Gender, Sex, and Pronouns, OH MY!
Some of you may know that I have a special interest in LGBTQ+ topics. This stems from my work serving survivors of human trafficking and sexual exploitation in places such as Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Berlin, Kunming, and many other places. I have worked with men, women, and people who identify as transgender in brothels, on the streets, and through aftercare assistance programs. I co-authored a guidebook for Christians and churches to help them in outreach and aftercare to transgender people in the sex trade (commissioned by the European Freedom Network). I am a cast member of the docu-drama Gender Transformation. Currently I serve on a working group of clinicians to develop guidelines for doctors on how to help patients going through detransition (people who have taken steps to either medically and/or surgically "transition", but now want to return to presenting/identifying as their natal sex).
I say all this so that you know that am fairly well read and I have more experience than the average doctor. I’ll be touching on these aspects and more periodically in this blog space. For now, you have an idea about my background on this topic.
When considering this ginormous topic. It’s important to start at the beginning – the VERY beginning - of creation and the Christian world view. One of the best books I’ve read about this is Love Thy Body by Nancy Pearcey, details how the Christian worldview hold a very positive and high view of the significance, value and meaning of our bodies and the physical realm in general. This contrasts with the secular worldview that demeans the body, renders it valueless, and aims to separate it from our mind, spirit, and soul. These concepts now state that there is a difference between being human and being a person (which then undermines our ide of human rights, as opposed to inherent or inalienable rights). The point is that issues such as abortion, human rights, sexuality, transgenderism, etc. rest on a devaluation of the body and are all argued from the same distorted belief system.
While most of you have no doubt heard various things about transgender issues, some of you may not know where to start to understand what's going on. Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria (ROGD) is a relatively new phenomenon and Lisa Littman coined the term and pioneered the research on it. Abigail Shrier wrote an excellent book about it. While ROGD is one part of the whole transgender controversy, it is certainly an important one impacting our children and society as a whole today. I'll be writing about different aspects of this topic in the future, so stay tuned!
*I know I’ve already recommended books by these two authors already – but they are so well written and apropos - I must post!
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