Yesterday, I watched a BYU Devotional talk in which one General Authority (I already forgot which one) spoke of our Identity and Destiny as children of God. Afterward, I had a conversation with a young woman who considers herself a young man. Toward the end of the conversation, we began talking about my stance on the tolerance of those with differing gender identities, and I eventually concluded that I believe that people should strive to be what they were born to be, not necessarily what they were born as.
I should probably apologize to that person for being intentionally vague. They took me to mean that I believed that if a person was born to be male, then they should be, or at least act, male, even if they were born female, but that's not what I actually believe. I believe that our genders are an essential part of our identities, and if we were born as a particular gender, then we were most likely born to be, and remain, that gender for all eternity. A woman may have many masculine traits, perhaps more masculine traits than they have feminine traits, but that doesn't change that they were born as, and born to be, a woman.
What I actually meant is that we were all born human - flawed, imperfect people, with the occasional evil inclination - but that's not what we were born to be. We were born to become Gods and Goddesses, pure and perfect. Rather than embracing our flawed, human nature (what we were born as), we should each strive to become our perfected selves (what we were born to be).
In terms of transgender/homosexual issues, I believe that people were generally born to be the gender they were born as, though we are certainly not meant to keep all of the inclinations we were born with. It may be "natural" for a certain person to be attracted to people of their own gender or for them to feel like they're a member of the other gender, but those are among the feelings that I think we were meant to overcome. This may be an unpopular opinion, but I see homosexuality or transgenderism (is that the right word for it?) as a trial or a vice, whom the individual will become stronger and more god-like by overcoming. Similar to other vices, like avarice or lust, it may be something that you feel like you were born with, and that may or may not be the case - I'm not sure, but it's not the kind of attribute a God or Goddess should have, and it is a part of our nature that we should strive to overcome.
I don't mean to sound intolerant of homosexuals or transgender people. We each have to make our own decisions and choose our own paths, and I'm not going to stone anyone for choosing a different path than the one I've chosen. I believe in fair and equal treatment for all. What that means in terms of marriage licenses and the alteration of birth certificates, I'm not sure. I don't want to stand in the way of other people's choices, but at the same time, I can't, in good conscience, support them. I'm reminded of a blog post I once wrote in which I explained my opinion that everyone ought to act according to their beliefs. If you feel that you ought to support gay marriage, it's certainly your right, and perhaps even your responsibility to do so, but I feel morally obligated to oppose it. It's not personal. It's just what I believe.
On a lighter note, the GA's message on Identity and Destiny reminds me that we do not need to permanently remain the way that we are now. We can all change. No matter what we were born as or what traits we were born with, we can all become what we were born to be and develop the traits that we were born to have. We can even overcome and remove from ourselves traits that we were born with that we were not meant to have permanently, which is good news for any and all of us who were born with a few flaws. I am in the process of becoming what I believe God intended me to become. That has meant overcoming flaws and resisting inclinations. It's been hard, but the struggle has been worth it. God is turning me into something much greater than what I was born as, and that's something that I can hope for everyone.
1 comment:
These gender issues certainly present challenges to all of us. I believe that our gender is an eternal characteristic. I don't know if people are born gay or become gay or if they choose to be gay (some most certainly would not have). I don't know that I believe a person has been "born in a wrong body". I know that their feelings are real and that they are children of God and should be respected. However I believe that sex is sacred and should be reserved for marriage. I believe that God has decreed marriage should be between a man and a woman. Yes, that means that LBGT people who want to obey God must be choose whether to be celibate or to learn to live and love in a heterosexual marriage (and some do quite happily) just as single, divorced, widowed, or people married to someone who is physically inaccessible must be celibate or change their situation. It also means that while I believe in freedom of choice and have compassion for those with difficult choices, as part of my covenants with God, I am required to stand for marriage, but also stand for kindness and justice. Some say that only freedom of marriage for all would be just. While that sounds good to the my human ear, Someone wiser and with a better perspective than any or all of us has said counseled otherwise. There are those who believe God has said or would say differently. I can only say to them, "follow your conscience and the light you have been given and I will do the same." If I must choose between pleasing my human friends and choosing my Savior and friend, I hope that I will always choose to follow Him who loves us best.
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