Rejection

By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:34

-Dr Rosemary Varghese

President Trump’s inaugural address touched a raw nerve  when he declared that the US government would henceforth recognize only two genders—male and female. There was a subdued applause, and some instant backlashes regarding the insensitivity of its tone and content, especially in the present context

of wokeism that has overtaken the West.

The President took his cue from the first book of Genesis which describes the creation of Man in His own image , and as male and female. With one fell stroke, he targeted several cults and movements that have gained momentum over the past couple of decades, especially the growing population of LGBTQ sympathisers who are aggressively campaigning for the rights of the present generation to be able to choose their gender, and the pronouns they prefer for themselves.

Along with this, he made clear his intent to lead America back to God and religion— ideas that a large part of his audience have abandoned in favor of New Age movements.

While this may seem to closely align to the Christian viewpoint, we have to take a closer look at the implications of his statement to see whether the Holy Bible, the Catholic Church and the vision of our Holy Father are in sync with the President’s stand. What will it mean to the large population of transgens, if their civil rights are taken away, in the light of the new US policy? What could be the results of a social and legal suppression of this magnitude? Would it take them out of the net of administrative benefits that are rightfully enjoyed by every citizen? As Pope Francis himself says, “being gay is not a crime,” and from that perspective, would it be fair to lay down a policy that does not recognize their existence? At this juncture, I believe we can get a clearer perspective if we examine the biblical standpoint, the Vatican’s point of view and Pope Francis’s position on this burning issue that evokes mixed feelings, and leaves people confused about which side to take.

Genesis begins with the account of Creation, and its crowning moment was when God breathed life into Man— "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number;” The key points here are that man was in the image of God , and they were created in two genders, with procreation as God’s central plan and profound blessing to humankind.

But this certainly does not imply that God rejected transgenders. In fact, eunuchs were widely prevalent in ancient times, and were often given charge of the queen’s court. The Lord blesses the eunuchs who are faithful in a very special way in Isaiah 56:4-5 -

To the eunuchs who keep my sabbaths, who choose the things that please me and hold fast my covenant, I will give, in my house and within my walls, a monument and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off". 

Similarly, the Acts speaks of how the Holy Spirit expressly directed Philip to a eunuch, an officer of the Ethiopian queen, to explain the scriptures to him and baptise him on his request. Mathew 19 speaks of transgenders who are so by birth, and others who are made that way by men. While the reference here is to the custom of castration which was prevalent in those days, this could be equally true in a modern-day context where the proponents of woke movements are in a massive effort to indoctrinate children and young adults with notions of freedom which allows them to choose their gender and change it accordingly through medical interventions.

However, there is one aspect that the Bible comes down heavily against—physical relationships within same-sex partnerships. In  Romans 1 St Paul ruthlessly condemns these acts as evil . During those times these were accepted forms of idol worship, and the Greeks and Romans were habitually used to celebrating pagan feasts with drinking and sexual orgies, often with same sex partners. The chapter ends with a clear statement of condemnation for those who indulged in these evil practices- “Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them”-Romans 1:32

In summary, the Bible respects and blesses transgenders, and invites them to be members of Christ’s body, the Church, in true faith and worship of God. At the same time, same sex partnerships that involve unnatural sexual relations are condemned outright without compromise. More recent developments regarding sex change and freedom of gender choice can also be counted as interventions that are in defiance of God’s creation of man and woman— a repetition of the interlude between Eve and the serpent in Paradise.

To clarify the church’s stand on this issue among others, the Vatican  published a document on human dignity titled Dignitas Infinita in April 2024. Based on the Bible and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the sections pertaining to gender issues begin by affirming respect and dignity for all, regardless of their sexual orientation. However, it condemns ‘gender theory’ which allows people the freedom to choose one’s gender regardless of what God has assigned for us. This new-found freedom has resulted in an increasing demand for sex-change procedures which the church has unequivocally denounced, asserting that these are ways by which the concerned proponents of these movements are “entering into competition with the true God of love revealed to us in the Gospels.”

While the document is stern and uncompromising in affirming its stand, one cannot help feel that it has left a deep chasm between the transgenders and the Catholic Church, especially those who are Christian by faith and feel the need to reconcile with their God. This is where Pope Francis is leading the way, trying to light a lamp at the end of the dark tunnel. While he firmly condemns the perpetrators of gender theory and sex change, he extends his hand to those who are victims, genetically or otherwise, in a very meaningful way. His pro LGBTQ stand has come up for a great deal of criticism, but one cannot deny that he is following in the footsteps of his Master. When Jesus was criticised for keeping company with tax collectors and prostitutes, he said “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.  I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Luke 5:31-32. One can imagine that many of His associates were steeped in sinful ways, but Jesus chose to walk with them till they were strong enough to seek salvation on their own.

Love is the bedrock of Christian faith , and we cannot put a cap on the extent of its radiance. The marginalized sections of society in Jesus’s time find their avatars in our generation as well, though they may be labelled differently, and they often find themselves caught in an unholy web of transgressions. President Trump may cut their legal rights with a powerful government policy, but a true follower of Christ must walk the mile with them.