Let’s face it. The real animosity these days is about transgender, gender non-conforming, or gender fluid identities. Most people believe in a binary world of sex. We’re either male or female. We are born that way and can’t change. Public opinion has come to accept gays or lesbians, but not those who are transgender. According to Forbes, 375 transgender people were killed in 2021, most of them outside of the United States. That number of people in the U.S. who identify as transgender is estimated to be 1.6 million. That compares with the 23 million who identify as LGBTQ+.

Sexual orientation and gender identity are two separate issues. Gender identity is a complex issue mixing psychology, genetics, environmental, and social factors. Gender identity is our self-concept of who we are. Sexual orientation is to whom we are sexually attracted. Some people are attracted to both men and women and are called bisexual. For generations, however, people married those of opposite sex primarily for social acceptance. Mental Health experts try to explain it to us, but we get bogged down in the details. Although we all have some male and female characteristics, basically we just want to keep it simple and not get confused by all the contributing factors.

Good resources include: The National Center for Transgender Equality, The Trevor Project, and about a dozen other organizations. Most LGBTQ+ organizations also have transgender programs.

These folks don’t want to be tolerated or accepted. They just want to be who they are without facing discrimination or ridicule. Because they are a relatively small minority, they are easy targets for bigots. What is so mean about some people, is that they take this complex circumstance and try to use it for political talking points.

Recently the North Carolina General Assembly has joined other southern states in passing discriminatory legislation as tactics to appeal to the base of the Republican Party. Some claim that the approach is part of their religious beliefs. Jesus said to reach out to everyone to spread the Good News of the Gospel without exceptions.

The hypocrisy of the United Methodist Church’s motto: “Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors.” has been revealed in the controversy over sexual orientation. When we start narrowing the message to only a few, we’re missing the point of Christianity. We have several hundred Protestant denominations that have their bureaucracy designed to follow a very specific interpretation of the Scriptures. This divisiveness only leads to conflict and pain. Without an ecumenical spirit, we are weak and ineffective. When we let a rigid dogma dictate our priorities, we’re not listening to the Message.

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