of discovery.. His integrity, openness and honesty is without question… again this does not make his path the right one, but I suggest a more than informative and challenging listen.