Is being transgender a sin?

[Aussietin]

I have been wondering this for a long time. People talk about wether homosexuality is a sin or not, but I never heard or read anything about people who decide to transition from their birth sex to the opposite sex to make their body match how they feel.

Does the bible say anything about people like this?

 

[Cluny]

The OT forbade a male to be castrated or emasculated from being numbered among the people of Israel.

Deuteronomy 23:1
He that is wounded in the stones, or hath his privy member cut off, shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD. (KJV)

However, in the cultural context, the only ones who did this were involved in the Canaanite fertility cult, and served as cult prostitutes, frequently dressing in feminine attire.

This continued even in the days of the Roman Empire, which some say St. Paul was talking about in Romans 1.

Transsexuality, as we understand it today, is something entirely different, and certainly is not associated with pagan worship, nor is it by any means the same as homosexuality.

Speaking as someone from the outside looking in, it sounds to me like a very bad solution to a difficult situation.

But if it’s confusing to me, how much more confusing is it to the one with the condition?

I wonder how other people who will respond here would feel if one morning they were to look in the mirror–and see reflected the physical attributes of the opposite sex.

Imagine their shock and horror.

This is what a transsexual experiences every day of his/her life.

 

[SingleMomMonica]

I have been wondering this for a long time. People talk about wether homosexuality is a sin or not, but I never heard or read anything about people who decide to transition from their birth sex to the opposite sex to make their body match how they feel.

Does the bible say anything about people like this?

The Bible does say that men must not dress like women and women must not dress like men. I don’t remember exactly where, but I do remember reading it and laughing to myself since it was in the Old Testament and to me all the men and women of the Old Testament dressed alike. But certainly they must have had differences which were noticible to them though.

Personally, I think that someone who would go through such an operation or series of operations would have sinned not only for doing it, but for basically **stating with their actions **of have the operations **that God made a mistake **- that’s a slap in the Face to God if there ever was one!

 

[Aussietin]

Cluny, thank you for your informative and sympathetic answer.

I myself am FTM (female-to-male) transgender, and a big part of me has been yearning to reach out to God lately. More than I’ve felt before. This question has been in my head more frequently, so I decided to try to get some answers today.

I haven’t had any operations yet, and I haven’t started taking testosterone yet, but I plan to one day pretty soon. Within the next couple of years. I know I’m going to do it, because I feel like I absolutely must, but I still really wanted to know if what I was doing is something that I’d go to hell for? I’m not sure. I really have a lot to learn about God and religion.

 

[Aussietin]

The Bible does say that men must not dress like women and women must not dress like men. I don’t remember exactly where, but I do remember reading it and laughing to myself since it was in the Old Testament and to me all the men and women of the Old Testament dressed alike. But certainly they must have had differences which were noticible to them though.

Personally, I think that someone who would go through such an operation or series of operations would have sinned not only for doing it, but for basically **stating with their actions **of have the operations ****that God made a mistake - that’s a slap in the Face to God if there ever was one!

That’s certainly not what I would be trying to do. I really just want to be comfortable with myself, and live my life in a way that I know will make me most comfortable.

What about those who were born with ambiguous genitalia? They’re usually sorted out one way or the other after birth by the doctors, they didn’t choose that, and maybe God didn’t make a mistake with it, but it was something they were suppose to over come and fix themselves.

I don’t know though. Just an idea.

 

[gurneyhalleck1]

To the OP: yes

 

[Eucharisted]

Sexuality is not a sin, but unnatural sexual acts are. This includes lust, masturbation, fornication, adultery, pornography, prostitution, rape, homosexul acts, bestiality, changing of gender, etc.

 

[Aussietin]

To the OP: yes

Why?

 

[Aussietin]

Sexuality is not a sin, but unnatural sexual acts are. This includes lust, masturbation, fornication, adultery, pornography, prostitution, rape, homosexul acts, bestiality, changing of gender, etc.

Changing of gender isn’t a sex act, and has nothing to do with my sexuality.

 

[Doxiemom]

This is just the opinion of a very ordinary person:

I think these things are very complicated. The influence of hormones in utero; is the body functioning correctly and how do these things influence the body/mind connect; life experiences; emotional or physical abuse; too much “love” from the wrong person and not enough from another; so many other things.

Ok, is it sin? Well, look at it this way…there is so much each person does that is sin that we really don’t even know that it is sin. Scripture says that even the righteous are as filthy rags. So is it a sin? yes…but…

Wallowing in self pity vs clinical depression

Eating food vs getting really fat

Drinking vs drunk

passion vs lust

anger vs anger

and on

Where does the not a sin end and the sin begin? It is hard to tell, no?

People strive to be happy, to be with someone to love and be loved back.

Then there are those who just get into a life style of debauchery.

So I think only you and God can decide which level you are on.

right now, your rejection of God far more serious than any surgical procedure you may decide to have done. A permanant decision to turn your back on Jesus; to spurn the Holy Spirit (Who is giving you those thoughts about maybe a God?) is the sin that can send you to hell.

All else is forgivable.

I pray you find a person who can open your heart to God. And then live your life trying not to hurt anyone.

I suspect that those “hurts” are what the judgement will all be about.

 

[survive]

Please don’t do it.
I’ve struggled with many issues of sexuality and gender identity in my life, and at times I still do. But every time I come back to recognizing in my body the creation God designed, and I’m glad I haven’t messed with what wasn’t broken.
Just seek God and the rest might just sort out, as it keeps doing for me.

 

[Rawb]

The Catechism, under “Respect for Bodily Integrity”, paragraph 2297 says (in part):

Except when performed for strictly therapeutic medical reasons, directly intended amputations, mutilations, and sterilizations performed on innocent persons are against the moral law.

As this would sterilize you, it would be a mortal sin for you to pursue the surgery. It would also fall under mutilation, because you’re altering or removing a body part of particular significance (it has a particular purpose).

The surgery is a sin. Having the cross to bear, as we all have a cross, is not. If you don’t know the Catholic teachings on bearing crosses and sufferings, I would urge you to look it up. It’s actually gives our trials an honorable purpose and turns them into acts of love we can do for Christ and others.

 

[Aussietin]

Please don’t do it.
I’ve struggled with many issues of sexuality and gender identity in my life, and at times I still do. But every time I come back to recognizing in my body the creation God designed, and I’m glad I haven’t messed with what wasn’t broken.
Just seek God and the rest might just sort out, as it keeps doing for me.

To me it feels broken. Like I can’t function properly because of it, I don’t think that’s an option for me. Thanks for your (name removed by moderator)ut though.

 

[Dale_M]

Personally, I think that someone who would go through such an operation or series of operations would have sinned not only for doing it, but for basically **stating with their actions **of have the operations ****that God made a mistake - that’s a slap in the Face to God if there ever was one!

Monica, of course you are entitled to your beliefs, but the Catholic Church does not take the position that you do. There are no Church documents which back your view. And perhaps for a very good reason - its not a matter of God making a mistake, but one of nature making a mistake. Birth defects occur all the time. But we don’t blame God for them, nor do we say that persons with, say, a cleft palate must suffer for the rest of their life.

 

[Dale_M]

The Catechism, under “Respect for Bodily Integrity”, paragraph 2297 says (in part):

Except when performed for strictly therapeutic medical reasons, directly intended amputations, mutilations, and sterilizations performed on innocent persons are against the moral law.

Yours is a popular interpretation here at CAF, but the Church has not actually made this claim in respect to transsexualism. And I think for a good reason. Transsexualism is a birth defect. We are more than our sexual organs.

The Church issued a secret document (sub secretum, or “under secrecy”), a few years ago. According to the leaked coverage reported by the Catholic News Service, sex change is permissible in extreme cases:
ai.eecs.umich.edu/people/conway/TS/CatholicTSDecision.html

 

[Cluny]

Cluny, thank you for your informative and sympathetic answer.

I myself am FTM (female-to-male) transgender, and a big part of me has been yearning to reach out to God lately. More than I’ve felt before. This question has been in my head more frequently, so I decided to try to get some answers today.

I haven’t had any operations yet, and I haven’t started taking testosterone yet, but I plan to one day pretty soon. Within the next couple of years. I know I’m going to do it, because I feel like I absolutely must, but I still really wanted to know if what I was doing is something that I’d go to hell for? I’m not sure. I really have a lot to learn about God and religion.

I would suggest that you deal witn your spiritual issues first, with a good spiritual director.

After they are settled, the others issues in your life might well realign themselves.

To the others here, there have been several TV shows on science and health channels about intersexuality. One story was about a young woman–to all appearances very beautiful–whose periods had not started by the time she entered college.

Genetic testing showed that she had the MALE genotype: XY.

Is this person a man or a woman?

Recently, there was an African athlete whose ovaries are really testes, producing large amounts of testosterone.

Is she really a man?

I asked my doctor about these matters, and he only cryptically replied, “In matters of human sexuality, things are seldom what they seem,” and refused to elaborate.

 

[PaulDupre]

I would suggest that you deal witn your spiritual issues first, with a good spiritual director.

After they are settled, the others issues in your life might well realign themselves.

That’s the best advice I’ve seen yet.

Elective surgery in and of itself is not sinful. Whether this particular type of elective surgery is sinful is a question best left to Church authorities.

OP, would you be willing to live a celibate life following such surgery? I ask because homosexual acts, and all sexual acts outside of marriage, are sinful. But merely being sexually- or gender-conflicted is not sinful.

This is a very complex issue, and one not to be taken lightly or dismissed with platitudes.

May God bless and guide you.