One of those transgenders!
I’d be lying if I said I didn’t live in a bubble. Portland, Oregon is quite possibly one of the most trans-friendly cities in the entire country, second only to San Francisco. Maybe. I’m really fortunate in this regard.
I’m also not naive of the degree to which this shields me from a lot of the strife that my trans siblings struggle with every day.
Having said that, I was caught off guard this evening as I drove home from work, listening, as I often do, to the local NPR affiliate. They were running a story on Evangelical Christians and how they view the looming impeachment hearings. Of the folks they were talking to in this story, most of them were still Trump supporters. While they sometimes balked at the things that he says, they were strongly in favor of actions he’s taken that they felt supported their particular brand of Christianity.
Several people praised those actions of his that they felt were counter to LGBTQA+ interests. They were deeply opposed to same-sex marriage and trans rights. One person in particular spoke about “…those transgenders think they can do whatever they want!”, referring apparently to the idea that trans people wish to use bathrooms that are consistent with their gender.
I was caught off-guard by a sense of deep sadness and hopelessness. Not just by the idea that some interpretations of The Bible run contrary to my interests, not just by the idea that some folks feel that as a transgender person I am somehow less than a person, that I am less deserving of basic human rights… what really got me is that people learn that their religion says they should feel that way about me, and that at some point, they say, “Yeah, that’s ok with me. It is ok with me to believe in a god that requires me to dehumanize certain types of people.”. I realize that it’s not entirely as simple as that, but… isn’t it?? Kids believe what their parents tell them. I can accept that. But at some point, those children grow up and make choices about their faith. And this is the choice they make. That people who who behave in ways counter to their belief system should not be allowed to live by their own.
Realistically speaking, their ways of living run counter to my own ethos, but my ethos doesn’t allow me to deny their humanity solely because they live a lifestyle that I don’t agree with. I would never seek to degrade their human rights or protections under the law. It is straight up hurtful that they are so unwilling to offer me the same in return.
I have an extraordinary amount of privilege insofar as this conversation is largely academic for me. Yes, the Proud Boys occasionally go hunting and beat the hell out of an unlucky trans or gay person walking down the street, but by and large, this is an incredibly safe place for me to live. But it sure as hell makes me want to NEVER go South of the Mason-Dixon line. Or East of the Rockies.
