A guest post by Sage
I have been trying so hard to be more kind and not so confrontational. I try to be understanding and know Christians are told lies, led by ignorant leaders, and misguided by prejudice, fear, and hate. Don’t get me wrong, I still stand strongly against all bigotry against LGBTQIA+ people, but there are days where my righteous anger starts to rise . . .
Recently an article by Andrew T. Walker was posted on Bruce’s blog. You can see the full article here: https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/the-transgender-fantasy. I suggest you go read this article. Unlike many Christians, I have enough confidence that I do not fear the writings of others.
Andrew is yet another religious person spewing bigotry and transphobia in the name of their particular god. Yet another Christian who claims to love, and supposedly wants to fix, trans people (who he thinks are broken due to mental illness), by helping them “flourish” through his belief system. His form of love means telling someone that he believes them to be wrong, then changing them so they fit his standards. This enables them to become the right kind of person who will properly live in the world, within the boundaries he sets.
And he is an expert because he has “written a book on transgenderism.” What can I — a poor, non-flourishing, mentally ill, non-existent, non-binary person who is caught up in “gender identity” and is “embracing the transgender worldview”– have to say against an associate professor, Fellow, Managing Editor, godly man? Obviously, his research is far more informed and intelligent than my lived experience as a non-binary person.
How can I say anything about such a wonderful, intelligent, god-fearing, real man? Surely I am just an “angry activist” who is trying to “suppress” or “coerce” him and others into accepting a godless worldview so I can spread my abhorrent agenda.
I know this because I read his post. It is the typical anti-trans contempt (expressed in love, of course) from a supposed Christian expert who bases his analysis on his sect’s particular form of biblical interpretation. He hit all the typical anti-trans bigotry and ignorance, and used his bible belief to support his prejudice.
These include, in order of use:
- I did the research, I am an expert, and I wrote a book, so I know better than anyone else, especially trans people
- Trans people are “unnatural.”
- You are not supposed to talk about trans people because someone will be offended, and you will be canceled, but I won’t bow to their agenda.
- The Bible only defines 2 sexes, nature only defines 2 sexes, and only foolish people argue against true nature and science and the Bible.
- Focus on male to female trans people because Christian men seem to find this most abhorrent.
- Everything must be defined by my biblical understanding. So that the other non-Christian 68% of the world must live and believe as I say, no other option.
- Culture cannot define gender, only my Bible can define gender and provide the answer to life, the universe and, well, everything.
- The transgender worldview defies nature, god, and male patriarchy, and trans people are foolish and delusional to believe otherwise.
- Transgender people do not exist; once again, people who say they are trans are delusional.
- Being trapped in the wrong body is fake, and my Bible says so to prove it.
- Trans people are not really happy and cannot flourish because you can only be happy following my god and my rules.
- Trans people think they are happy, but like drug addicts, they are caught up in their addiction and are only fooled.
- Trans people will only be happy if they do what my Bible tells me to tell them to do.
- The prevalence of depression, anxiety, and suicide in trans people is due to their denial of nature and god’s plan, and not because society, in particular Christianity, treats them like a scourge and tries to legislate and berate them into non-existence.
- Some people detransition, which proves all trans people are wrong. Yes, the number is low but that’s because they are bullied and not allowed to speak without being canceled. There will literally be millions of people detransitioning — you just wait and see. Remember, I am an expert.
- We must speak the truth in “love.” They will call us bigots, but if that’s what it takes to save them, then we will be bigots for god. We must persist to show them our hate is really love.
- Some trans people are angry, but many are vulnerable and easy prey for Christian guilt and scare tactics. Just get them into conversion therapy and they will be broken . . . er . . . fixed.
- If you take a stand against these evil trans people, you will be silenced, bullied, lose jobs, and suffer greatly. Christians are the true victimized group here.
- Thank god we have bigots in leadership who are making laws to keep us safe from these sickos.
But, while I don’t exist or have dozens of titles that I wield to show my intelligence, I will just say this hateful man is full of bullshit. He doesn’t really care about trans people, he just wants to eliminate them. Trans and nonbinary people, hell, all of LGBTQIA+ are an abomination, are delusional, sick, dangerous, and must be fixed and made nonexistent.
As he says, “ From privacy issues, safety issues, and equality and fairness issues, the world may be slowly coming to grips with the truth that its commitment to transgender ideology has outpaced its commitment to reality, sound thinking, and true human flourishing.” This is simply horrid bigotry spoken in pretty words. Privacy issues just mean he wants to be able to discriminate based on his personal belief system. Safety issues are a nice way to say keep trans people in their proper place to protect women and children from their predatory, disgusting, perversion. Equality means he wants equality based on his standards, where straight white Christian males make the rules and all weak men, women, children, and non-Christians stay in their place. Then he says anyone who supports trans people are just disconnected from reality, are delusional or dumb, and are not really happy anyway.
That, by my understanding, is the heart of Christian hatred that is displayed against not only the trans community, but the LGBTQIA+ community as a whole. What is it about us that makes Christians react in this way?
Bruce Gerencser, 66, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 45 years. He and his wife have six grown children and thirteen grandchildren. Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. Bruce left the ministry in 2005, and in 2008 he left Christianity. Bruce is now a humanist and an atheist.
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Well said, Sage. Bigotry + the Bible; what a destructive combination! Thank you for standing up to it.
Thank you, Sage! We really need to confirm the notion that people know themselves. Evangelicalism teaches that humans are inherently flawed and can’t be trusted and must be TOLD who they are and what is right. This type of thinking leads to actively ignoring real people’s experiences and knowledge.
Christians want to be victims and to victimize people who don’t fit into the box they allow. So they can try to crush trans/nonbinary people while claiming the evil trans people are ruining their lives. Of course, the ruination is imaginary. What happens is they just see or hear about trans people in passing, on TV, or learn one exists in their social circle. And that is enough for them to lose their minds.
Of course, these are also the people that don’t believe in gay marriage. And scratch the surface and you will find misogyny and racism. And instead of the “good” liberal Christians all standing up and combating the evil of evangelicalism, instead they wring their hands and say they are the good Christians, while being largely ineffectual (not all).
Sage, I’m just sorry you have to put up with all this crap. Because why can’t you be allowed to live your life? You aren’t hurting ANYONE, EVER.
Sage—Thank you.
He says trans people are “angry.” Damn right I am! One reason is folks like him who use faulty logic, toss up enough red herrings to get Russ and Daughters closed by the health department and spread lies thicker than Russ’s cream cheese to put me in danger. I got fired from a job because I “menaced” people by asking “rude” questions, being accused of shoving people when they bumped into me and having other false accusations made against me. And people, including relatives of mine, cut off contact with me in the name of “protecting “ their children.
I have a theory as to why cisgender heterosexual Christian (and, to be fair, other religious) males hate male-to-female transgenders. For all they whine about being victims, the haters know that their worldview—be it religious,‘political, cultural or economic—comes from their perspective as the putative standard-bearers. We are a challenge, and therefore a threat, to their worldview.
Sage: ” Equality means he wants equality based on his standards, where straight white Christian males make the rules and all weak men, women, children, and non-Christians stay in their place.”
Zoe: Succinct and to the point.
Sage: ” What is it about us that makes Christians react in this way?”
Zoe: I suspect it has nothing to do with you. More rather: What is it about them (Christians) that makes Christians react in this way?
A great read Sage.