Transgender friends

[SeekSalvation]

What did Christ say to the sinners when he sat down with them? We are to love our neighbors, enemies, and each other as Jesus loved us.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

We do this all the time. When grandma thinks it is 1948, we go along with it. We don’t upset her by trying to convince her otherwise. It is her reality. I don’t see this situation as any different.

Not to mention that the genderization of names and pronouns is a human-created, human language concept. The name “John” or “Susan” is just a human-made name. There’s no reason why a man couldn’t be named “Susan” and a woman be named “John”. My husband’s grandma was named “George” by her parents (not Georgina but George) and that was back in the late 1800s. A lot of names these days are also gender-neutral.

With respect to pronouns, if we can use the word “man” to mean “mankind”, including women, or address a group of your female friends as “Hey you guys, let’s go to lunch”, then I don’t see any point in fussing over whether someone wants to be known as "he " or “she”. Alternatively we could adopt one of those gender-neutral pronoun constructs like “zir” and “zim” but that seems like a lot of trouble to go to when we could just continue using whatever pronoun a person wants to be called and not get hung up about it.

 

[LiveSkype]

the only way for me to “deal” with “transgenderism” and the sexuality alphabet soup is to pray for the freedom and deliverance of those trapped in it. And at this point in history, is there honestly anyone who is not somehow touched by this whole issue? Friend, family member, co-worker, fellow church member? Don’t ignore, be hateful or disrespectful. The entire matter is only complicated by selfish desire. I use selfish in the purist sense; one’s thought and desire for self first and foremost. God made two genders male and female. Anything outside that is not of God. You cannot and will not change the mind of a transgender as the world under the devil’s influence has been successfully presenting any same sex attraction as normal behavior deserving acceptance as normalcy for too long and holds out anyone who expresses any thing contrary as full of hate. Be Jesus to them. Pray for them, love them, be kind and leave the understanding of it to God. He’s really the only one who does or can.

What did Christ say to the sinners when he sat down with them? We are to love our neighbors, enemies, and each other as Jesus loved us.

I agree with these two posters above, however, I have something else to add. I am the type of person who is rather curious, so I would like to meet the person where they are at. That means asking questions like “When did you realize that you were born the wrong sex, and what made you believe that? Were you someone who was often ignored at school and bullied a lot when you were younger? When did you start transitioning?” Warn them of the side effects of taking T (if they choose to do so) and the high suicide rate that is not caused by what others think, but because you are basically trying to re-invent who you are on the outside, as well as dealing with unhealthy amounts of hormones that a woman’s body is biologically uncapable of producing naturally.

Of course, if this is online, always ask these sorts of things, one at a time, privately (I.e. email, Direct message, text), never as reply/comment to one of their posts (there won’t be any third-parties to call you trash-talk you, which makes you show that you care)

 

[If_nothing_else]

I think, that, for the sake of “not being quarrelsome”, you should continue to use their preferred pronouns when talking to them, to their friends, or to any trans-inclusive persons (especially considering the nature of gender dysphoria, one never knows how triggering misgendering can be, and what negative effects it can have on the transgender individual).

You don’t have to call them by their new name or use their preferred pronouns when you pray by yourself, I’m sure it’s actually preferred that you don’t (much like how you wouldn’t refer to a divorced person’s new “spouse” as legitimate when you pray for them to reconcile with their “ex-spouse”).

Just try not to encourage them to buy binders or packers or get either top or bottom surgery, or attend a Pride parade, or anything like that, and you should be fine. Continue to pray for them. Seek guidance on the situation from trusted authorities.
As your friendship becomes stronger, perhaps then you can broach your beliefs more openly. If they’re really your friends, they’ll care about the things you care about, and won’t completely block you even if they disagree with your views. Take care.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

I am the type of person who is rather curious, so I would like to meet the person where they are at. That means asking questions like “When did you realize that you were born the wrong sex, and what made you believe that? Were you someone who was often ignored at school and bullied a lot when you were younger? When did you start transitioning?”

If people are your friends, you can ask, but be aware they may tell you it’s none of your business. Or they may answer a few questions and then become annoyed or angry when they realize you’re not supportive of their transgenderism.

 

[LiveSkype]

I know. It’s like that infamous video about that person throwing a fit at the local GameStop a couple of months back.