Commentary on anti-transsexual legislation proposed in Texas

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Amanda Simpson, assigned gender, bathroom, chromosomes, Debbie Riddle, Donna Rose, Dr. Christine McGinn, felony, fines, gender defined, gender discrimination, H.B. 1748, Houston, jail, Jesus, Jim Crow Laws, Jim Munroe, Kristin Beck, locker rooms, Luke 11:37-40, Lynn Conway, marginalized group, Mark 7, Matthew 15, misdemeanor, Pharisees, Public bathrooms, public showers, Rep. Debbie Riddle, Section 341.061, Texas, Texas Health and Safety Code, Texas State House of Representatives, the Lord, toilet facilities, Transgender, transmen, transwomen, vigilante, Word of God, Zechariah 12:1

In the 11^th chapter of Luke’s Gospel, a Pharisee invites Jesus to have a meal at his house.  When Jesus does not wash His hands before starting to eat, the Pharisee wonders why Jesus did not follow the custom of the elders.  Jesus uses this as an opportunity to rebuke the Pharisees (and eventually also the lawyers and scribes) for their hypocrisy: caring about their outer appearance and public image while their minds and hearts are rotten with greed and wickedness.

Jesus uses some of His harshest language at this time, including verse 40: Ye fools, did not he that made the outside make that which is within, also? (Also see my post of 6/24/14)

If anyone reading takes offense at this, remember that your argument is with Jesus.  But also understand that much of Jesus’ ire is due to the fact that the people He is criticizing are the Jewish religious leaders of that day.  These are the people who have been entrusted to know the law and the prophets.  Their teaching and guidance of the laity should be based on that knowledge.  But in some cases they err because they do not practice what they preach and teach.  In other cases, their teaching and example is flawed because they do not understand the Word of God.

In Luke 11:40, Jesus is referring to the final clause of Zechariah 12:1, which states that the LORD forms the spirit that is inside a person.  Either the Pharisees have lost sight of this knowledge, or they misunderstood what it means, or they have exempted themselves from its meaning while teaching it to the common people.  But the Lord is consistent in holding the religious leaders to a higher standard.  And He is criticizing them for being so concerned about what is on the outside and neglecting what is on the inside.  In Matthew 15 and Mark 7, we read Jesus teaching that it is not what enters a person that defiles, it is what comes out of them, proceeding from heart and mind, that defiles a person.

In ancient Israel’s theocracy, the religious leaders were also the political leaders.  And their considerable influence continued into the days of Jewish kings and then domination by a succession of foreign powers.  In the United States, the influence of religion is waning and there has never been one centralized religious body of individuals that serves as a counterbalance to the political branches of government.  That doesn’t mean that government officials never invoke religion as a motive behind a particular law, policy or position.  But does everyone who cites religious principles judge with right judgment?  Let’s look at one recent example that ignores Jesus’ teaching on the inside being more important than the outside.

A Texas state legislator, Debbie Riddle from the Houston suburb of Tomball, TX, has sponsored a bill that would make it a crime for a transgender person to use a bathroom that is not consistent with that person’s actual gender.  The first problem with the bill is that it does not allow that person to define what their actual gender is.  The State of Texas, if this legislation should pass, would be the sole arbiter of the definition of a person’s true gender, based on some very rigid guidelines.

Under H.B. 1748, this bill would amend Section 341.061 of the Texas Health and Safety Code regarding locker rooms, shower facilities and toilet facilities in various public establishments (public building, schoolhouse, theater, filling station, tourist court, bus station, or tavern).  The first change is that it would also make a criminal of any person who is in charge of such a facility who “repeatedly” allows a person over age 7 that Rep. Riddle considers to be using the wrong locker room, shower room or bathroom/toilet.  It would be a felony punishable by up to up to 2 years in jail and a maximum $10,000 fine.  There is no definition of “repeatedly” in the bill.  But based on the definition of this imprecise word, it could be interpreted to mean as infrequently as twice.

It also makes it a Class A misdemeanor for a person over the age of 13 to use the wrong facilities of these types according to Rep. Riddle’s definition of gender.  In Texas, class A misdemeanors are punishable by up to one year in jail, a fine of up to $4,000, or both jail time and a fine.  (So let’s be clear: a school principal could go to jail for allowing a child of age 8-13 to use a bathroom in school which it would be perfectly legal for that student to use under this bill.)

And what is Rep. Riddle’s definition of gender?  It is spelled out in subsection e:

For the purpose of this section, the gender of an individual is the gender established at the individual’s birth or the gender established by the individual’s chromosomes. A male is an individual with at least one X chromosome and at least one Y chromosome, and a female is an individual with at least one X chromosome and no Y chromosomes. If an individual’s gender established at the individual’s birth is not the same as the individual’s gender established by the individual’s chromosomes, the individual’s gender established by the individual’s chromosomes controls under this section.

The bill does allow for exceptions in certain situations, such as janitorial services, medical emergencies or an adult assisting a young child (under age 8).  But in addition to all the new subsections added to this section of law, the bill makes an interesting change to the existing subsection a.  It changes “toilet accommodations” to “toilet facilities”.  Rep. Riddle has signaled (whether wittingly or not, I do not know) that she intends to make Texas less accommodating, less hospitable, less friendly to you if you aren’t one of the “right people” in her eyes.

Under this bill, here are some of the people who would be required to use the women’s bathroom, locker room and public showers in Texas:

 

Mark Cummings, Occupational Therapist and Businessman

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Buck Angel, Filmmaker and Educator

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

James Halleman, Steelworker and Steel Safety Expert

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jamie Black, Film Producer, Actor and Comedian

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stephen Thorne, Police Officer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And here are some of the people who would now be required under Rep. Riddle’s bill to use the men’s bathroom, locker room and public showers in Texas:

Lynn Conway, University Professor, Electrical Engineer, Computer Scientist, and Inventor (M.S.E.E., Columbia Universtity)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dr. Christine McGinn, Surgeon, US Navy Veteran

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Janet Mock, Journalist (M.A., New York University)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Donna Rose, IT Project Manager and Author

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Amanda Simpson, Executive Director, Army Office of Energy Initiatives, U.S. Dept. of Defense, Engineer, Pilot, (M.E. California State University, Northridge; M.B.A. University of Arizona)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And then there’s me: tax preparer, financial consultant, businesswoman, witnessing Christian.

Lois Simmons, author of this blog!

 

Can you imagine the transwomen above having to use the men’s bathroom in a bar in Texas where cowboys (real and wannabes) have been getting drunk and acting macho?  Kristin Beck could probably take them on, but most of us could not.

And what about this man, Christian magician Jim Munroe?  Most of his chromosomes are XY, but the ones in his blood are XX?  Can he use either bathroom or neither of them?

Jim Munroe, Magician, Christian

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is no regard in this bill for people born with intersex conditions of any kind.  There is no regard in this bill for the dignity and safety of the people who this bill discriminates against.  What purpose does this bill achieve?  Protecting people from crimes that don’t occur (and for which there are already sufficient statues in the rare event that a crime does occur)?  Or to resurrect Jim Crow laws against a different group of marginalized people while further exposing them to the violence we already suffer on a regular basis?

Strangely enough, the worst feature of this bill may be that the owners, managers or others in charge of the affected establishments are liable for a harsher penalty than the transgender people charged with using the “wrong” bathroom.  To protect themselves, this bill could turn at least some into vigilantes zealously enforcing the law while at the same time being unaccountable to the public because they are private citizens.

Not only is such foolishness and poorly thought out legislation still being proposed in 21^st century America, it is not unique to Texas.  It is just one more in a string of similar legislation that has been proposed recently in Florida, Kentucky, Utah, and Arizona.  Some might blame this on Christianity, but that would be just as discriminatory.  Fortunately, there are many Christians who are not like this.  I have been accepted and even welcomed by Christians who see me based on my Christian spirit and heart for the Lord, not on demanding to see a chromosome test or the opinion of the doctor who delivered me.

Rep. Riddle is the vice chair for the Texas State House of Representatives committee on Juvenile Justice and Family Issues.  Rep. Riddle, do you seek justice for all juveniles, or only some?  Do you seek justice for all residents of and visitors to Texas, or only some?

If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and violent perverting of judgment and justice in a province, marvel not at the matter: for he that is higher than the highest regardeth; and there be higher than they. – Ecclesiastes 5:8

God bless,

Lois

Not All People Trapped in the Wrong Body are Trans

Tags

1st Samuel 16:7, 2nd Corinthians 10:7, beautiful, Bible Study, Cushing's syndrome, dancer's spirit, Eye of the Beholder, fool, Gender Identity, God, innate identity, inner beauty, Janet Tyler, Jesus, Luke 11:37-40, Pharisee, Rod Serling, superficial society, Transsexual, trapped in the wrong body, Twilight Zone, ugly, underachiever

A well-known and critically acclaimed episode of Twilight Zone was titled “Eye of the Beholder”.  For the first nineteen of this episode’s twenty-four minutes, no faces are clearly seen.  The main character’s face is covered with bandages as she recovers from an experimental procedure in one last attempt to make her look like the “normal” people of that society.  The rest of the characters, members of the hospital staff, have faces obscured by shadows or a thin curtain, or their backs are turned to the camera, or the camera shows only their torso.

The main character, Janet Tyler, talks about how her earliest memories were of people turning away from her when they saw her and another child screaming at the sight of her.  She considers herself ugly.  The hospital staff, conversing among themselves, share that opinion and pity her.

Yet she also knows that if the procedure fails, she will be exiled to a community of people who look like her, freaks compared to the societal norm.  She begs to be allowed to live in the mainstream society, offering to wear a mask or keep her face covered in some way.  When told that the state won’t allow it, her response is bitter.  These words from that speech are especially salient: “The state is not God. It hasn’t the right to penalize somebody for an accident of birth.”  Unfortunately, we still have those who want to penalize people because of how they were born, or who want the government to do their dirty work for them.

At one point, Janet’s doctor is talking with a nurse.  He sheds his professional tone during the conversation and displays empathy for Janet.  He says that he has seen a good face, the human face of the inner Janet.  When he starts to protest that she should be allowed to live in mainstream society, appreciated for who she is, the nurse reminds him to be careful of what he is saying, for such opinions are treason in this highly conformist society.

Finally, the bandages come off.  This last procedure was a failure.  And here is where the genius of Rod Serling comes into play.  Janet is portrayed by Donna Douglas, better known as Elly May on the Beverly Hillbillies (although a different actress is used for Janet’s voice).  And the representative of the community where Janet will live out her life is played by Edson Stoll, better known as Virgil on McHale’s Navy.  In making the contrast between beautiful and ugly, Serling choose two extremely attractive people to drive home his point.

As the doctor tried to explore before being shamed to silence, what is on the inside does not always match what is on the outside.  Furthermore, he was starting to realize that it is the inside that is more important and ought to be cherished more than the outside.  And while our notions of beauty are quite different than this Twilight Zone society, don’t we see the same mindset in our culture that values and extols external youth and beauty at the expense of what is inside?

There are two women that I have known for many years.  They are both cisgender.  And for reasons not of their doing, without having a choice in the matter, their personality and spirit does not match their external appearance.  They are aware that I am writing about them on my blog.  I am using pseudonyms for them, calling them Alice and Cheryl.

Alice is intelligent and has had a long career in the mental health field.  In her youth, Alice loved to dance, even though she knew that her body type and talent would never enable her to have a career as a dancer.  From what I have observed, there are people who know how to dance, but then there are people at a higher level who have a dancer’s spirit.  Mixing artistry and athleticism, they exude a special joy in the dance as they become one with the music and the stage.  Dancers also seem to be more likely to take care of their body throughout their life, for their body is their instrument.  As examples, think of famous dancers such as Gwen Verdon, Rita Moreno, Cyd Charisse, Josephine Baker and Mary Tyler Moore.

When Alice talks about dance, her countenance changes to something I never see at any other time.  It is her dancer’s spirit, her passion, finding the light of day, even if it is for a flickering moment.  You see, I have never seen Alice dance.  In her youth, the other driver entirely at fault, Alice was severely injured in a car accident. While she is able to walk, the injuries damaged her dancing instrument and robbed her of it.  Like a violin broken beyond repair, it can no longer be played.  Her spirit and passion are now bottled up inside.

Cheryl is very intelligent.  She works in an office with a combination of managerial and clerical duties.  She is good at what she does, but her lack of confidence in her abilities has allowed employers to take advantage of her.  As a result, she is usually underappreciated on her job.

She happens to be a former girlfriend of mine, the only one who I have stayed in touch with over the years.  Ironically, it was the one breakup of a relationship that I was solely responsible for, and I didn’t handle it as well as I might have.  It is a testimony to her gracious nature that she decided to remain friends with me.

One day during our relationship, I described her as demure.  In fact, much of her personality is girly girl, the major exception being that her intelligence and broad knowledge make her a far more interesting conversationalist.  Had Cheryl advanced up the social ladder, her parties would have been events to be seen at.  She would have attracted the most interesting array of guests.

Nonetheless, she was shocked by my description of her.  No one else described her even close to being demure.  The difference is that I was describing what I saw inside of her.  The rest of the world was responding only to what they could see on the outside.

Cheryl was born with Cushing’s syndrome.  Visible symptoms, which she evidences, include rapid weight gain and central obesity (confined to face and torso, the limbs excluded), facial hair, and excessive sweating.  In other words, it is not the expected look for a demure girly girl.

Cheryl was teased by her younger sisters.  That eventually progressed to them disrespecting Cheryl’s intelligence and her worth as a person.  Only recently has their relationship become sisterly.

Battling the incongruence between her mind and her body, Cheryl struggled with feeling self-confident, expressing assertiveness and achieving what her mental abilities would have otherwise accomplished.  In a world obsessed with a person’s outside, only a handful of people have been able to appreciate how special Cheryl is.  The world is the loser because of it.  Hopefully, as I have been able to in my own way, Cheryl will finally be able to grow in peace and fulfillment in her life.

If there was a medical procedure, an operation, medication, anything that would have healed the bodies of Alice and Cheryl, would you have denied them that chance?  Would you have called it immoral?  My transsexual condition is as much beyond my control as their conditions are for them.  It was not my choice.  I was born this way.  And there is nothing immoral about expressing my feminine identity, like billions of other females do.

Because I regular read and study the Bible, whether on my own or in group study, from time to time I come across other verses that relate to the topic of transsexualism.  Here are two that I have not shared previously.  They both fit the theme of this post.

In the tenth chapter of 2^nd Corinthians, the Apostle Paul contrasts the spiritual weight of his teaching with his unimpressive physical appearance.  He reminds them that Christians are faced with spiritual warfare, and that our weapons in response are spiritual, not carnal.  At this point, in verse seven, he admonishes the church at Corinth, whether as a general warning or in response to reports he had received:

Do ye look on things after the outward appearance? If any man trust to himself that he is Christ’s, let him of himself think this again, that, as he is Christ’s, even so are we Christ’s.

In other words, if you think the outward appearance is the most important (for Paul, or anyone else for that matter), you have another think coming.  This verse echoes a stronger statement on the subject in my life verse, 1^st Samuel 16:7.  For more about that, see my post of 12/28/13.

In a portion of the eleventh chapter of Luke’s gospel, a Pharisee has invited Jesus to dinner.  The Pharisee observes something about Jesus that he doesn’t like.  Jesus, knowing the Pharisee’s thoughts, responds:

And as he spake, a certain Pharisee besought him to dine with him: and he went in, and sat down to meat.  And when the Pharisee saw it, he marvelled that he had not first washed before dinner.  And the Lord said unto him, Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness.  Ye fools, did not he that made that which is without make that which is within also? – Luke 11:37-40

First Jesus admonishes him, for he and the rest of the Pharisees give all their attention so that others will see them as being clean through ritual and traditions, but totally neglect the pollution inside them.  Then Jesus reminds him and the other Pharisees present that God didn’t just make the physical body (the outside), He made that which is within a person too: the mind, the spirit, the personality, the identity.  Somehow, those Christians who find fault with transsexuals put all their emphasis on God making the outside and forget that God also made the inside.  They would do well to remember that it is Jesus (not me) who calls them “fools”.

He hath made his wonderful works to be remembered: the LORD is gracious and full of compassion. – Psalm 111:4

God bless,

Lois