Ever get tired of the religious right telling you that being a transsexual is a sin, that you are an abomination, that you're going to hell. You know they are wrong, but never knew why or how to explain it. Now, in one post, a christian defense of what God really says about transsexuals.

In the last couple of decades it seems as if a new phenomenon has come out of the blue and has picked up speed. It started out as a trickle, but there are more and more instances of people coming out as transsexual.

It started out with a rare few that came out publically, most choosing to live in anonymity, but it appears that there is more media attention surrounding the subject and a push for acceptance. The latest media blitz on the subject has focused on children as young as five years old with the condition and it seems as if everyone has an opinion.

Unfortunately, with everything that is seemingly new, there is often a chance for myths to be greater than the truth and misinformation spreads like a wild fire. Even though we can trace transsexuality all the way back to the 200s A.D. and probably well before that, the new focus has brought out some bits of information that is simply not true.

Also, with the misinformation, some from the Christian church has acted upon the mistruths and have labeled anyone who claims to be transsexual as a sinner and in danger of an eternity in hell if they don’t repent. To add to their claims they have used some Bible verses out of context in order to prove their point and added to the confusion.

I am here to set the record straight and to dispel the myths once and for all. It is said in the Bible 2 Timothy 2:15 “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” That is what I am setting out to do. I will show the arguments that some have used to make the false claim that transsexuality is a sin and show why they are in error.

It is important not only to know what we believe but also why we believe it. It is also equally important to be able to present our case by backing it up with fact instead of just sticking our fingers in our ears and shouting on the top of our lungs that we simply do not want to believe something. In this work, I will present the case clearly. I want you to read it with an open mind, an open heart, and with the willingness for God to lead you to the truth. I use a lot of my teaching from the Bible, but I also realize the importance of language, history, and context.

So I ask that you join with me in a quest to discover the truth about what the bible really says about transsexuality. During my studies, I have found that a lot of the truth presented also applies to the larger umbrella of Transgender (which would include transvestites, gender queer, androgynous. Etc). I was not expecting that when I started, but it has been a pleasant surprise.

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I am not going to hide or try to practice any deceit. Though it would be easy to hide my status as a Transsexual to hope people do not read this work with a preconceived notion that it is biased, I refuse to do so. This work is important to me because it affects me. I began the study for personal reasons, but my goal had been singular since the onset; to discover the truth about what God says through his word about transsexuals. I wanted to spend a brief period discussing my story when it comes to this issue, I hope you will grant me the indulgence.

Back in 2007 I had the opportunity to join a ministry, one in whose mission I cared very deeply about. Though I felt led to minister, I knew it was improper if I didn’t divulge everything about myself and come clean with where I stood in spiritual as well as personal life. I told the president of the ministry that I had concerns about my gender identity and that I was transsexual. I didn’t know exactly how the she was going to accept this news, the ministry practiced quite a liberal form of Christianity and I knew that they had let people who participated in various forms of digressions serve. However, since I was going to be in a position where I would be in charge of teaching the Bible to the various people the ministry served, I knew I would be held to a higher standard, as I should.

The president of the ministry had compassion for my plight, but was unwilling to have someone in a leadership role suffer from such an affliction as Gender Identity Disorder. I was sure that I would be graciously denied the position and was willing to view it as God closing the door on me being in the ministry and I was okay with that. Instead of saying no, however, the president offered to do something she referred to as deliverance and assured me that afterward I would be acceptable to the ministry and free of the sin of transsexualism. This was something new to me, but since I felt so strongly about the ministry and an ever stronger desire to serve the Lord by teaching the scriptures to those in need, I accepted the invitation.

The first step that I followed was quite the lengthy questionnaire that asked very specific answers. Since I don’t believe in half measures I answered each question fully and honestly. I prayed before picking up the pen each morning to tackle the questions, prayed as I answered each question individually and prayed after I was done with the questionnaire for protection. I was doing everything I could do to be “holy and acceptable to the Lord” (Rom 12:1)

After I answered the questionnaire I brought it back to the president of the ministry. She read through the questionnaire, looking emotionally unattached to something that was quite grueling for me, and told me that there was hope for me as long as I was willing to be a vessel for God. She told me about generational sin and that what I was feeling when it came to gender was probably the result of sins of my ancestors because since I was 14 I had been a born again Christian. She then led me through a prayer of deliverance which had me denounce my sins and cast out any and all demons from my flesh including the demon of transsexuality.

At the end of the ordeal, she ceremoniously burned the questionnaire and pronounced me clean and worthy to lead the ministry part of the organization. I felt emotionally drained, but I didn’t feel any different but took her at her word. My self-actualized persona and identity was that of a woman, but neither the world nor my body agreed. Instead of pronounce the deliverance as a failure, I put it away and did what I did most of my life; I hid it from the world and suffered in silence. I decided to claim Matthew 16:24 as myself. I would deny myself, the person who I knew I was and would conform to what others around me. Me living as what I defined as my real self was irrelevant anyway, my prime desire then, as it is today, is to serve the Lord with all my heart, soul and mind.

After taking the position in the ministry, one which saw me preaching on Sundays, teaching the Bible on Mondays through Fridays, and conducting a homeless feeding ministry on Saturdays where I would minister to those on the street individually and occasionally give the message to a group of about 50 to 75 men, I decided that I needed to get a hold of my gender identity issue or it would destroy me. A house divided cannot stand and a body of two genders, one which conforms to biology on the inside but identifies with the soul in an opposing fashion is bound to be rend in two. I found a Christian counselor who I felt was honest, God fearing, but also a bit more practical and down to earth than the deliverance giving president of the church.

Early on was the usual get to know you sessions. It was more me learning about him than vice versa, but that was by my design. I didn’t want to divulge any information before knowing I could commit to him as a counselor. By the third week I freely divulged my issue about gender. I was told flatly that it was a sin and that though it might be difficult, it was something I could gain victory over. Since I have never acted out on my transsexual behavior (read: cross dress or participate in homosexual behaviors) I would have an easier road than most. For three years I went to the counselor, we tried to dissect my past to see where this notion that I am a woman came from. We couldn’t find the event, or even a set of circumstances that would indicate why my inner self-actualization broke from what biology suggested was otherwise. Each week he encouraged me not to give in to temptation and not fall to the sin of transsexualism. I was eager for help, but grew discouraged.

Since I couldn’t get a hold of this inconsistency that everyone was referring to as sin, I left my post in the ministry (there were other factors as well, but the desire to conform more to my true identity was growing stronger instead of weaker that I thought it best that I did nothing that was out of line with the ministries standards of conduct). I still didn’t do anything in relation to being transsexual, but I still identified myself as a woman. I just couldn’t get by why I was so bound by this sin.

Then I started thinking. People keep saying transsexualism is a sin, but they really didn’t point to any verse or scripture to support that claim. In the Ten Commandments we know not to kill, steal, lie, or covet. Jesus even taught a stricter code of conduct; not to be angry, to love your enemies, give to those that hate you. So I searched and I searched. I looked at a few verses that people have brought to my attention that might apply. But the more I heard the arguments, the more I saw that they didn’t hold water. I am here to address those scriptures and lay to rest once and for all that transsexualism is not a sin and those who suffer from the condition should not be cast out by the church into the darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

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It is important to state that I believe that the Bible is the word of God and what I intend to prove I do not take that task lightly. I am not trying to, nor could I ever, prove God or the scripture wrong. My intent is to show that the way we, as humans, apply scripture to the concept of transsexuality is incorrect and inconsistent. I hold the scripture in high regard and know that it is the authority by which we must live.

I think it very important to lay some ground rules before I begin. First off, I know that this is a controversial subject and I will keep that in mind. I will not belittle anyone who has a divergent position from mine, my goal is not to prove how smart I am and how dumb anyone else is. I will freely admit that I am a person of limited intelligence and the fact that I may have more or less schooling than another person does not dismiss either of our ideas. This work is not an attack on any person, but rather it is an expression of ideas. I am not omnipotent, I do not, nor will I ever know everything, and outside of God, neither will anyone else. I plan to use this book as an open dialogue to share what I have learned through my studies and the way I feel led by God.

My idea is to take verses that people use to say transsexualism is wrong and see if there is any validity in the claim. I will express my thoughts on the matter and argue points logically. I will avoid discussing what I feel unless it pertains to my emotions. I will try to keep my opinions out of it, but I think so of the things we are splitting hairs at is a matter of opinion and it may be difficult to do that.

I will not argue my point on the basis of “other people are committing other sins” or what I call the shellfish claim. The argument goes like this; whenever you can’t prove something you go back to “well the Bible also says not to eat shellfish and we do that and don’t consider it a sin so why should we consider my position a sin as well. I will also not take the standpoint that the Bible is outdated and no longer applies to modern times. I don’t believe that and I think that if you apply that philosophy to one area of the Bible or life, then you open the door to do it to others. I am taking the stand that I have to prove my position. In order to do that I may have to disprove some theories people have and I will do that with as much class and humility as I can. I will also attempt to cast a different light on certain scriptures that we may view incorrectly. It will always be my position that the Bible is correct, but it is also my position that we may interpret things incorrectly. You can’t get around “Thou shall not commit murder,” because it is a cut and dry commandment and I am not trying to get around anything either. My position is that people have distorted the scripture in order to bind others into concepts they wish were addressed, I am here to shed light on the truth.

My goal is twofold. One is to show that Transsexuality is not a sin and those that suffer the affliction of Gender Identity Disorder shouldn’t have stones cast at them. I think that the church (the body of believers not the building) has a responsibility in accepting transsexuals into the fold and to show them the love and respect they would any other brother or sister in the lord. My other goal is to have a code of conduct for the Christian who is also transsexual. I couldn’t have the latter without the former. If transsexuality is a sin then there could be no code of conduct, since I am here to prove otherwise, I must prove it so; so we must put the horses before the cart.

The main thing I want to do is uncover the truth. I believe that the Bible is true and that all truth is in the Bible. What happens is that people take their own preconceived notions and try to make the Bible line up with it. That is not what I am going to do. As a believer who has taught the word of God, I know how easy it is for people to be led astray and to follow false doctrines. It has been going on since the early days of the Christian church and it continues today. The Jesus of the Bible, the Jesus of history, was one that preached love because he was love. He loved us so much that he died upon the cross for us. Any doctrine that espouses hatred cannot be of God, because there is no hate in God.

I will do my best to explain my position. I do not take such a task lightly, and feel the weight of what I am about to undertake. There are no half-truths in the Bible and I do not believe the premise that what applied then can no longer apply today. But I think we must apply the scripture correctly to issues or we are doomed to remain in darkness.

Before we begin, I ask you to pray with me:

Lord,

I ask you to open my eyes, my mind, and my heart to the truth. Lead me to the center of your will as I seek to discover whether or not your word says that transsexualism is a sin. I ask that you remove all preconceived notions and lies that I may have been taught along the way. In all things, teach me to model after your son, to love unceasingly, forgive endlessly, to teach with authority, to learn with devotion and to correct with compassion. In all things, may your will be done and may all we do, be to your glory.

Amen.

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I, by my nature, am not very confrontational and my views are conservative. So why would I go out on a limb and argue such a hotbed topic. I do not hide the fact that I am transsexual, but that is not the reason for writing a book to propose that unlike what many right-wing Christians may believe, transsexualism is not a sin. I feel called to write this book and I do so with much trepidation.

I look in the media and what is presented as FACT in the Christian community and I see a lot of misrepresentation of the facts. A ton of bigotry, fear, and hatred, things Jesus very much disapproves of. One of the things that I do, and this is daily, is listen to Focus on the Family. My beliefs line up with theirs on most topics and I find the broadcast often informative. One thing that grates on me though is when they us the frame “so-called transsexual”. Every time I hear the word I cringe and I wonder why they have to phrase it in such a way.

The other incident that happened was when I saw a multitude of people, Christians, attack a young transsexual verbally. They were throwing out words like sinner, hell-bound, and abomination. These are hurtful labels and not in the keeping of the teachings of Christ. We are all sinners, hell-bound, and abomination before we come to a saving relationship with Christ. Instead of attack these Christian’s behaviors as wrong, which they are, I thought I should correct their premise.

I believe I know why mainstream Christianity has such a poor view of transsexualism and it hardly has anything to do with the condition. Part of the problem is lack of knowledge, Christian’s confusing transsexuality with other behavior, lack of good examples of what it means to be transsexual, and a bias in the media to accentuate the bizarre.

The main thing I believe what happens is a kind of perversion of the word of God. There is a propensity for the overextension of scripture to cover areas and topics in which they were never intended and for which they do not pertain. Yes, there are some concepts that are universal and timeless, such as speaking the truth and loving thy neighbor and there are laws that still apply today such as not murdering and not stealing. However, some things were not covered in the Bible because they simply did not exist back then. This is what happens when it comes to transsexuality. Though it is my opinion that the condition of transsexuality may go back as far as just after the fall, there was little anyone could do about it. There was no knowledge of hormone treatments and no such thing as Sexual reassignment Surgery for the Bible to speak of, so of course it would be silent of the subject. We are sorely in danger when we misapply scripture to subjects in which it does not apply. I put forth this work to prove that the assumption that the Bible speaks against transsexuality is in error.

Where God is silent, it is not for man to speak in his place. ”ƒ

Before we can start a reasonable discussion on the topic, I feel that it is important that we get our terms down correctly. Though people may use the words transgender, transsexual, transvestite interchangeably, they are not the same thing and are different subjects altogether. I think one of the main issues for such confusion is that people don’t even know what they are addressing and often mistake one for the other. So before we go any further let’s know what we are talking about.

Transgender: this is the more umbrella term for anyone who relates to or is a person who identifies or expresses a gender identity that differs from the gender that one they were assigned at birth.

Transsexual: a person who strongly identifies with the opposite sex and may seek to live as a member of this sex especially by undergoing surgery and hormone therapy to obtain the necessary physical appearance (as by changing the external sex organs)

M2F: A person who was born with seemingly male genitalia but identifies as female

F2m: A person who was born with seemingly female genitalia but identifies as male

Transvestite: A person who dresses and acts in a style or manner traditionally associated with the opposite sex.

If you were in a logic class the logic statements would read as follows:

All transsexuals are transgender

But not all transgender are transsexual

Transgender would include transvestites, transsexuals, drag kings, drag queens, and other variations of the theme. Though some arguments can be made across the board, it is important to emphasize that this books main focus is transsexuals and is designed for such. Some arguments may need to be revamped or rethought for other conditions, which is why I didn’t use the broader definition of transgender for the work. This was not done out of any malice or the idea that I am not supportive of other transgender conditions, only that I want to focus on a narrower range to make my case. I try not to deal with absolutes. What applies for one group may not apply across the board and I did not want to get into ticky-tack arguments over a wide population.

Transsexuality is a condition, not a behavior or a feeling. I think that distinction has to be stated right away if we have any hope of understanding the issue. A transsexual is a person whose gender identity differs from their biological gender. This condition is often felt from very early on in life, but is not always acted upon. A person who is a transsexual may feel the desire to change the outward appearance of gender to match their identity, but that is not always the case. Due to many circumstances, a person may have the condition of transsexuality but decide to remain their biologically assigned gender. There are several expressions of transsexualism and a person may find themselves anywhere on the spectrum. This can be from the person who conforms to the worlds view of their assigned gender at birth but displays there natural emotions which coincides with their gender identity; the overly emotional male or rugged female. The person who dresses and presents as their identified gender without the assistance of hormones or surgery. The person who undergoes hormonal treatment and other secondary measures to appear more of their identified gender (electrolysis, hairstyles that match their gender identity, other body grooming that coincides with their identified gender.) All the way to the person who has gender reassignment surgery. The continuum is wide and varied, and a transsexual can fall in any part of that range or even advance up the line as the desire for their body to match their gender identity intensifies.

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When deciding which way I should approach presenting my case, I thought it prudent to disprove the myths before stating my case. I will be the first to admit that by disproving something does not, in essence prove the opposing fact as truth. Just because we can prove that a particular fruit is not an apple doesn’t automatically make that fruit a banana. However, sometimes it is important to disprove a strongly held belief that something is so before a person will accept that there is something else out there that is the truth.

The statement: God created two — and only two genders; male and female. The idea that gender goes along a spectrum or continuum with unlimited genders is unbiblical.

The verse to back up this claim: Gen 1:27 “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

How does this apply: In the transsexual community there are some that argue that there is a variety of gender expressions and that gender is not binary, but rather on a sliding scale. This verse addresses that assumption. The idea is that of a control panel. Imagine if you will an equalizer. Instead of where it says BASS replace that with the word GENDER. On the plus side you have Male and on the negative side you have female (or swap it around, I’m not saying one gender is better than the other). At absolute zero you have androgyny. You can have a percentage of maleness, or a percentage of feminineness. Each person’s gender would fit somewhere on that continuum.

I however disagree with the notion of a sliding scale like that and I picture a quad spectrum. Not only do you have levels of male and female that you can slide left or right, but you also have effeminacy and machismo. I think it is plain to see that in our world we have women who can be extremely feminine or they can be macho and the reverse can be said about men. Also, depending on the circumstances, people can move along the plane. Take for instance a man who works on an oil rig. At work he is extremely macho, rough and rugged. But, when he is at home with his infant son, he is more effeminate, caring, and gentle.

What assumptions are drawn: The idea is that if God created only two genders in the beginning than that is all that is suppose to exist and that they are concrete. God created Adam as a male and a male he would be until the day he died and that since he created Eve female that is what she would remain until the day that she died.

Why is the argument not valid: First off, Adam and Eve were created pre-fall. In the garden they were naíve and childlike. They may not even of had an idea what gender identity was or that there were any real difference between the two. For all we know there was no distinction between masculine and feminine in the mind before they ate of the fruit of the knowledge of Good and Evil. They didn’t even realize they were naked until God entered the Garden of Eden and only then did they attempt to hide because they were naked.

In the pre-fall garden, Adam and Eve worked side by side. They shared duties. There was no such thing as a man’s labor and a woman’s labor. We can safely assume that there was an equal division. Though we do not know much about life pre-fall, there are certain things we can deduce. There was no masculine dominancy over the feminine. We have no indications of the behavior of either sexes. In fact, we see Eve taking the lead when dealing with the serpent. Taking the lead is often viewed as a masculine behavior. Could it be that Eve was attributing masculine traits? I don’t know, but there is the possibility. We have to be open to the fact that we do not know of God’s design of humanity pre-fall and we won’t know until sin has been removed when Christ returns and there is a new Earth and a new Heaven. God may very well have designed us to be both masculine and feminine simultaneously pre-fall and the seeds for transsexualism may have been born from the very onset of creation. I do not know this for sure, but others can’t say they know that it is not for sure either. I am willing to claim my ignorance on the subject, but I leave myself open to the possibility.

Gender Identity didn’t truly come into play until after the fall. It was because of their sin of disobedience that God made Eve subservient to Adam and punished Adam to work by the sweat of his brow (That is why we consider sweaty manual labor to be manly).

Just because God created only male and female does that mean that is all that he intended. We can assume that at most he created only two races. For argument sake, let’s say that Adam was Caucasian and Eve was Negroid, by applying the same argument should we assume that God only intended for there to be two races. We can also assume that there were at a maximum two hair colors. Let’s say Adam was brown haired and Eve was red haired, should we assume that God designed humanity to just have one of the two hair colors and all that live outside of that live in sin. Of course not, that’s preposterous. Why then do we pigeon hold God into only allowing for two gender identities?

The fact that God created only two people also limited his selection to a maximum of two genders. If you want to go further, you can say that initially God only created one gender and therefore being born female is sin because it wasn’t God’s initial design. Who knows what would have happened if God created a third gender, the first two were distinguishable from each other, could the third have been even more different than the first two. We shouldn’t be so arrogant to think we could understand God’s ultimate plan. After all his ways are higher than our ways, his thoughts are higher than our thoughts.

Most transsexuals are not claiming to be a third gender; they are only claiming to be one, just not the one they appear to be genetically. Though there is a push to be considered a third gender from some segments of the Transgender movement, most transsexuals claim one or the other. Bringing up the fact that God created only two genders truly isn’t a valid argument to begin with. A transsexual woman is stating that she is a woman not some sort of mysterious third gender.

The nature test: Sometimes I think it is best to look at nature to see if something is in God’s plan. The reasoning is simple, nature doesn’t have free will and cannot do anything outside of the Lord’s design. There are countless examples of organisms that change gender and people wouldn’t say that they were living in sin because without free will you can’t live in sin. One such example of an animal changing gender is the Percula Clownfish where a male will turn female in order to pair with another male and be bonded for life. The same is true of the Gobys, a fish from the red sea. That is not to include the multitude of animals that are asexual or hermaphroditic.

My point is simple, if God shows in his design that gender changing can happen, we can safely assume that he approves of such an event or he would not have set the process in motion. I am not saying that human’s are like animals or that we should look at nature on how we should behave to one another. But, it is plausible that God doesn’t look down upon a person who changes the outward appearance of gender when they function in a community.

Other Evidence: Though we like to think of the world as white or black, it is often not so. In this world we have conditions arise more often than people assume where an infant is born with undeterminable gender. One in every thousands births are of those where gender cannot be immediately determined, it is referred as being intersexed. Since the condition is so prevalent (and those are the ones that I reported, there are several conditions of being intersexed that is not apparent; Klinefelters syndrome for example) . If God allows for these conditions to exist, could this be evidence that he designed gender to be more on a continuum then a rigid binary system.

Conclusion: Yes, in the beginning, God did create one male and one female, and for procreation it is feasible that he designed them with specific gender roles so that the human race could flourish. That does not mean that he intended all of humanity to fall into such a rigid construct. We limit God to only two gender expressions as if that is all He can handle, when in fact it is human’s who are having issues and trying to advance their agenda onto God. In the beginning there were only two people, so, at a maximum, there could only be two genders. With the prevalence of the intersexed condition, it is possible that God intended for a wide array of gender expression. Also, we make the assumption that gender is determined by our outward characteristics, when in fact it is part of a more complex system that our physical forms are only a part of.

The statement: God made you male or female because that is who He intended you to be. For you to say you were meant to be otherwise is an affront to God, telling Him that He is wrong. God doesn’t make mistakes, therefore a person who claims to be transsexual is in error.

The verse to back up this claim: Psalm 139:13-16a For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.

How does this apply: The claim is that we are known from conception. This verse is often used to support the claim that life begins in the womb and should be protected. The belief is that if God intend a person who believes they are female but is born appearing male, then God would have formed them as female to begin with. Since God formed them in a male body and since God is omnipotent, unable to make mistakes, then it only proves that person was meant to be male and to live life according to God’s purpose.

What assumptions are drawn: The assumption is that if God had you start out life as a male He intended you to go through life the gender assigned at birth. This is almost the same argument as the creation of Adam and Eve. The claim here is that gender expression is suppose to be static and unwavering, The feeling is that gender is absolute and cannot be changed.

Why this argument is not valid: It is a common debating tactic to introduce a fact and then follow it with an opinion. It has been going on for ages and most likely will continue until the Lord returns. It is true that the Lord doesn’t make any mistakes and on that point I cannot argue. I also believe that the Lord does form us and knows us from conception, and on that I cannot argue as well. But to suggest that a person who is transsexual is accusing God of making a mistake is in error. It often amazes me how people limit God so that life could fit in their mental constructs. Isn’t it possible that God created a person as a transsexual? Look at all the other conditions that people are born with that we don’t claim God made a mistake for; autism, spin bifida, mental retardation. The only difference between those conditions and transsexualism is that they are more easily diagnosed. Some, such as mental retardation and spina bifida can be determined at birth, others such as autism and transsexualism may only be discovered during later developmental stages, if at all.

Many who are transgender admit that they knew of their condition early on in life, almost at the onset of discovery of gender differences. Many people who have transitioned, including Madden, say they knew they had been born into the wrong gender from childhood. As early as age 3 (cnn). This supports the notion that they may very well have been transsexual from the womb.

I admit that I don’t understand why the Lord would allow this to happen. But I am not so arrogant as to say that he shouldn’t allow this to happen or, for some reason, won’t allow this to happen. God may have a multitude of reasons to put a person in a body that doesn’t match with their gender identity, but who am I to say he is wrong for doing so. In my own life I have theories about why, but I could not apply those theories across the board. The fact is, God allows us to go through situations to mold us so we could fit His purpose. It is not farfetched that being Trans and going through transition is in His will. In the same vein, I don’t understand why people have to suffer through any affliction, but just because it happens doesn’t mean God is not behind it. As Christians we need to stop limiting what God does to only what we find acceptable. We are not suppose to dictate to God how He operates, but by telling a person who is transgender that they are outside of God’s will is almost like telling a cancer patient that the reason that they are sick is because they are sinners.

I don’t know why God allows transsexuality to exist, but He does. It took me a long time to accept the fact that the way he made me (as a transsexual) was the way I was supposed to be. To shake my fist at God because of my condition would be the real sin.

I also find the notion that God intended gender to be static and unchanging to be inconsistent with the way many live their lives. If God determined things to remain the same than why do we develop? If we were suppose to have a certain hairstyle, why would he allow hair to grow or for the maturing process. Also, people who claim that gender should not be change, use such a narrow brush when claiming it is because that’s the way God designed them. If that’s the case, why not apply the same concept to people who dye their hair. God made you a brunette, to dye your hair blonde is to tell God he was wrong and therefore sin. How about color contacts God gave you brown eyes, to make them appear blue is sin and you are in danger of going to hell. Let’s take it a step further. God intended you to have poor vision or poor hearing, to use corrective measures is outside of his will and you must be cast out of church. Does this sound ridiculous to you? It should because it makes no sense to behave that way. Why should we, as Christians, allow for corrective measures when it comes to hearing or vision, but not allow it for a thing such as gender identity?

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The statement: Transsexualism is a clever way for a homosexual to get around the fact that the Bible says that homosexuality is a sin.

The verse to support the claim: Romans 1: 26-28 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.

How does this apply: This is a very straight forward case, or so it would seem. The assumption is, in the case of a female that was born in a male-appearing body, that since a person is born in a body that appears male, then it must be male and no matter what kind or level of transformation (see continuum), the person will remain male even if it goes so far as to have sexual reassignment surgery. Therefore, if such a person has any relationship with a man, they are committing the sin of homosexuality. This applies for the male born in the female-appearing body as well.

What assumptions are made: That since it is readily acceptable in many Christian circles that homosexuality is sin, then, by proxy, transsexuality must also be sin because two same-sexed appearing people enter into sexual relations with each other. The Bible clearly states that homosexuality is an abomination and we must not allow for those who practice such into the fellowship of believers.

Why this argument is not valid: Often in my life I have heard this argument being presented as an indictment against transsexuality and every time I shake my head at it. There are a lot of assumptions made to get to this conclusion and assumptions are usually a bad thing to make when dealing with such a complex issue as gender identity and sexuality. I will do my best to present all the points, but there are probably a dozen more that I don’t get to.

1. Gender Identity and sexual identity is not the same thing. It is a common misperception that Gender and sexual orientation go hand in hand, but they do not. There are many transsexuals who label themselves as heterosexual, homosexual, or bisexual. This is not the place to debate on whether or not homosexuality is wrong, I will leave that up to the individual to decide for him/herself. Also there is an assumption that a transsexual must participate in sexual activity and that is not always the case. A person can be transsexual and practice abstinence for a variety of reasons. To say that a transsexual is a homosexual is the worst kind of bigotry. It is a stereotype that must be broken.

2. If a transsexual is living as their true gender once they enter into a relationship with a person of the opposite of their gender identity, they are in a heterosexual relationship.

3. If you believe that a person is destined to be their assigned gender at birth, if that person (for the sake of argument a male-to-female transsexual) enters into a relationship with a woman, in that construct, that would be a heterosexual relationship; even if the two parties don’t agree.

4. There are cases where two transsexuals of opposite gender identities (a male-to-female transsexual dating a female-to-male transsexual). It these cases the relationship would be heterosexual on both levels (whether assigned gender or self-actualized gender).

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The Statement: The Bible clearly states that cross dressing is an abomination and anyone who does so is in danger of going to hell.

The Verse to Support the claim: Deuteronomy 22:5 “A woman must not wear men’s clothing, nor a man wear women’s clothing, for the Lord your God detests anyone who does this” (some versions like the King James replaces the last part with Abomination)

How does this apply: This is often the most quoted verse to argue the assumption that transsexuality is a sin. Any male that puts on female clothing or any female that puts on male clothing is in error and in danger of judgment

What Assumptions are made: The logic is straight forward; if a person is going to live as the opposite gender in which they were born, it is safe to assume that they will also dress in garments of the opposite gender and the Bible clearly states that this is wrong in black and white. Not only does the Bible call it a sin, but it is an Abomination (really, really bad)

Why is the argument is not valid: The main cusp of the argument against transsexuality seems to hinge on this one verse. I looked at the verse over and over and I immediately knew why it didn’t apply but I also thought there might be something more. In my Biblical studies I have come to learn that the English translations that we have are inferior to the original language. In other areas of the Bible I often went back to the Hebrew or the Greek to get a deep understanding of what the Word of God was saying. Some of the items were minute and others profoundly changed my thinking on the subject. This verse appeared so straight forward that I didn’t even think to look at the original language. Besides, I already had my points against why this argument wasn’t valid, but let’s lay to rest once and for all that this verse does not apply to transsexuality and live a life of peace.

The macro argument: There are some verses in the old testament that don’t apply to Christians and it’s not only the not being under the law (which I will bring up later) parts that people like to quote when they feel like living however they want. The first thing that we must understand is that Deuteronomy is a book of law specific designed for the nation of Israel. In fact, the word Deuteronomy means “second law” and was the reiteration of the Laws and Commandments given to the children of Israel prior to them entering the promise land. This was towards the end of Moses’ life and he was giving a fuller explanation.

The reason for the law was to separate Israel as a nation separate for God. There laws are what separated them from the pagan nations around them. The law was given specifically for them to serve for this affect. The law is what made Israel distinct, it gave them not only laws, but also their system of religious service (the sacrificial system) If you are not a Messianic Jew (a Jewish person who accepts Jesus as his Lord and Savior) then the entire book of the law does not apply to you.

There are some people out there that want to continually place people under the law. It was the same back in the time of the early church (when Gentiles where putting their faith in a Jewish religious figure- as Jesus was known as then) and is still true today. The argument that often comes up and what first alerted me to this was when a Christian friend told me it was sinful for me to have a tree in my house for Christmas and then went on to quote part of Jeremiah for me. At the time I knew something was amiss, but I wasn’t quite sure what it was. I have since educated myself and am passing along that knowledge.

The application of the Mosaic Law was a hot bed subject in the early church. Early on, the church debated whether or not Gentile believers should be circumcised. The scripture made it quite clear that they shouldn’t be placed under the law, “Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. (Acts 15:20)

The Micro arguments: I didn’t want to just use the argument that the Old Testament or the law didn’t apply. I think that would be poor of me especially when there is so much more to this than meets the eye. I suppose a person could argue anything they wanted to from the Old Testament using the Macro argument, but I don’t think that would always apply. It is important to understand what we believe, but it is equally important to know why. Using a blanket argument wouldn’t sit with me if I was given it, so I will go into further details on this verse.

At face value this verse would appear to be more an indictment against cross dressing than it would against transsexuality. People who cross dress (transvestites) do so for a myriad of reasons, the primary being for sexual gratification. Other reasons may include those that pertain to deceit (as in the case of women dressing like men during the civil war to visit their husbands on the front lines). The transsexual, however, is not wearing the garments of the opposite sex. Their get no sexual gratification from wearing the clothing of their identified gender. As I have stated earlier, their gender is not apparent from the biological evidence. In fact, you could make the converse argument that a transsexual woman (one that appears biologically male) should not wear any men’s clothing in order to obey this law. I brought up this verse to my friend Dorothy Bellion in reference to this book and this is what she replied: “someone quoted that verse at me, and I said, "Well, it’s a good thing I stopped cross dressing and wearing men's clothes then, isn't it?" Though it may appear flippant, I realized that there was a lot of truth to it.

I could keep the argument that a transsexual woman (one who appears biologically male) and a transsexual male or the same as their biological counterparts going indefinitely , as it is one that I have been using, but there will be some who will dismiss it and any statements of fact that go along with it as rubbish. It is a shame that one cannot accept transsexuality as the intersex condition it is, but that is bound to happen. Fortunately, my whole argument does not rest solely on this fact.

Since those who support the notion the transsexuality is sin hinge the bulk of their argument on this verse, it is an important one to study in depth and to thoroughly refute their claims.

The very first thing to do is to look at the verse, not what we have in English but what is actually there in the original language. I don’t fault the translators for not being as concise as they could be, and they get the general concept down, which was their primary goal (remember the King James was translated into the common language for the less educated of the masses).

We should know some historical facts. The dress of the common man and woman were strikingly familiar back then. There was nothing to associate the difference of a man’s robe from that of a woman’s. That is the thing that first raised my suspicions that this verse is saying something more than what is readily seen. The Bible was not written in the modern world where boys wear blue and girls wear pink. Men didn’t wear suits and girls didn’t wear dresses. The common clothing was robes and outside of sizing differences, they looked similar.

First of the word for man used in this verse is “Gerber” which means a strong man or more probably a man of war. The exact phrase is Keli-Gerber which means the instruments or arms of a strong man. The more probable application of this verse has nothing to do with clothing, but all to do with a woman’s role in ancient society. A woman is not to take arms or armor as to fight in battle or, in broader terms, a woman should also not use the tools of a man for such things as craftsmanship. This would conform to the tradition of that day that only men did battle and that there was no place in the middle of war for battle. This verse is still applied as many militaries in the world today that don’t let women into combat.

The other part of the verse is what is meant by woman’s garment. The word used is simlath which was the square mantel that women wore.

The verse has less to do with cross dressing than it does with civic roles. In Biblical times it was the man’s role to go out and do battle. It would be against his civic responsibilities if he “hid” among women in order to escape war.

There may be another application to this verse to show that it has nothing to do with Cross dressing and everything to do with keeping the nation of Israel separate from the nations around it and it has to do with the Hebrew word used for Abomination.

The word used in Deuteronomy is the word tōʻēḇā which is directly linked to idolatry. It was a common practice in Egypt for the women to be used in trade and merchandising abroad while the men stayed home. As the nation of Israel consistently looked back, almost longingly, to their lives under the Egyptians (especially in the aspects of worships, like creating the golden calf) that there would be a provision to do things distinctively different. Also, some surrounding countries that sacrificed to pagan gods would have the women dress up in armor when participating in worship (most notably the Canaanites, which were a constant thorn in the Flesh to the Israelites).

It is also important to note that an Israeli man during this time could not appear as a woman simply by donning her clothing. It was customary for Israeli men to wear long beards and it was against their law to either shave or trim it. So there was no way to temporarily take on the look of a female in order for sexual intent and seeing that the other garments were similar for both genders it would make no sense to apply the modern day concept of cross dressing to this verse.

Though I use the phrase cross dressing, I do so for the sake of labeling the activity in a way that everyone could understand. The transsexual however isn’t cross dressing when they don the apparel of their self-actualized gender. In fact, they consider it more cross dressing when they dress up in the clothing of their biological gender.

The fact is that not all transsexuals cross dress. Some choose to wear gender neutral or unisex clothing at all time. Some transsexuals don’t even make the attempt to transition because of a variety of reasons but that doesn’t change the fact that they are transsexual.

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The Statement: If a man is going to live as a woman, he will grow his hair long and that is against what the Bible teaches.

The Verse to support the claim: 1 Corinthians 11:14 Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him,

How does this apply: It is only natural to assume that if a person is going to assume a gender that is different than the one that they were assigned at birth that they would do everything in their power to look as much of the opposite gender as possible. In the case of a person who was assigned as male, he would want to grow his hair long so he could appear as a woman. Conversely, a person who was assigned the female gender at birth would want to look as masculine as possible and would cut their hair short or in a typical male fashion (which is addressed in 1 Cor 11: 13).

The assumptions that are made: The first assumption is that everyone who is a transsexual actually transitions to their actualized gender. This is not so, but it would be a rare occurrence for a transsexual who was not planning on transitioning to talk openly about their doubts on gender and would serve no real purpose. It is also assumed that every male to female transsexual would wear their hair long and every female to male transsexual would wear their hair short, this isn’t always the case.

Why the argument is not valid: First off, not every transsexual goes to the extremes when it comes to dress or hair. There are many styles of hair today that are middle of the road and even some that are considered unisex. But that really is besides the point. This verse in First Corinthians is dealing with a separate and not apparent issue. The city of Corinth was known for its temple prostitutes (something we don’t have today) and it was the fashion of the men prostitutes to wear their hair long and the women prostitutes to wear their hair short. This verse has everything to do with not being associated with pagans. If you wanted to make a modern parallel, the verse would not talk about hair, but might be more about not dressing in the garb of a devote Muslim or a man shaving his head bald and wearing an orange robe to look similar to one of the Hare Chrisnas.

The Statement: Because male to female transsexuals live in defiance of God’s design and live immoral lives they will not be admitted into heaven because of their sin.

The verse to back up the claim: 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves..., shall inherit the kingdom of God. (KJV)

How does this apply: Paul makes it quite clear that effeminate men will not inherit the kingdom of God. Since this verse is written in the New Testament then it has to apply to Christians.

The Assumption that is made: A transsexual cannot be saved because there is no way for them to inherit the kingdom of God according to this verse.

Why this argument is not valid: It often amazes me that people who use this verse to make the argument always go to the King James Version because it is one of a rare few who translates the word malakoi (Strong’s 3120) as effeminate where all others translate it as homosexual. However, there is credence to look at the King James because it is so widely accepted in conservative circles as the only authoritative translation and all others lacking (something I don’t fully agree with but see some merits in). However, the word is a Greek metaphor for homosexual and that is important (see earlier argument on homosexuality.) You could add any derogatory word for homosexual there and the verse would still retain its meaning. I could list them, but I assume people had one or two pop into their mind and can save me the embarrassment of listing them here.

This behavior is still exhibited today, and it is practiced by some of today’s homosexuals. It is that behavior that is so over the top ultra-feminine that most women could not even aspire to it, nor want to. I think that this is added, not because the behavior is looked down upon as such but because there is an air of deceit to it. The flamboyance is an act and not a natural state for the person who is putting on the performance. It is an outward show that they are willing to participate in homosexual behavior and their lifestyle is wrapped up in that behavior.

Any behavior that takes us away from God is a sin (and yes, I do include transsexuality in that list if your identity is that of a transsexual and not that of a child of God). I do understand that it is walking a razor’s edge, but there is an important distinction. I am not simply referring to gender or sexual identity here either. If you are wrapped up in anything that takes you away from God, no matter how positive it is from the world’s standards, it is sin. It oft amazes me how many people can cast the stone at others, labeling any behavior they don’t agree with as sin, yet they fail to see that their hatemongering is taking them away from God and is sin in and of itself.

Most transsexuals who decide to transition do not put on such a show. In fact, they shy away from it because the goal is often not to draw attention to oneself but to conform to their true nature without much fanfare. This wouldn’t apply to the person who decided not to transition because usually they over compensate for their feelings of being of a different gender than what their biology would suggest that they behave ultra masculine. I, in part, think this ultra machismo would fit more in line with the sin listed in the stated verse because it is going against their natural state and putting on a façade. I would not dare say that people who are doing so will not go to heaven though, but I think the application could be drawn that the real sin here is in the theatrics and not in the state of being feminine or macho.

Furthermore, not every transsexual is ultra-feminine or ultra-macho (considering if they were m2f or f2m). There are many who are middle of the road in their gender expression, which is different from gender identity. You can take the example of gender-born females (woman who were born biologically female and have the gender identity of such). Some women are extremely feminine, or what we might call girly-girl. They live up to the stereotype of the feminine woman in the way they walk, talk, dress, shop, etc. Others are not so feminine and might borderline on being considered macho, such as the tom-boy. There is a wide array of gender expressions and to feel that all transsexuals would fit in one category on the spectrum is naíve. A transsexual woman doesn’t have to wear a dress, heavy makeup, and live to shop in order to identify as a female.

God intends us to be true, before him and before the world. We do a disservice to God when we live contrary to the spirit he gave us. If God gave us a feminine spirit, one that is nurturing and soft, then there must be a reason for him doing so. I am not saying that every male that has a nurturing spirit is a transsexual, but I do think we do a disservice to our community, our selves, and our God when we hide those traits that he gave us innately.

The second phrase that is often misunderstood in the verse is the last part of 1 Corinthians 6:9 is the part that says “abusers of themselves with mankind.” The NIV translates that word as “men who have sex with men.” The Greek word used is arsenokoitai. It is a term that is used to describe Shrine prostitutes, which Paul also addresses when speaking about men with long hair and women with shaved heads. The other references used with the word is often associated with rape, such as in the old testament story of Sodom.

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The Statement: Because of their behavior, all transsexuals will burn in hell.

The Verse to back up the claim: 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves..., shall inherit the kingdom of God. (KJV)

How does this apply: It is similar to the argument made in the previous section. I wanted to approach it a little differently however. But it is the argument that all transsexuals, because of their status as a transsexual will be eternally damned .

The assumption that is made: Even though I have proven that transsexuality is not a sin, there will be some who will still hold onto their beliefs that it is. The argument is that for some sins there can be no redemption.

Why this argument is not valid: I will admit here, before I get into anything, that people who claim that any segment of society will not gain admittance into heaven is a pet peeve of mind and one that grates on me like no other. I see and hear this over and over from a certain segment of Christianity and it oft times angers me. Just because someone views something as a sin, does not mean that they will be denied forgiveness and absolution of their sins. I don’t care if someone does commit a sin, even an atrocious one, there is always room at the cross for them. Whether a person is a murderer, a liar, a thief, a child molester, a pagan, a Satan worshiper, or anything else that society deems irreprehensible, Jesus died for the sins of all and excludes none.

Will some transsexuals go to hell? Yes. But not because they are transsexuals. There is only two requirements for going to heaven, and only two. Romans 10:9 says “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” That’s it, that’s all that is required. God doesn’t make people change their lives before coming to the cross and it is a shame that some of Christ’s followers want to stand before the cross with velvet ropes trying to decide who can enter and who cannot.

2 Peter 3;9 says “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” Note the word everyone. God doesn’t deny anyone the gift of salvation and to claim it so if the worst kind of hypocrisy.

If you are a transsexual, there is nothing keeping you from the love of God. NOTHING! God does not require you to change your identity or the way you live in order to enter into a saving relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. I implore you, if the reason you haven’t given yourself over to Christ is because a few of his so-called followers told you that you were unacceptable, please disregard them and do not delay.

The statement: People believe that they are in the wrong body because they have the demon of transsexuality in them. Unless that demon is cast out they are doomed to suffer the torment of their condition.

The Verse to back up the claim: Matthew 10:8 “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay.”

How does this apply: The claim is pretty straight forward; a person really doesn’t want to be the opposite gender or even believes they are the opposite gender, they are simply under demonic possession and need a spiritual cleansing to be “healed.”

The assumption that is made: Any behavior that cannot be readily explained or is considered adverse must be of the devil because no sane person would succumb to it. There is a litany of behaviors some “Christians” attribute to demonic influence, the demon of alcoholism, the demon of gambling, the spirit of fear. If the person would get rid of the demons in their life they would be free from the idea that they are transsexual.

Why this argument is not valid: I will stake the claim that yes, I do believe there is a demonic presence in this world. I think the Bible mentions them often enough to give credence to their existence and if one is to believe in angels, then it goes to suppose that their counterparts also exist and work in the world. However, I think we give the dark power too much credit and often where credit isn’t even due. I believe in demons, but I do not credit them for my failings. When I gain weight, I don’t claim to have the demon of overeating. I have to own my behavior and take the blame when it is due. I think there is a danger in claiming things are from demonic influence because it takes the responsibility off of the person committing the activity. If we blame all seemingly poor (and I’m not putting transsexuality in this category) behavior as from demons, shouldn’t we attribute all the good that we do or see to angels?

Can people be demon possessed? I believe so.

Is Transsexuality the cause of demon possession? No. Demons will always operate outside of God’s will.

The fact is, a demon cannot indwell the body of a believer. Inside of the believer is the light of the Holy Spirit and is casts out all darkness (or spirits of darkness).

Earlier in the book, I mentioned going through a deliverance ministry and the president of the ministry trying to cast out the demon of transsexuality. There is no such demon. Demons have names, not attributes. I am sure that there are designated assignments such as there are for angels (Gabriel being the angel that makes proclamations for example.) However, just like angels, demons are not omnipotent and they cannot be all places at all times. They cannot inhabit multiple people at the same time and I believe that the instances of demon possession are few and far between (thanks to the early church).

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I purposefully waited until after I presented my case to disprove the myths that the Bible claims that transsexuality is a sin. I didn’t want to put any preconceived notions into anyone’s mind but also wanted people to view the information with their own prejudices intact. There is a certain danger in doing something like that, but I am hoping that you read what has been written with an open mind, but if you didn’t you would go back and reread it afterwards.

There is a lot of confusion to what a transsexual is and what it isn’t I think the media and television and the internet are partially to blame, but bigotry and ignorance play an even greater part in the confusion.

I think a lot of people who aren’t touched by transsexuality have a set of preconceived notions that have nothing to do with reality and if they were aware of the truth they would be more sympathetic to the plight of a person with the condition. I didn’t want sympathy getting in the way of presenting the truth because I assume some would use that against me and say it was a ploy on my part to gain acceptance. In fact, many of the “Christian” websites that want to bring down fire and brimstone on the top of the head of anyone claiming to be transsexual seem to be under the impression that the main goal of transsexuals is to align themselves with the homosexual movement and force acceptance on society.

Though being accepted for what one is would be nice. Most transsexuals don’t want to be labeled at all. They want to go through life as their self actualized gender with as little fan fare as possible. I think the confusions stems from the growth and acceptance of the cross dressing community, which, though may seem similar, is not the same thing by a long shot. People see drag kings and queens and lump transsexuality in with that and it is an unfortunate reality that people think that, but it is not the truth.

Transsexuality is a serious condition that weighs heavily on the mind and spirit of those who suffer from the condition. It is an incongruity of body with identity and it is perhaps the most frustrating thing a person can go through. All outward signs seem to point to one identity, but they know, KNOW, that they are not the gender they appear.

The goal for most transsexuals is to simply blend in and be accepted for who they are and not what they genitals would suggest. They try to make their body conform to their self actualized gender through all means possible, not as a way to draw attention to themselves, but so they can feel comfortable in their own skin.

Many who are transsexual know at a very early age, and the traits are often visible to those who are closest to them. Some have the “inappropriate” behavior trained out of them in the most violent way or through psychological manipulation conform to what the world expects of them.

It is unfortunate that many who suffer from transsexualism cannot live a life that is a lie and many succumb to suicide. Part of the push by some transsexuals, such as myself, is to get these numbers lowered. In a world that won’t accept you for who you are, sometimes suicide seems the only viable option. By making transsexuality more accepted as a condition, we are showing people that death is not the only logical escape from their agony.

A transsexual isn’t a person who is playing a part time role (such as a drag queen or cross dresser) and does not gain sexual satisfaction from living as their true self. Many transsexuals live their lives at the risk of great loss and do not make the decision lightly and many choose to keep their feelings to themselves because the potential loss is too great. Transsexuals who out themselves risk losing family, friends, employment, prestige, and their place in the community, which is unfortunate. Many undergo treatment at great expense and some cannot fully complete their journey because it is cost prohibitive.

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Very early on I claimed that just because I proved that transsexuality isn’t a sin doesn’t mean that it is God Approved. I proved that the piece of fruit isn’t an apple, but it doesn’t necessarily make it a banana.

There are many things in this world that aren’t a sin, but aren’t necessarily good for us. Take eating a diet that is high in fat, there are no verses saying you shouldn’t but that doesn’t necessarily mean that you should only eat chocolate cake for every meal.

I designed this work as a series because I think that some topics will be of interest to some people and other topics will be of interest to a complete different set and that the appeal of the whole work would be limited. I do plan to produce a work discussing the spiritual aspects in deciding if a person should transition, but will not include that in here. However, I did want to touch briefly on the subject before I finished this work.

I will say this, I believe that there are levels of transitioning that could be profitable for a person and, depending on individual factors, it may be best if there is no transition at all. I have never been a one size fits all type person and though my view may not be widely held in the transsexual community I will address the issues in further details in a later work.

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The Verse: 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, and look, new things have come.”

How does this apply: Through Christ we become new, and though we oft times use this verse in reference to the new birth or being born-again, it doesn’t have to stop there even though the implication of the verse suggest that it does. I often use this term when describing my transition. I became a new creation, I discarded the past life and had become something new (to the outside world).

Oft times in the Bible the Lord changes the name of an individual when their focus changes. This happens countless times. In the Old Testament, Abram became Abraham and Jacob became Israel. In the New testament Simon became Peter and Saul of Tarsus became Paul the Apostle.

It seems that with change of scope and direction in life, God has allowed for the changing of names and identity. Abram was a nomad, but Abraham was the father of nations. Saul was a persecutor of the church, but as Paul the Apostle he shaped the church forever.

God allows for change in identity, it is humanity that has a hard time in dealing with it. We can take the Apostle Paul as an example, after his conversion the twelve were weary of him and most of us would say rightly so. But God had done a work and used it for his good. Who is to say that he cannot do that when our identity change reflects a difference in gender presentation to match who we truly are?

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Our God is a great God. He can open doors that cannot be shut and shut doors that cannot be opened. I pray he does the same for some minds.

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Author's note: There you have it. My apologetic work. I will be selling this on Amazon in a few weeks after some tweaking and this scares me more than anything else I have ever written in my life. I posted this here because I want help, I want insight. I want to add to what I have. If you see an error, let me know so I can fix it. If you have a point, please share. I want this to be the resource people can go to for help. Don't let me do it on my own. Also, if you don't like Christianity, I ask that you respect my beliefs as I respect yours.