The Transgender Obsession

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A large segment of American Christianity is obsessed with transgendered people. Anti-trans sermons, articles, videos, study guides, billboards, websites, podcasts, and social media messages, along with massive political efforts to limit transgendered rights, are rampant.

For example, with the enthusiastic support of many Christians, more than seven hundred legislative bills have been put forward in 2023 that seek to strip rights and protections from the LGBTQ community, especially transgendered persons. Which raises the obvious question, Why? Are transgendered persons, already a tiny group of highly marginalized people, really a threat to God, religion, the family, and America?

Just to be clear, Jesus never once mentioned the subject of homosexuality. He certainly never talked about transgender issues. The topic of homosexuality is a minuscule concern of the Bible. Only a handful of verses mention the subject. And those passages were written during a time when people had absolutely no conception of sexual orientation (or gender identity in the case of transgendered persons).

And yet, large numbers of Christians continue to expend enormous amounts of mean-spirited energy on gay and transgendered people, which was evidently not a topic of concern to Jesus. At the same time, many of these same Christians ignore the things Jesus actually did care about including love, justice, mercy, grace, compassion, empathy, inclusion, and not judging others.

Since Jesus never broached LGBTQ issues, we can’t say for sure exactly what Jesus’s position would have been on this subject. But whatever Jesus may have thought about gay and transgendered persons, he would certainly not have treated them with the contempt that many modern-day Christians do. In fact, the only people Jesus ever condemned were arrogant, intolerant, self-righteous, and judgmental religious people.

Transgendered persons are not a threat and do not need to be abused. If anything, they need extra empathy. For example, transgendered teenagers are far more likely to be bullied, assaulted, and kicked out of their homes. They are also far more likely to attempt suicide. They need compassion not condemnation. So when the church lashes out against these highly vulnerable young people in the name of God and Scripture, it makes Christianity look like a small-minded, angry and cruel religion. Which is a major reason the American church is in a free fall decline of epic proportions, especially among young adults.

In short, the current nonstop attack on transgendered (and other LBGTQ) persons by large numbers of Christians is deeply hurting an already persecuted and marginalized group of people. It’s also destroying what’s left of the reputation and credibility of the church. Worst of all, it’s breaking the heart of Jesus. It’s (past) time to stop this abuse.

The Rev. Martin Thielen is a retired United Methodist clergyman who blogs at "Doubter's Parish." This article appeared originally in The Herald Citizen (Cookeville, TN) and is republished here with the author's permission.