There are more than 2 billion Christians on this planet. The number only increases by a large margin when you consider the total of Abrahamic religions’ followers. And all of them have been told to hate and discriminate against the LGBT community at one time or other via one medium or another. The fundamentalists declare that their way of life is a perversion of the highest order, and cannot be tolerated by God. But is that really the case? Is there no way we can change these minds to be tolerant, and perhaps even love the LGBT people as the Lord commands them to love all humans?
The Bible has conflicting verses about Transgenderism in particular. So do many other holy texts. It’s clearly how and which text you interpret that determines your …show more content…
One who knew what was wrong with the world felt bad about those who were being wronged but didn’t do something about it. All of that changed after I met Emma. Here’s her story – Emma is a sweet, caring and kind soul. She does her best to bring a smile to everyone she meets, even though her heart remains broken. Her fault – she’s was a woman trapped in a man’s body! She was afraid to come out to her family because she was afraid to break the heart of her favorite person, her dad. It’d destroy him, she said. Here’s the thing, her family is sternly religious, and not just on the surface – they take it as a personal responsibility to help all those in need, irrespective of race or creed. But the bible says “A woman shall not wear a man's garment, nor shall a man put on a woman's cloak, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord your God” (Deuteronomy 22:5, The New King James Version). Her parents are too afraid of God to accept their own child you may say, but wait – what fundamentalists often forget (or choose to omit) is the quote “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28, The New King James Version). I implore you to reconsider, given the fact that to the Lord all are one – there is no gender, why would it matter if someone changes their gender? The truth is her parents are probably more afraid of losing their social …show more content…
Too many, perhaps. “All the people I knew think I’m disgusting now”, says Emma. Ask yourself – does she really deserve that? And this is just scratching the surface of the problem – transgender homelessness, health, justice and violence against them are all fields that need immediate and serious attention.
Emma now struggles to pay for her hormone therapy. She lives barely paycheck to paycheck, not knowing where the next meal is going to come from. Yet she says it’s one of the best decisions she took in her entire life. Elle Bradford says “I had to visit my MD once a month to have my hormone levels checked and to renew the prescription for my medication. It also costs a whopping $1,500 every year (at least)” (Bradford, 2016).
Empathy cannot be manufactured, it cannot be generated unless people hear the story of these oppressed people who desperately need our love and support. And that is exactly what I plan to do – to make sure that their voice is
The Bible has conflicting verses about Transgenderism in particular. So do many other holy texts. It’s clearly how and which text you interpret that determines your …show more content…
One who knew what was wrong with the world felt bad about those who were being wronged but didn’t do something about it. All of that changed after I met Emma. Here’s her story – Emma is a sweet, caring and kind soul. She does her best to bring a smile to everyone she meets, even though her heart remains broken. Her fault – she’s was a woman trapped in a man’s body! She was afraid to come out to her family because she was afraid to break the heart of her favorite person, her dad. It’d destroy him, she said. Here’s the thing, her family is sternly religious, and not just on the surface – they take it as a personal responsibility to help all those in need, irrespective of race or creed. But the bible says “A woman shall not wear a man's garment, nor shall a man put on a woman's cloak, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord your God” (Deuteronomy 22:5, The New King James Version). Her parents are too afraid of God to accept their own child you may say, but wait – what fundamentalists often forget (or choose to omit) is the quote “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28, The New King James Version). I implore you to reconsider, given the fact that to the Lord all are one – there is no gender, why would it matter if someone changes their gender? The truth is her parents are probably more afraid of losing their social …show more content…
Too many, perhaps. “All the people I knew think I’m disgusting now”, says Emma. Ask yourself – does she really deserve that? And this is just scratching the surface of the problem – transgender homelessness, health, justice and violence against them are all fields that need immediate and serious attention.
Emma now struggles to pay for her hormone therapy. She lives barely paycheck to paycheck, not knowing where the next meal is going to come from. Yet she says it’s one of the best decisions she took in her entire life. Elle Bradford says “I had to visit my MD once a month to have my hormone levels checked and to renew the prescription for my medication. It also costs a whopping $1,500 every year (at least)” (Bradford, 2016).
Empathy cannot be manufactured, it cannot be generated unless people hear the story of these oppressed people who desperately need our love and support. And that is exactly what I plan to do – to make sure that their voice is