How gays can build up self-respect

Everyone can do with company on their way.  Photo: Bas Masseus

People who label themselves with "I'm a lesbian", "I'm bisexual", "I'm gay", "I'm transgender", or with the myriad of other terms that are being tossed about now, are doing themselves a disservice. Such labels define the person only by their sexual tendencies, whereas there are more important features of the human person that truly express self-identity.  

My previous post considered the situation of those sexually attracted to the same sex, making reference to the Catholic tradition concerning human anthropology, which notes both the reality of our general experience, and also the revelation from God, as to the binary and complementarity of the sexes, leading to the generation of children, and to the natural family as the basic unit of society, 

This post again uses as a resource a draft document of the bishops of the United States, this time to examine the language factor in this difficult matter. The document warns of the harm that can be done by using labels in personal descriptions that reduce the person to their sexual tendencies. 

The bishops see a role for Church members in such cases - "to accompany persons in coming to recognize that they are more than just their sexual inclinations".

It's suggested that the befriender refer to the other as someone who has a "homosexual inclination" or "same-sex attraction", as someone who self-identifies as..., so modelling "a way of speaking that makes clear that the person is not defined by his or her sexual attractions or conflict about sexual identity". The document states:

The practice of the [bishops] over the last several years has been to use the terms "homosexual inclination" or "same-sex attraction" to denote the experience of a man or woman who is sexually attracted to persons of the same sex. Referring (first) to a person who (second) experiences something distinguishes the inclination or attraction from the person. The term "sexual orientation" has generally been avoided by the [bishops] given its ambiguity; for example, the use of the term in public policy and law has not distinguished between inclination and conduct.

The terms "gender identity" and "transgender" are also problematical "because they include the false assumption that one's gender is fluid or disconnected from one's (natural) sex as male or female. The document goes on:

Avoiding the use of "homosexual" or the like as a noun or as an adjective descriptive of the person can help foster a pastoral [...] precision and sensitivity fully reflective of the truth of the human person. It is best to avoid the pairing of "heterosexual and homosexual" and the use of "heterosexual" (or the newer term "cisgender") in reference to persons. since these terms belie a false anthropology or understanding of the human person.

The current legal and cultural environment has made the use of the term LGBT (with other categories usually added) a cause for pause because in public policies there is often no distinction made between sexual inclination and conduct. In addition, the use of the term LGBT often assumes that the underlying sexual inclination is either a good to be affirmed or celebrated—or neutral, neither of which the Church can accept.

In the gospels, a rich young man came to Jesus and asked, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?" He was told to give his wealth to the poor and then follow Jesus as he went about healing and teaching of the ways of the kingdom of God. This is relevant to those who have a homosexual tendency.

All Christ's followers give up something as they commit themselves to following a God who loves them enough to come among us as Jesus, both man and God, the Way, the Truth and the Life. It's hard for everyone to give up a lifestyle or to abide by a new set of moral guidelines. Of course, this morality is in accord with the way God made us, so it becomes easier the longer we practise that way of life: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. [...] For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

God, speaking through his Church, asks those with a same-sex inclination to live in a new way. Let's take a look at what the bishops say about what might be expected of someone seeking God: 

[...] an individual who is in a same-sex sexual relationship (or likewise in any sexual relationship outside of marriage between man and woman) will necessarily have to confront the implications of the Gospel for his or her everyday life and, in particular, for the sexual relationship with the other person. The minister [...] should make clear to the [person] the Church's teachings, including the call to holiness and the call to chastity." 

The Church's minister may suggest changes that the person can make to amend his or her life, as a proper response to the generous call of the Lord. For example, a person might need to change residence or adjust social habits. Persons cannot receive Baptism, be admitted to the other sacraments of Christian initiation, or be received into the full communion of the Catholic Church until they have brought their sexual relationship into accord with the moral law. Further preparation and pastoral accompaniment would be required for those who are not disposed — or who refuse — to make such an amendment of life.

Similarly, there is the Church's sensitivity to the person who self-identifies as transgender:

The experience of incongruence or discomfort about one's sexual identity, when it does not arise from one's free will, is not sinful, nor is it an obstacle to Christian initiation; however, the deliberately chosen, persistent, and manifest expression and associated behaviors of such would constitute an obstacle to Christian discipleship which would need to be addressed during the formation process. Pastorally, as there is a range of experiences and behaviors related to sexual identity incongruence and "transgender" self-identification, a person's particular circumstances and openness toward an amendment of life would need to be examined and understood. 

As noted above, the Church's minister may suggest changes for conforming one's life to Christ and particularly to the reality of his or her sexual identity as male or female as the proper response to the generous call of the Lord. Here, supportive spiritual direction and professional counseling grounded in or congruent with Catholic teaching, in addition to other specialized assistance where necessary, may be helpful.

Despite the risk of overloading this post with detail on the Church's teaching practice with regards those who have a same-sex attraction, or who self-identify as transgender, I want to provide two more excerpts from the bishops' document, which is titled, In the Image of God. 

First:

God's creation of the person as male or female cannot be undone. For example, although the state allows individuals to change their birth certificate, for a Catholic institution to acquiesce knowingly to the changed birth certificate would be contrary to Christian anthropology. In those rare cases of atypical physical development, the fundamental question is whether the child is male or female. In such cases, we need to rely on those aspects of natural science that can help determine the natural, biological sex of the child, such as DNA testing, where possible. 

The parents should then raise the child as belonging to that sex, with the assistance of medical professionals to help the child live a full life. Particularly rare chromosomal abnormalities can make the identification of the person's natural sex difficult at times and call for continued assistance by the medical community and pastoral accompaniment by the Church, with the understanding that what is sometimes described as an "intersexed" condition cannot be equated with the fundamental sexual difference of male and female.

Second:

Persons who seek or undergo "sex-reassignment surgery" are in particular need of pastoral care. There is recent evidence that people who "transition" from male to appearing female or vice versa through hormones or surgery often do not benefit long-term from these measures. "Mortality from suicide was strikingly high among sex-reassigned persons, also after adjustment for prior psychiatric morbidity" (Cecilia Dhejne et al., "Long-Term  Follow-Up of Transsexual Persons Undergoing Sex Reassignment Surgery: Cohort Study in Sweden," PLoS ONE, 6 [2011]: 1-8). See also Annette Kuhn et al., "Quality of Life 15 Years After Sex Reassignment Surgery for Transsexualism," Fertility and Sterility 92, no. 5 [2009]: 1685-89; Glenn Stanton, "Boys, Girls, Other: Making Sense of the Confusing New World of Gender Identity," Report to Family First New Zealand (2015), 69. 

There are differing approaches by those who cite this data, with some emphasizing more support for those who have undergone such surgeries and others emphasizing that such surgeries should not be carried out. For a recent review of various studies and findings on matters pertaining to sexual identity, see Lawrence Mayer and Paul McHugh, "Sexuality and Gender," The New Atlantis 50 (Fall 2016). See also Paul McHugh, "Transgender Surgery Isn't the  Solution," Wall Street Journal, May 13, 2016; "Transgenderism: A Pathogenic Meme," Public Discourse, June 10, 2015; and American College of Pediatricians, "Gender Ideology Harms Children," updated with clarifications on April 6, 2016. 

To close, I want to offer links to valuable resources in the face of the massive amount of material published uncritically in the mainstream news media on the "rights" and behaviour of those who are pushing the licence gained from the Sexual Revolution to the limits of public welfare. See these:

 Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters, by the journalist Abigail Shrier, who explores what she calls an “epidemic” of young girls coming out as trans. See here.

When Harry Became Sally: Responding to the Transgender Moment, by Ryan T. Anderson. This book is not sold through Amazon. See the author's rebuttal of the corporate giant's claims about the book and here on the implications of its censorship.

 Keira Bell: My Story. As a teen, Keira transitioned to male but came to regret it. Her experience has led to court proceedings in Britain.

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