Transgender Friends - Part 6
Before I consciously decided to go out and meet transgender people, I had only had two significant encounters with them. One was a classy, educated professional who transitioned from male to female. The other was a minister. So I was not presented with any great moral dilemmas. My attitude had been to be open, an attitude that I know nothing. That enabled me to learn about these people without assumptions clouding my vision. Finally, I went out and sought a friendship which presented more challenges, but the friendship was worth it. But now, as I continued trying to meet transgender people, I realized I would have to develop a more detailed philosophy of how to conduct myself.
One thing I had to consider immediately is how I would reach out to transgender people as a Christian. What would Jesus want me do? I decided that Jesus would want to me to reach out to people who are rejected by society. He would want me to stick to my values but to not judge others. He would want me to recognize that others are adults, and it’s between them and their relationship with God to do what is right for them. In fact, if they decided not to be religious or believe in God at all, that was their right, they were adults, and it was not up to me to judge them or convert them or reject them. Jesus would want me to love them, allow them to unfold, and not maintain a standard I expected them to meet, to not condemn them.
In addition to this, I had to remember what I remembered from my friendship 20 years ago, that I am not transgender. So I don’t have the right to judge what makes them transgender, what I consider is right and wrong, real or unreal, in being transgender. So I did not have the right to give them advice about being transgender as other TG people might have the right to do. I was called to be more calm and objective than other TG friends were. If I were going to meet a lot of transgender people, I was going to see and hear many things, things which would often sound crazy to the dominant society, and I had to be ready for that.
To be continued…
One thing I had to consider immediately is how I would reach out to transgender people as a Christian. What would Jesus want me do? I decided that Jesus would want to me to reach out to people who are rejected by society. He would want me to stick to my values but to not judge others. He would want me to recognize that others are adults, and it’s between them and their relationship with God to do what is right for them. In fact, if they decided not to be religious or believe in God at all, that was their right, they were adults, and it was not up to me to judge them or convert them or reject them. Jesus would want me to love them, allow them to unfold, and not maintain a standard I expected them to meet, to not condemn them.
In addition to this, I had to remember what I remembered from my friendship 20 years ago, that I am not transgender. So I don’t have the right to judge what makes them transgender, what I consider is right and wrong, real or unreal, in being transgender. So I did not have the right to give them advice about being transgender as other TG people might have the right to do. I was called to be more calm and objective than other TG friends were. If I were going to meet a lot of transgender people, I was going to see and hear many things, things which would often sound crazy to the dominant society, and I had to be ready for that.
To be continued…
posted by Theodosia @ 2:32 AM
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