This post is an adapted version of a sermon I shared at Paradox Church in Redlands, California, on April 30, 2022. The video recording can be accessed here: https://youtu.be/jLKL5yOWHjY or on Paradox Church’s website.
I shared a similar version to a largely Seventh-day Adventist audience for Adventist Today’s Sabbath Seminar. (Access the video recording here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKtvlpv_7Qw)
Read MoreYears ago, I had a provider who I told I wanted to talk about my gender identity. I explained that I was afraid I might be experiencing Gender Dysphoria. It was a terrifying experience. I had thought about this for a long time, and it took a lot of courage for me to show up and verbalize it. I was well aware of the injustices that trans people face. I didn’t want to be one. I didn’t want it to be true.
Read MoreMy wife and I married on a Thursday night one May. Although the timing was strange (right in the middle of spring semester of my senior undergraduate year), the concluding line in our vows was not. It was a famous quotation from a Bible passage this is not uncommon in modern weddings: “Where you go I will go. Where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people. And your god, my god. And may God forbid anything coming in between this commitment we are making today…”
Read MoreFor trans people, Transgender Day of Remembrance (November 20 this year) is a reminder of the injustice we face in a transphobic, patriarchal, racist, and misogynist society. For cisgender folks, it is an invitation not so much to remember, perhaps, but instead to expand empathy and awareness.
Read MoreI created a ceremonial rite of passage that marked my gender transition. For me (and I hope for others who will build on it), it serves as a communal recognition, validation, and commemoration of the profound and spiritual experience that has been this journey. It proved to be filled with Spirit, utterly transcendent.
Read MoreI am a transgender woman. This fact is related to my resignation from the church. I have “known” it for a long time, but only recently put all the pieces together to the point that I fully KNOW and accept it. Paige and I are staying together. The kids know are doing fine. All of our family knows and has been supportive. My name is Esther, pronouns she/her/hers, and my kids call me “Mapa”. My faith is stronger than it has ever been and has been integral in choosing to proceed with transition. I am scared, angry, brave, grateful, and absolutely full of joy. I am going back to school to become a Marriage and Family Therapist. Please consider educating yourself if I’m the only (or one of very few) trans person you think you know. I cherish your friendship and support.
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