As the Church of England once again tears itself apart over gay marriage, us transsexual Christians have slipped in under the radar. It’s been 24 years since the first transgender CofE priest, Carol Stone, returned to work in Swindon after gender reassignment surgery. Even in 2000, Stone’s parishioners weren’t that bothered about their ‘new’ vicar. I’ve also found my fellow Christians to be mostly welcoming – but that doesn’t mean being a trans Christian is without its dilemmas.

In my youth I struggled to reconcile science and faith, but that challenge was easy compared to the rather more profound clash of transsexualism with faith. Nowhere does the Bible say ‘thou shalt not study science, nor claimeth that the earth is 4.6 billion years old’. But there is a verse that speaks about cross-dressing: 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’. What that entails is, of course, open to interpretation. Does it really mean, for example, that women should not wear clothes marketed as men’s garments, as is perhaps the case today in Iran and Afghanistan?

The Bible sees things rather differently

The implication for transsexualism cannot be ignored, and I would be naïve to imagine that I had solved that conundrum. The compulsion to transition was very strong – in my book, Transsexual Apostate, I argued that it was driven by the male sex drive itself. Even I, a rational scientist in my day job, could not withstand it. However, despite the apparent contradictions, transsexualism did help me bring science and my faith together. As a scientist, I am persuaded that we are the product of millions of years of evolution. Our bodies evolved to protect us long enough to pass on our genes and nurture our children.

QOSHE - The dilemma of being a transsexual Christian - Debbie Hayton
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The dilemma of being a transsexual Christian

7 10
25.02.2024

As the Church of England once again tears itself apart over gay marriage, us transsexual Christians have slipped in under the radar. It’s been 24 years since the first transgender CofE priest, Carol Stone, returned to work in Swindon after gender reassignment surgery. Even in 2000, Stone’s parishioners weren’t that bothered about their ‘new’ vicar. I’ve also found my fellow Christians to be mostly welcoming – but that doesn’t mean being a trans........

© The Spectator


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