By
Timothy Abimbola Ajayi
Ph.D. Candidate in Pastoral Care and Counseling, NBTS Ogbomoso
+2348062692318, +2349022885603
ABSTRACT
The paper examines transgender as a type of sexual perversion which involves a deliberate act of changing oneself into the preferred sex either through surgical operation or other means. Through a descriptive method, the author discusses the overview of transgender, providing the types and categories of expressions of the maladaptive behaviour and explains the Biblical perspective from an evangelical position which insists that human beings were created to be male or female. The causes of transgender which include behavioural changes, psychic response, identity and life style were discussed and effects of transgender which include rejection, loss of identity, to societal discrimination were also explored. Christian counseling response of early childhood education, confession that brings repentance, guiding that brings healing and biblical preaching that brings conviction were provided to help overcome the deviant behavior. The paper concludes that God’s word correctly preached is powerful to convict sinners and transform people who are in the practice of sexual perversions and give proper sexual orientation.
Word Count: 162
Key Words: Transgender, Sexual, Perversion
Introduction
One of the challenges the society is facing in the twenty first century is the influence of civilization and technology which has brought the endorsement of sexual perversions such as transgender, homosexuality and all kinds. Transgender refers to a deliberate act of changing oneself into the preferred sex either through surgical operation or other means. The desire for gender reassignments and quest for legalization of laws that support transgender show the effect of westernization and the falling state of the world which has resulted in contradiction of the creation law of gender identity which approved being male and female. Christians are not immune against this influence as many Church denominations vary in their official positions to transgender people, some denouncing, some welcoming and some divided (Smith, 2014, 45).
Ayankeye (2021) positing from an evangelical position classified transgender as one of the sexually deviant behavior, however, some denominations such as the Church of England, Church of Sweden, Episcopal Church, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and Presbyterian Church (USA) permitted ordained transgender clergy to serve in congregations and welcomed transgender members (Garry, 2015, 78). Inability to arrive at a strong standing position among Christians is misleading the incoming generations as transgender is been celebrated in the present day society especially among Nollywood celebrities.
This is why this paper seeks to present transgender as a sexual perversion by explaining its overview, biblical perspective, causes and effects before providing the Christian counseling response to curtailing the deviant behavior.
The Overview of Transgender
Transgender as described by Bruce (2007, 78) is a term used to describe individuals who exhibit gender-nonconforming identities and behaviors, or in other words, those who transcend typical gender paradigms. Transgender, often shortened as Trans, is also an umbrella term which including peoples whose gender identity is the opposite of their assigned sex. According to Ryan & Futterman (2007, 65), it includes people who are non-binary or gender queer. The writer sees is as a state of gender confusion which brings the perception that one’s gender does not align with one’s biological sex. Individuals are expected to assume the gender of their biological sex as well as the gender expectations and roles associated with it as nearly all people are classified as male or female, those who express characteristics ordinarily attributed to the other gender are stigmatized and seen often as social deviants. Inconsistency in the presentation between biological sex and gender expression is usually not tolerated by others (Devor, 1994, 34). Individuals who exhibit transgender traits are believed to violate conventional gender expectations and as a result become targeted for discrimination and victimization. Transgender thus become members of a marginalized and vulnerable population that experiences more psychosocial and health problems than other social groups (Lombardi 1996, 11).
In other to have a better understanding of the concept of transgender, there is a need to explain some interwoven terms associated with it such as sex, gender, gender dysphoria, sexual orientation and many more. To start with, Sex which usually assigned at birth refers to one’s biological status as either male or female which is associated primarily with physical attributes such as chromosomes, hormones prevalence and external and internal anatomy. Gender on the other hand refers to the socially constructed roles, behaviors, activities, and attributes that a given society considers appropriate for boys and men or girls and women which is a combination of one’s birth sex, gender role and gender identity (Green, 1987, 691). Gender influences the way people act, interact and feel about themselves. While aspects of biological sex are similar across different cultures, aspects of gender may differ.
Similarly, gender dysphoria is another term relating to transgender and it refers to a clinical term for unease or dissatisfaction. Gender dysphoria is the feeling that your emotional and psychological identity does not match the biological sex one is born with. There are two types of gender dysphoria: Early onset and Rapid onset gender dysphoria (Feinberg, 1998, 42). Moreso, Sexual orientation refers to an individual’s enduring physical, romantic and emotional attraction to another person (Lombardi 2001, 56), while gender identity refers to one’s internal sense of being male or female or something else.
Transgender people may be straight, lesbian, gay, bisexual or asexual, just as non-transgender people may be. Some recent research shows that a change or a new exploration period in partner attraction may occur during the process of transition (Lombardi 2001, 62). However, transgender people usually remain as attached to loved ones after transition as they were before transition. Transgender people usually label their sexual orientation using their gender as a reference.
Transgender persons have existed for ages, it has been documented in many indigenous, western and eastern cultures and societies from antiquity to the present day. Although, the meaning of gender conformity may vary from culture to culture, However, According to Whittle (2002, 44), Transvestite originated in 1910 from the German sexologist Magnus Hirschfed, who later developed the Berlin Institute where the very first ‘sex change’ operation took place. Transsexual was not coined until 1949, transgender not until 1971 and ‘trans’ (a very British term not until 1996). According to the Hirschfed (1910, 67), the first use of ‘androgyne’ was recorded in 1552, but it has only been in the last 10 years that people have claimed it for themselves to describe a state of being in-between, or having both genders. ‘Polygender’ is a late 1990s Califonian invention used to describe a state of being multiple genders. This is by no means a complete list of words used by people to describe themselves. Long before Hirshfield, other cultures had developed their own terminologies to describe ‘trans’ people (Benson, 1992, 43).
Categories of Transgender
Many identities fall under the transgender umbrella. They include but not limited to; Transsexual: This refers to people whose gender identity is different from the assigned sex. Often, transsexual people alter or wish to alter their bodies through hormones, surgery, and other means to make their bodies as congruent as possible with their genders identities (Stonestreet 2014, 78). This process of transition through medical intervention is referred to as sex or gender reassignment, but more recently is also referred to as gender affirmation. People who were assigned female but identify and live as male and alter their bodies through medical intervention to more closely resemble their gender identity are known as transsexual men or transmen (also known as female-to-male or FTM). Conversely, people who were assigned male but identify and live as female and alter or wish to alter their bodies through medical intervention to more closely resemble their gender identity are known as transsexual women or transwomen (also known as male to female or MTF)(Walker 2017, 33). Some individuals who transcend from one gender to another prefer to be referred to as a man or woman rather than as transgender. Example is Laurel Hubbard, the first ever transgender athlete to compete at the Tokyo 2022 Olympics on the basis of inclusion and respect for all regulations(Klein 1999, 105). The 43 year old New Zealander who was biologically male but later identified as a female athlete became eligible to compete at the Olympics when the International Olympics Committee (IOC) in 2015 changed her rules allowing transgender athletes to compete as women if their testosterone (the hormone that increases muscle mass) levels are below a certain threshold (Evelyn 1998, 89).
Cross-dresser wear: This refers to people who wear clothing that are traditionally or stereotypically worn by another gender in their culture. They vary in how completely they cross-dress, from one article of clothing to fully cross-dressing (Feinberg 1998, 98). Those who cross-dress are usually comfortable with their assigned sex and do not wish to change it. Cross dressing is a form of gender expression and is not indicative of sexual orientation. Example is Bobrisky who is a popular cross dresser and self acclaimed transgender (Bob Risky, 2022, 2).
Gender Blender(s): These are people who purposefully present an ambiguous gender expression. Others include homosexual, they may also be lesbian, gay, bisexual or asexual (Ryan & Futterman, 1997 55).