A religious commentary on sex change

[SplitDik (imported)]

I think the viewpoint expressed in this "Catholic" Q&A (ironically the column is entitled "Straight Answers") is not good, and I'm sure will upset many of you, but I think it is always worthwhile to understand how varied people's world views are:

http://www.catholicherald.com/saunders/ ... 051020.htm

Straight Answers: The Morality of 'Sex Change' Operations

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By Fr. William P. Saunders

Herald Columnist

(From the issue of 10/20/05)

I know a man who had a "sex change" operation and is now a "woman." What moral teaching does the Church give on this subject? — A reader in Roseville, California

Before addressing the morality of "sex change" operations, or what is more formally termed "sexual reassignment," we need to first call to mind the fundamental moral foundation governing this issue. Each person is a precious human being made in God's image and likeness with both a body and a soul. Vatican II's "Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World" asserted, "Man, though made of body and soul, is a unity. Through his very bodily condition he sums up in himself the elements of the material world. Through him they are thus brought to their highest perfection and can raise their voice in praise freely given to the Creator. For this reason man may not despise his bodily life. Rather he is obliged to regard his body as good and to hold it in honor since God has created it and will raise it up on the last day" (No. 14). St. Paul also reminds us that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 6:19), and therefore we should not degrade our bodily dignity by allowing the body to participate in the act of sin. Moreover, such sin hurts the body of the Church. For this reason, the Church teaches, "Except when performed for strictly therapeutic medical reason, directly intended amputations, mutilations, and sterilizations performed on innocent persons are against the moral law" (Catechism, No. 2297).

Given this foundation, we can address the issue of sexual reassignment, which is a type of reconstructive surgery whereby a male is altered anatomically to resemble a female, or vice versa. Transsexual surgery coupled with hormonal treatment and psychotherapy are used to treat the disorder transsexualism or gender dysphoria syndrome, "a condition in which there is apparent psychological and social identification with attributes of the opposite sex" (Meyer, "Psychiatric Consideration in the Sexual Reassignment of Non-Intersex Individuals" in Clinics in Plastic Surgery, 1974). The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, published under the auspices of the American Psychiatric Association, lists five symptoms of transsexualism: (1) a sense of discomfort and inappropriateness about one’s anatomical sex; (2) a wish to be rid of one’s own genitals and to live as a member of the other sex; (3) the disturbance had been continuous (not limited to periods of stress) for at least two years; (4) the absence of physical intersex or genetic abnormality; (5) and the lack of cause due to another mental disorder, such as schizophrenia. Without question, the causes of these symptoms and their diagnosis is extremely complex.

Nevertheless, once a person has made the decision to pursue a sexual reassignment, eventually radical surgery is performed which involves for a male, castration and the construction of a pseudo-vagina, and for a female, mastectomy and hysterectomy, and the construction of a non-functional pseudo-penis and testes (confer Colin Markland, "Transsexual Surgery" in Obstetrics & Gynecology Annual, 1975). Obviously, such procedures involve a radical and grotesque mutilation of the body.

No transsexual surgery will ever be able to duplicate completely the anatomy or the functioning of the opposite sex. A male transsexual will never be able to ovulate or conceive; and a female transsexual will never be able to germinate sperm. Transsexuals will need to use synthetic hormones continuously to sustain their change, which in turn runs the risk of cancer.

Another moral consideration is whether the condition of transsexualism justifies surgery. No biological cause of transsexualism has been identified. Rather, the cause appears to stem from psychological development, and thereby transsexualism should be treated with psychotherapy. Interestingly, even after surgery, transsexuals need at least some psychotherapeutic support.

Finally, a transsexual will never be able to enter validly into the sacrament of Matrimony. A man who undergoes sexual reassignment will never really be a woman, or vice versa; rather, a man will be a man (or a woman will be a woman), except with a mutilated body and profound psychological disordering. Moreover, a transsexual will never be able to consummate the marriage in the fullest expression of love of husband and wife, and never will there be a real openness to life and the creation of children.

To destroy organs purposefully that are healthy and functioning, and to try to create imitation organs which will never have the genuineness and functioning of authentic organs is gross and lacks charity. Such surgery which purposefully destroys the bodily integrity of the person must be condemned.

Nevertheless, individuals suffering from gender dysphoria syndrome must be treated with compassion. They need spiritual counseling which will help them realize the great love of God who loves them as individuals who have been created in His image and likeness. They need proper psychotherapy which will help them to face realistically their human situation and the world, and the consequences of their actions on themselves and their relationships with family and friends. Such counseling will also direct them to spiritual, intellectual and social pursuits to realize their self-worth and divert their preoccupation with sexual identity.

Just as an aside, the question posed for this article involved the following story: The reader is a retired family practice physician, who still works part-time at the community hospital. His grandchildren had a regular pediatrician. Once his daughter (the mother of the children) asked if he would take them for their appointment. He noticed that their pediatrician seemed distant, pre-occupied and cold. Several months later, he was eating lunch at the hospital cafeteria and a female physician approached who asked if she could join him. He said, "Yes." He then asked, "Do I know you?" The female physician paused and said, "Yes. I used to be so-and-so, your grandchildren’s pediatrician." After a pause, the retired doctor replied, "I have to say, ‘You are looking well.’" What else could he say? When examining this moral issue, once must not simply focus on the gravity of the physical mutilation. Rather, one must also focus on the devastating impact this act has on loved ones — parents, spouses, children — as well as friends and the community at large. Couldn’t a child say in this story, "My father killed himself to be someone else?" Therein lies the tragedy of this heinous act.

Fr. Saunders is pastor of Our Lady of Hope Parish in Potomac Falls and a professor of catechetics and theology at Christendom’s Notre Dame Graduate School in Alexandria.

[bryan (imported)]

Hoo-boy... This isn't directed at you, SplitDik, but the fur on my back is sticking up. This is an area that has caused SEVERE anguish for me. Though I have no plans to transition*, I've put myself in the shoes of those who do -- ones who are very dear to me. Also, I've recently come to terms with the fact I'm more than 50% female inside; not 'want to be' but am. For demographics, I am evangelical Christian attending a pentecostal church.

(*Am I made of sterner stuff since I don't plan to transition? No. I ask the Lord to take me home because this body gets awfully uncomfortable.)

There won't ever be agreement between TG folks and official church policy: people without GID just can't fathom what it's like.

With regard to the article above:

1. So, the person has to take psycho-drugs and psychotherapy for a long time -- when surgery is all it takes to fix it? With illnesses, the patient wants to be cured. But ask a TS if they want to be "cured" (i.e., comfortable in their birth gender) and they will probably say 'No.' So it isn't an illness as such.

2. Yes, family relationships must be considered. I think God likes the maximum/optimum happiness spread around to all concerned. There needs to be some give-and-take, however; non-TG family should make an effort at understanding and accepting the dysphoria.

3. The official storyline from organized religion doesn't work. It appears that GID isn't something that gets healed when one becomes Christian:

"Many transgendered Christians have been so destroyed by their inability to conform to the world's (and the church's) image of being the male or female they are supposed to be, that they have been drawn into drugs, alcohol and even sex addictions. Amazingly, these same people have later testified to being miraculously delivered from these overpowering sins- literally being healed on the spot in response to prayer. Yet the one thing that God did not appear to grant them is divine healing from the cause of their problems in the first place, their gender identity conflict. There just does not seem to be any well validated accounts (or at least if it has actually occurred, it is extremely rare) of anyone being divinely cured of GID."

http://members.tgforum.com/bobbyg/mistakes.html

I don't EVER want to see a transgendered person reject Christianity (or commit suicide), thinking God doesn't want anything to do with them. Sorry for the length of this quote, but didn't know what could be cut out:

"I've been hurting deeply because my pastor has told me that crossdressing is a terrible sin. I went to him for help in trying to sort out what all this meant spiritually. He quoted from the Bible and told me that wearing women's clothing makes me an abomination, someone who is unacceptable to God. I'm supposed to stop dressing, repent of my sin, ask God's forgiveness, ask for forgiveness from my church, and never crossdress again. Vanessa, I've tried to stop crossdressing many times. I'm able to quit for a short period, but the overwhelming need to be Linda always comes back. I'm convinced that I'll never be able to give it up completely and that, sin or not, it's a part of who I am. So, I've struggled very hard with this issue for a long time. I've been torn apart with guilt and with shame, and the stress has even made me physically ill.

"Last night I decided that I couldn't deal with all this deep pain anymore. I had ordered your book and I wanted to read it, but I was in so much emotional pain that I wasn't even sure I could concentrate. I felt that I just had to be Linda for awhile, even if it DID make me a an abomination and a sinner, so I got dressed up and sat down on the couch in my living room.

"As I sat there I was holding your book in one hand----and a gun in the other. I'd made up my mind that I was going to blow my brains out because I just couldn't stand the pain and the guilt any longer. And if I was going to die, I was at least going to do it in the clothes that I loved.

"I opened your book and began to read that God loves me just the way I am. You wrote that God doesn't care about what we wear on the outside of our bodies: God has more important concerns. God cares about our hearts and our spirits. You said it was not a problem for God if I wanted to crossdress because God knows what my soul needs. And you wrote that nothing could ever separate me from God's love-not my pastor, not any teaching or doctrine, not my church, or anything else.

"As I continued to read, I started to cry heavily. I had to stop reading for awhile and wipe the tears from my face. Finally, I decided to put down the gun so I could wipe my eyes and turn the pages more easily. When I finished your book I sat there for a long time looking at the gun. I cried some more, and then prayed to God to help me make a decision. Amazingly, God did so. I've never known such a feeling of peace, inner calm, and certainty of God's love for me as I did in that moment. I put down your book, took the gun and emptied the bullets, and then put the gun away. I have decided to leave my old church and to look for another church home. I need to find someplace where I can worship God and be accepted for the person that I am, not for who someone else thinks I should be. Thank you, Vanessa, for writing your book and for making a difference for me. I'm going to live."

http://members.tgforum.com/bobbyg/transgenderpride.html

Here's the home page for a TG-Christian site that I've been learning from and agreeing with: Grace and Lace Newsletter: http://members.tgforum.com/bobbyg/tgfgnl.html

Maybe this post is lite on Scripture, but then Scripture has very little to say about the topic. There's the oft-quoted Deut. 22:5 and that's it. But what does Scripture say? "Let every matter be established by two or three witnesses." I think the Church's resistance has more to do with ingrained societal taboos than Scripture.

Terri

[Glenda J (imported)]

Split, my quick two cents worth.

Lets first of all look at Matt 19:12, the words of Jesus:

"For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made so by others, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves so for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven."

Some try and interpret this as taking "eunuch" as one who chooses an unmarried life. That is not what the verse says. If you read it in Greek, it says the same thing as in English. A eunuch is a man a) born without testicles, or b) a man who has had them removed or at least made non-functional. Back in those days you had to cut them off. Today you can achieve the same result chemically, but the idea is the same. Jesus then adds,

"Let anyone accept this who can."

In short, if it is your cup of tea, it is okay with Jesus. Plain and simple.

A TS is nothing more or less than a eunuch who desires to live in the gender role of a woman. No offense intended to my TS friends, but a TS is not a woman, but a man who desires to live as one. Fine, by the way, by me. I have known many TS types and some have been superstars in their professional lives. Lynn Conway who did a lot in the early development of computer chips is one who comes to mind.

So I think this priest is way off base and needs to bone up on his Bible.

[polecat (imported)]

I don't EVER want to see a transgendered person reject Christianity (or commit suicide), thinking God doesn't want anything to do with them.

No offense, but... why not? I can understand why you wouldn't want people committing suicide, but is it a bad thing for someone to reject Christianity?

Your story is heartfelt, but seems to say to me it's okay to reject the thought that we are a bad person, and that it makes us feel better to pretend there's a different God who loves us and doesn't judge. Why would we then become Christian, or any other religion for that matter?

[thefraj (imported)]

My suggestion is for poor misguided William P. Saunders would be to learn more about:

(1) Gender dysphoria:

No biological cause of transsexualism has been identified. Rather, the cause appears to stem from psychological development,

This is actually false, recent studies in Holland (http://www.symposion.com/ijt/ijtc0106.htm) have confirmed that the brain structure of transexuals is in fact fundamentally different than the 'average' male.

(2) And, as Glenda J has pointed out William P. Saunders may also wish to read his holy text in greater detail - Matthew 19:10 (if one is Christian) clearly shows the acceptance of eunuchs in Jesus' view.

A widely distributed falsehood by many within the faith is that "eunuch" refers to someone who is celibate. If this is so, how can someone "be born celibate?", or "be made celibate at the hands of men". It simply doesn't seem to follow.

The other straw people (I've spoken with!) desparately cling to, is that eunuch really meant gay. If this is so, how can one become "gay for Gods heavenly kingdom". That simply doesn't follow either.

By selectively ignoring Jesus statements as massiah, he is not accepting Jesus as Lord, and therefore -technically isn't really Christian is he?

Not that I would know. I don't particularly have a religion. But what he said even made me angry! LOL

[JesusA (imported)]

By selectively ignoring Jesus statements as massiah, he is not accepting Jesus as Lord, and therefore -technically isn't really Christian is he?

Not that I would know. I don't particularly have a religion. But what he said even made me angry! LOL

THIS Jesus thinks that you've very neatly run him through! He's definitely not the kind of Christian who believes in the New Testament and the words of the historic Jesus.

[Paolo]

"This is my commandment, that ye love one another." - Jesus Christ.

Somehow they seemed to have overlooked that in the current Christian mantra of hate and intolerance.

[bryan (imported)]

No offense, but... why not? I can understand why you wouldn't want people committing suicide, but is it a bad thing for someone to reject Christianity?

Your story is heartfelt, but seems to say to me it's okay to reject the thought that we are a bad person, and that it makes us feel better to pretend there's a different God who loves us and doesn't judge. Why would we then become Christian, or any other religion for that matter?

Hi Polecat,

Where to begin?

It's

a bad thing for someone to reject Christianity

if they are doing it based on someone else's false notion of what Christianity is all about. The Christianity often portrayed in the media is a law-based sort of thing.

(If Christianity were a law-based thing, then the old covenant would have sufficed. But in Hebrews 8 and Jeremiah 31, God said a new approach, a new covenant, was necessary: "I will write my laws in their hearts...they will all know Me.")

It's easy for a non-TG Christian to conclude Deut 22:5 outlaws any kind of cross-dressing for a Christian. But Christianity is a living relationship with God, with conscience being formed and the heart renewed along the way. Laws (or improper concessions) can get in the way of conscience-formation and stunt a Christian's growth.

I was a transvestite prior to coming to know Christ at age 30. Although I threw the things away sometime later (following Deut 22:5), the desire never went away entirely. It was worst when a dream would awaken the desire. Sixteen months ago when my sex-drive started going bonkers, I desperately wanted to wear ladies underwear again -- just plain white cotton ones. (Quite an improvement over the past!) Conscience said it was okay, but wife and law (Duet 22:5) said it was wrong. This difference led to considerable internal anguish: "After knowing the Lord for 18 years, am I this brain-dead that I can't sense His Spirit on this matter? All I have is this single OT law to go on, and I'm not feeling like it would be wrong for me to indulge."

Well -- you know the rest of the story. I got castrated and the transvestite desires went away, but a previously-unrecognized transgendered identity emerged. Ladies underwear isn't a temptation these days because it would mock my desires. I look wistfully for breast development each day (no HRT), love the deeper emotions and crying, love the impotence. Sometimes, I'd like to be on a low dose of estrogen and get a penectomy. Hardly the sort of thing a Christian can be proud of, but I sense peace between me and the Lord. I'm happier now than before.

Anyway, the point I'm trying to make is this: If a TG person is interested in getting to know Christ better, they should march ahead by all means and ignore what the non-TG folks say about Deut 22:5. Once they are in relationship with Christ, they will have a much better idea of what to do with unconventional desires since Christ will be forming their conscience.

I'm glad I didn't know about Deut 22:5 before becoming Christian. If I had to choose back then between Christ or ladies undies, it would have been a hard choice because my faith was barely in existence. I hurt for folks who write off Christianity, figuring -- because of all they've heard from sidewalk preachers about certain sins -- Jesus doesn't want to have anything to do with them. Jesus DOES want them, and I cry sometimes in prayer hoping some of you here at EA will get to know Him better.

The world is a simpler place when everyone can conform to the norm. However, some aren't able to conform, to the point of being suicidal. In those cases, we should extend grace. We don't need to hold them up as role models, but we shouldn't judge them either.

(Why become Christian? When I became Christian, I wasn't seeking comfort or "fire insurance." I told Him I deserved Hell and that He was fully justified sending me there, but I asked Him to give me power to avoid getting involved in adultery ever again. You see, I realized I was in the wrong long ago. He answered the prayer, and I found out later the gospel is much better.)

[Paolo]

Bryan,

(and everone else too!)

Jesus Christ also said, paraphrased, "If your right offends you, cut it off and toss it." You can look that one up for the exact verse # online somewhere. He also added that it was better for one to do so, than to have the entire end up in Hell. So, if you believe in Jesus C., then don't you think He'd rather have someone with such desires, or perhaps sexual problems, cut it off, then? If it makes the person happy or prevents him from harming others, I think He'd understand.

As for the old laws - specifically - crossdressing, just WHO made the list (which they neglected to print in the Bible) that said, "OK, men wear this and this and this but not this? Women, you all wear this fashion...)? It's not there.

You can also take it a step further by interpreting the vision of Peter, when the shining tarp full of unclean animals descended from on high and God told him to kill one and eat it. Many Christian scholars see this vision in the New Testament as an abolishment of all the old laws.

What you have to keep in mind is that the church, and the schools established later to train clergy, used the Bible to threaten and keep the masses under control with the constant fear of going to hell. And it worked.

It still does.

Also, remember that Jesus also said "come to me as little children." Well, if that's the case, then He's expecting you to show up with a whole list of "why why why why why" questions for Him. Anyone with a small child can appreciate this comment by Jesus.

So all in all, I wouldn't worry about it.

I think Auntie's old father said it best when he said, "DAMN CATHOLIC INFIDELS!"...right before his church declared war on the local Catholic church.

[thefraj (imported)]

Bryan, I'm not religious, but I wouldn't worry about Deut 22:5 for three separate reasons:

(1) Being Christian means recognizing Christ as Lord. By accepting His teachings, the covenant of Moses (written in the Old Testament) is broken.

As written by the prophet Jeremiah in Jeremiah 31:31-34

...I will put my law in their minds

and write it on their hearts.

I will be their God,

and they will be my people....

And past sins forgiven by Jesus' sacrifice : "Son of man hath authority on earth to forgive sins..."(Matthew 9:5,6)

Therefore there is no need to adhere to the rules of the OT, which also says things like: you need to splatter the blood of a lamb on your door to prevent an angel from taking your firstborn. (Exodus 12)

And the prophet Isaiah wrote:(Isaiah 53:3-5)

3 Let no foreigner who has bound himself to the LORD say,

"The LORD will surely exclude me from his people."

And let not any eunuch complain,

"I am only a dry tree."

4 For this is what the LORD says:

"To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths,

who choose what pleases me

and hold fast to my covenant-

5 to them I will give within my temple and its walls

a memorial and a name

better than sons and daughters;

I will give them an everlasting name

that will not be cut off.

(2) Second, the passage Deut 22:5 clearly states " A woman must not wear men's clothing, nor a man wear women's clothing". Having some form of gender dysphoria means having never accepted onesself as the birth-gender. As I already mentioned, people born this way have a fundamentally different brain structure than the typical male. Therefore, was this individual ever a male to begin with? And - therefore - does any of this passage apply?

My view is that this was a reference to transvestic fetishism and not gender dysphoria. But then, my opinion probably doesn't count for much since I'm a non-Chrsitian!

(3) There is the Will of God paradox. You did not choose to have these feelings, you were born and grew up with them. If you accept that you were created by God, why would God will something into existance that would be against His Will?