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Seth Freeman
Supporter
Dictionary: trans·gen·der [trans-jen-der, tranz‐] noun 1. a person appearing or attempting to be a member of the opposite sex, as a transsexual or habitual cross-dresser. Wikipedia: Transgender is the state of one's gender identity (self-identification as woman, man, neither or both) or gender expression not matching one's assigned sex (identification by others as male, female or intersex based on physical/genetic sex).[1] Transgender is independent of sexual orientation; transgender people may identify as heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, pansexual, polysexual, or asexual; some may consider conventional sexual orientation labels inadequate or inapplicable to them. The precise definition for transgender is changing... I think what you'll find is that even though a person may call themselves "Transgender" they were actually still born either male or female.
T. Johnson
Supporter
I have spent some considerable time reflecting and researching this question and find that the Bible does not say much, if anything about it. The reference in Deuteronomy regarding crossdressing, like many of the other laws in Leviticus and Deut. Relates to ritual purity and distinguishing the people of Isreael from the other nations and as a holy people. In the New Testament the closest that I have found is Galatians 3:28, "There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus." (New Revised Standard Version) Often people point to Genesis 1:27 which is often translated to English as "So God created humankind[e] in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them." (NRSV) This is problematic in its translation from the Hebrew. Many scholars argue that this is a merism in Hebrew, a form that is all encompassing. This form is found in the other parts of the Genesis 1 creation narrative. A better translation would be, "God created human kind male and female and every combination in between." There is also the tale of the Ethiopian Eunuch in Acts 8:28-40. By the law of the Torah the eunuch was forbidden to participate in Temple ritual and was seen as unclean. This is not so for Phillip who teaches the eunuch about the meaning of Isaiah, of Jesus Christ, and then baptises eunuch. The eunuch receives the Grace of salvation through baptism even though an outcast under the old law. My conclusion is that the Bible does not condemn transgender people. Transgender people have been part of humanity for all of history. God made humanity in his/her image, an image that, as Gregory of Nyssa wrote, transcends gender and sex.
Jack Gutknecht
Supporter
I think the way modernism would have to view Genesis 1:27 is this: "So God created people ['those assigned male at birth' (AMAB) and 'those assigned female at birth' (AFAB)] in his own image; God patterned them after himself; male and female he created them." And so I believe people should be happy with the way God created them and not try to change that, no matter how they feel.
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