The Big Mad
Easter, a movable feast(day), lands on Trans Day of Visibility.
Yesterday, March 31st, was chock full of social media and talk TV outrage accusing President Biden of establishing or scheduling (depending on the audience's anticipated knowledge of recent history) Transgender Day of Visibility to conflict with Easter. Some asked in various variations, how any one who believes in Christianity could sanction such a thing.
So, as a straight, moderately conservative Christian (of the Catholic persuasion) I'd like to take a crack at that question.
1. The date of Easter varies according to two formulae used by the Vatican and most western protestant denominations, and the Eastern Orthodox church. In the western tradition, Easter falls on the first Sunday after the full moon that follows the spring equinox. The Eastern Orthodox tradition uses a different formula, which places Easter roughly a week later. Key point is Easter doesn't fall on a fixed date. On the other hand, Transgender Day of Visibility (or TDOV) does fall on a fixed date, March 31st, as it has for the last 15 years (yes, you read that right, TDOV predates Joe Biden's presidency by 12 years).
So, TDOV fell on the same day as Easter this year. If blame must be assigned, blame Pope Gregory XIII.
2. Biology isn't a tame science, unfortunately -- or fortunately -- depending on your point of view. In particular, the idea that sex is determined by a simple rubric that girls have av XX chromosome combo and boys have an XY chromosome combo is just that, a simple rubric. It isn't a hard and fast rule. Sometimes the carousel of chance mixes things up, giving a man an XYY or combination, or a woman an XXY, or a number of other variations that can cause sometime sever gender confusion and discomfort; sometimes with severe consequences. And sometimes people just aren't comfortable expressing their gender according to the way traditions and customs would like them to for reasons likely unbeknownst to themselves and others.
3. Which brings us to the question of Christian behavior and belief. If "Christianity" still believes what it did when I was being educated in its premises, then we believe all people are created in God's likeness. ALL people! Period! As a meme I saw years ago pronounced, God doesn't make trash! If someone is born with a biological or psychological proclivity toward a non-binary gender identity, that's between them and God. Another Christian belief -- as I recall -- instructs us to leave moral judgements to God.
4. I've read the Gospels, the Epistles, the books of the Old Testament and New Testament (Acts and Apocalyse/Revelations) and I've seen a lot of stuff proscribed. But, strangely, not homosexuality, transgenderism, transexualism or plain old gender curiosity. Lots on judging others, hypocrisy, cruelty, etc.
I wonder what Jesus was trying to teach us.