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I think it is important to give specifics on how gender-roles prevent yours (or someone's) ability to embody Christ. To just say it isn't of our choosing seems to buy too much into modern notions of what "freedom" is. If freedom is to Christ how is a gender role blocking this. I don't doubt that it is, but I would have liked to have seen this laid out in the article.
My second concern with transgendered discussion is how being able to choose our own sex isn't directly linked to capitalism and value choice plays in it. I don't want to protect gender roles (which might properly be seen as principalities and powers) but it seems a lot of this is exactly what you would expect in society like ours. They stem from other sins the society (and the church) have embraced more than just the innocent result.
Also, a topic not touched on is how surgery is often used in the transgendered community. I think any Christian discussion should be clear that surgical manipulation of the body for ascetic purposes is sin.
Peace.
What's your basis for this? This doesn't seem to me to be nearly as clear-cut as you make it out to be. What about ear piercings, for example?
I would argue that the surgical manipulation of our bodies was rejected with Gnosticism. It rejects the given body in exchange for an internal immaterial feeling. Plus, it could be easily constructed as bad stewardship, and whole lot of other things.
Interestingly enough, Paul doesn't like ear piercings, and doesn't think they are Christian. I am not sure I would go to that, but it seems like a good example for someone who compare using drugs to change our biological nature and surgical procedures to alter genitalia, to getting one's ear pierced.
I'll venture into the unknown and discuss how I would view that statement though. Gender-roles are oppressive when they compel us to act in ways that deny our humanity. They can keep us from embodying Christ to someone only in-so-much as we cling to them and assist them in compelling the person to reinforce our culture's norms (that is: then further reifying and empowering abstract human-made power). Christ came to free us from the power's and principalities (which you claim to view gender roles as), and to empower us to oppose them, so in my mind this is tied to the freedom that I have found in Christ. Obviously, if you believe your gender-norms and roles are God-ordained then you would disagree with me, but if they are human-made powers that compel people to act in ways that isn't true to their humanity (which I think they do to almost everyone to some degree) than they must be properly seen as powers and principalities.
In response to your second paragraph, I firmly believe that we are formed and become persons within community, so in my mind this ideally isn't simply a matter of personal choice, but most people don't exist within the context of loving community, I imagine (only as a result of my experience) that those who do would be supported in decision to oppose the powers in this way. I certainly feel that I need to do this with Claire. We have to remember that what I am talking about her isn't choosing our sex, but adopting the gender we feel comfortable in. What I'm getting at is the need to ultimately dis-empower our gendered expectations, not let people just "choose" whatever they want in a consumerist way. In my experience this gives Claire that opportunity to explore her tastes and personality further. I don't feel like she has suddenly "changed" but has begun to courageously be herself.
Finally, in regards to surgical manipulation as sin, well if it is anyone's sin it is ours. I wouldn't see that as being specifically the transsexual's sin. Furthermore, though I lean towards arguing that feeling the need to surgically alter yourself is lamentable... which, honestly I can only understand from my perspective as a female who has felt tempted to alter myself... I don't think any of us (unless perhaps you are transgender) are in any position to understand it's sinfulness. The fact that you wrote that it would be for purely "ascetic" purposes reveals a shallowness of understand. The fact that I can only relate to it from my own desire to ascetically enhance myself reveals my own ignorance. To feel like a female in a male's body is very different from my wishing I had bigger boobs, or someone wanting a nose job or pec enhancements.
Against my better judgment I simplified this article to address the transgendered experience from a purely cultural context, but there is research that shows that there is something biologically different about transgendered people that could make them feel wrong in their body. Though I tend to hope that we can be comfortable in our natural bodies, I wouldn't pretend to understand this well enough to make any strong claims about that.
so... that's why I didn't bring that up in the article.
ascetic: practicing strict self-denial as a measure of personal and especially spiritual discipline (like fasting or wearing hairshirts or self-flagellation)
aesthetic: of, relating to, or dealing with aesthetics or the beautiful (which is what was meant... I think)
Also, it was a nice Freudian slip.
However, I don't think gender modification surgery is really for either ascetic or esthetic (or aesthetic) reasons. I expect it is an effort to make ones body line up with who one feels themself to be. (Please pardon the incredibly awkward grammar in the previous sentence!)
It's not that I see them as sin, just wondering IF there is something sinful involved, where does one draw the line?
The sentence that hit me the most was: "...we can not ignore the way our culture and the church in particular has caused their suffering." Not just 'ignored' their suffering, but actually 'caused' it. Pretty deep and scary.
I've also been thinking along the lines of "Believing that God is present and loving, I’m not sure how I could come to terms with the idea that our Creator would allow people to be born in the wrong body." I'm not sure where I am going to land on that, but I'm actually kinda glad that this is a journey. i can change my mind on things. God hasn't necessarily revealed it all to me yet, or in the same way as He has to someone else. And maybe I am just supposed to figure out the basics (God is love) and then extrapolate the other stuff. I know many people like to find a specific scripture that answers everything, but I don't think that is what it is all about. I think God wants us to get to know HIM and then live that out as best as we can.
A recent symposium at the American Psychiatric Association annual meeting:
S10. The Neurobiological Evidence for Transgenderism
1. Brain Gender Identity Prof. Sidney W. Ecker, M.D.
2. Transsexuality as an Intersex Condition Prof Milton Diamond, Ph.D.
Some of the referenced articles:
1.DF Swaab, WC Chung, FP Kruijver, MA Hofman, TA Ishunina
Structural and functional sex differences in the human hypothalamus
Horm Behav. Sep, 2001; 40(2): 93-8. Review
2. DF Swaab
Sexual differentiation of the human brain: relevance for gender identity, transsexualism and sexual orientation
Gynecol Endocrinol. Dec, 2004; 19(6): 301-12. Review.
3.IE Sommer, PT Cohen-Kettenis, T van Raalten, AJ Vd Veer, LE Ramsey, LJ Gooren, RS Kahn, NF Ramsey
Effects of cross-sex hormones on cerebral activation during language and mental rotation: An fMRI study in transsexuals
Eur Neuropsychopharmacol. Mar 2008; 18(3): 215-21.
4.H Berglund, P Lindstrom, C Dhejne-Helmy, I Savic
Male to female transsexuals show sex-atypical hypothalamus activation when smelling odorous steroids
Cereb Cortex. Aug 2008; 18(8): 1900-8.
"Male Brain in Female Body" or the reverse is an over-simplification. But it's more true than not. For reasons still not wholly understood, having a biologically cross-gendered brain invariably (well, we've yet to find an exception anyway) leads to a cross-gendered gender identity.
As Prof Ecker wrote to me:
"Yes, we gave our presentation to 60 plus psychiatrists from the US, AU, FR, IT, EU, UK, Holland etc.
We spoke for 2 1/2 hours on why cross gender identity was a normal inherited variation of humans. We showed how Transgender Brains think, smell, and hear like the opposite sex."
This is not a matter of supposition, but objectively testable fact. It has little to do with sexual preference, but a whole lot to do with sexually-differentiated emotional responses, thought patterns, instinctive and hard-wired responses to sensory stimuli etc.
Now as to why having a feminised brain from birth leads to a female gender identity, we have a good theory, but proving or disproving it would require far more knowledge than we currently possess. We don't even know why having a female gender identity leads to extreme discomfort when most of the rest of the body is male, all we have is the observation that it does, and some plausible hypotheses. And "male" and "female" are approximations anyway, just look at other Intersex conditions.
Yes, yes, I'm aware of constructions of gender, and I'm all for tearing down stereotypes. But this means that I'm skeptical of normative notions of 'manliness' and 'womanliness'. Given this fact, how can I NOT be skeptical of a man who says he 'feels like' a woman (or vice-versa)? I'm a man who doesn't know what it's supposed to be like to feel like a man. And many women obviously don't know what it's supposed to feel like to be a woman (or know what the culture expects and reject it).
By all means, reject oppressive gender norms.
But by all means, don't reject yourself!
Shooting from the gut here, pardon infelicities of expression.
But am I missing something?
If you're an anti-essentialist about gender, how can you even make sense of transgender claims?
At what point do we say a behavior is maladaptive or unhealthy?
Honest question. Educate me.
Peace,
-Daniel-
While I'm not remotely capable of addressing this from any "scientific" or biological perspective, I know that there is some evidence that transgendered people often have a more female looking brain
Also, I don't deny any differences between female or male brains, I just deny the extent to which we have constructed (or exaggerated) male and female genders. As a result I'm critical of any behavior that is deemed "male" or "female." I also think we should be aware that a spectrum view of gender and sex maybe more appropriate... but again I don't fancy myself an expert.
I think though, regards of whether or not this is also a biological reality. I understand why you would be skeptical. In my initial conversation with Claire I talked about how I never really understood the idea that I was supposed to "feel like a woman" while someone else feels like a man. I identify with men and women in different ways, and only when introduced to feminism did I begin to think of my experience and struggles as possibly a "feminine" experience... or question how it related to my gender.
But, as I spoke to her, I think I got a glimpse of her perspective. My understanding right now is that she isn't "rejecting herself" but trying to adopt visual cues that express femininity and invites people to interact with her as they would interact with females. This would be based on the cultural expression of gender.
Also, fully rejecting your sex may be more connected with desiring to be or becoming transsexual (anyone feel informed enough to speak to that?). Clare may one day seek that. Though, like I've said elsewhere, I'm inclined to feel discouraged by the rejection of our body, I have two reasons to defer to Claire's experience.
1- I don't really understand the biology of this enough to make any kind of definitive statement, and I'm not sure that anyone does.
2- If this is purely a cultural phenomenon, which could be avoided by a more open and accepting understand of gender, than I can't blame Claire for feeling the need to change her sex. She doesn't exist in that alternative open and accepting reality and I have no right to pretend to understand what it would mean to love and accept her male body in spite of what she has learned and what our culture expresses and has taught her.
Either way, I'd agree with Paul's assessment of this. Recognizing the way we, collectively, have cause LGBT people to feel marginalized and suffer, repenting of that, and learning to love is not contingent on whether or not something has a biological aspect or is purely cultural.
btw Paul, the only reason I would look at "norms" as oppressive powers is because I believe the oppress even the people who perpetuate them and feel that they "benefit" from them. You are right though, that we shouldn't let ourselves off the hook. I just think that recognizing them as realities we've constructed serves to dis-empower them and allows us to consciously deal with our oppression and ability to oppress.
I still wonder, though, if the answer is to try to eliminate "norms." Stereotypes generally are based on something real, though they often become exaggerated and rigid. Masculine and feminine traits are considered "normal" or "typical" because we do see them in a majority of people of those genders. To try to deny this, or say these are completely social constructions detaches us from reality, and won't get us anywhere when people can look around and see that men (or women) do tend to act in similar ways.
But simply recognizing a pattern or norm does not mean that everyone of that gender must act or feel that same way. "Atypical" does not necessarily mean "wrong." (Some folks, like myself, tend to think that in a sinful world atypical usually means right!)
The problem, as I see it, is that people often try to suppress or attack those who do not conform to the norm, those who diverge from the group. (Jesus also experienced such attacks.) I think this comes from insecurity and fear, and is sinful at its root. Perhaps the scapegoat effect that Rene Girard has written so much about. And the use of the power of the group to suppress or destroy non-normal people is certainly sinful. The list of minority groups who have suffered this is long. It seems people can easily find an excuse to direct their aggression against the few, the weak.
And, as you say, this also hurts the oppressors, the majority. Because the nonconformists often have very important, unique insights and creative contributions to offer to the community. And all of us usually find ourselves in the minority at some point...
Personally, I try not to be reactionary against gender norms either. There are certain things within my personally and that I desire to do that could be considered typically feminine. As long as I remain centered in prayer, am aware of the range of possibilities, and pursue what I understand to be my vocation I don't see anything wrong with being "normal" in some ways. I don't know whether these aspects of my personality are somehow "innate" or culturally formed, but I don't think that ultimately matters. Humans will always be formed within their community as well as with predisposition. My only problem is when people feel bound by these norms, when they are dissatisfied and feel that they cannot act otherwise, and when they say things like "boys will be boys" or "girls will be girls" in order to dismiss something that endangers the health of an individual or a community. This again may be too simplistic, and honestly I don't think I fully understand it yet. I want every individual to feel free to explore the range of their potential (with the Holy Spirit of course), and I'm afraid that I've seen all too often how assumptions based on gender can hamper that. As a result I'm more inclined to try and express possibility and to try and address a person as themselves instead of in terms of their gender. Its not that I don't see similarities among males or females, but we could make similar normative statements about any group. These are often more willingly questioned when it doesn't relate to gender and I don't think that's necessarily because gender norms are more accurate stereotypes.
But, again, I wouldn't rage against anyone who is acting in a normative way. I just know that there can be a lot of dissatisfaction related to assumptions about genders that often aren't addressed because we subconsciously expect things to remain the way they are.
Sarah closed with this good thought: "I can’t see any other Christ-like act than to repent and learn, particularly from brothers and sisters who have been hurt, how to love each other the way Christ loves us."
It seems to me that the suffering and oppression against any minority group is a sign of a failure to love, a failure of others (of us) to act in a Christ-like way towards them. I wonder if "norms" can even really be oppressive, or if that's just a diversion to pin the blame somewhere else besides ourselves. People (we) are the oppressors. Jesus often encountered people he thought were acting wrongly, harmfully to themselves and others, but he never became their oppressor. So even if we happen to be right sometimes about the behavior of others, we make ourselves wrong when we use it to exclude or oppress them.
And I don't think we really need to know the physical or psychological intricacies to know how to not be abusive or oppressive. Or to know how to listen to our neighbor and love them. Many of the scientific questions about gender are still unanswered, and most of us don't have access to the answers they do have—but then science isn't what teaches us to love, is it?
However, I think that I can easily forget that someone isn't seeing life the same way I do, and assume things about them that aren't true. Yes, that is a bad assumption, but I dare say it happens.
So, I think Daniel's question is a fair one for him to ask. And my response would be that society and the media tend to portray certain sexual stereotypes: men like sports, are crass and insensitive, belching and farting in public; women are gentle, sensitive, nurturing and appreciate beauty. If a 'man' doesn't fit this stereotype (and he would certainly be able to recognize that) and perhaps is more similar to the female stereotype, he might well say he 'feels like a woman'.
No, these are not particularly fair or accurate stereotypes, but along with many more characteristics are kind of expected within our culture. Although there may well be deeper explanations for how a man might feel like a woman (or vice versa), I think the expectations of society in general are more than enough to at least give some people reasons to believe they are in the wrong biological body.