perspectives on chromosomal infelicity

In my first year in University I first discovered the wonderful world of orgs or organizations. In my first week alone I discovered the University has an org for those cowboy wannabes, people who are passionate about a particular sport or hobby or subject, and then there were orgs for the people who had similar taste and sexual affinity. I cannot help but giggle as I watched the transgenders who have gone a sex change brag about their recent cup sizes and even squeezing each other’s breasts to feel how “real” this operation is compared to the real thing. I thought to myself if the Colonel was here and seeing what I was watching he will probably march across them and start preaching the Word of God and make them confess that they are vile sinners for impugning God’s work in their lives and bodies.

I have recently read an article in Maclean’s regarding kids being diagnosed as transgendered. This article tackles the growing number of teenagers in Canada who have been diagnosed with gender identity dysphoria (GID) or transgenderism.

Perhaps it is not common in Canada such that this diagnosis will render a three page article. However, in the Philippines transgenderism is a way of life. You go out anywhere and it is common to see lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people. And because it is common to see the “third gender”, these individuals are socially and economically integrated in the Philippine society and play an important role in shaping our culture.

For as long as I can remember, transgenderism is something that did not merit a doctor’s diagnosis in the Philippines. It had been the sociocultural identity of Filipinos. Yet despite Filipinos being open to transgenders, for some in the older generation denying is still the way of life. Like their counterparts in first world countries, there is a fear of rejection, humiliation, and abuse. Society’s expectation of manhood and femaleness as well as the religious upbringing is still prevalent among the older and admitting to be gay to your family is usually met with disdain and ridicule.

The article discusses the high suicide rates for GID teens as they are obsessing about their sexual preference as well as the burden of their secrets. But because of treatment thru hormone therapy Pediatric endocrinologist Dr. Daniel Metzger said, “...the new generation of young transgender kids are so much luckier for being able to do what they knew they wanted to do when they were 12”.

Yet despite my ability to be open to the LGBT people a huge part of me still questions if sex-reassignment surgery, hormone blockers, or even empowering children “to do what they knew they wanted to do when they were 12” is the way to go. I am not saying that we must encourage the child to play and dress the way that reflects their biological sex hoping that this may help them grow out of GID. But at the same time tolerating and reaffirming their anxiety of being born into the wrong body and is actually of the opposite sex is not right as well.

It may seem hypocritical of me to say these things given I have countless number of LGBT friends and acquaintances but on the other hand I have known a lot of LGBT people who used to be transgender yet reverted to their birth gender eventually. Perhaps this is a rare case, but in each of these rare cases I have discovered that when they recognized the depravity of their choices for perverting the way God created them and realizing that the only way they can change is through Jesus Christ it became a natural choice for them to stop.

I know for some the last sentence I’ve written may be deemed offensive. But whether you label me as bigot and remove me from your list of friends is all up to you. All I am writing is my observation. I do not have a child and I do not know of a family member who had to go through a difficult reconciliation whereas their child tells their parent that he or she is transgender.

Although I must acquiesce that it is very hard to understand what is inside a transgender person to have such a burden to make that change, I am also adamant in my belief that God made Adam and Eve not Adam and Steve, and definitely not Adam in Eve. And either way one words it, I believe He does not make a mistake by putting a man’s soul in a woman’s body. As usual, it all boils down to free will and the choices we make out of the situations we are faced upon.