What does the Bible say about the transgender/transexual individual? 7 March 2015.

This is a topic I've been wanting to write on for quite some time. I get the question quite often, "What does the Bible say about being transgender/transexual?" A lot of it is relatively misunderstood, and before we go into what the Bible says about it, we must first look, scientifically, at what Gender Identity Disorder is. To keep it relatively simple, Gender Identity Disorder is when somebody doesn’t feel their biological gender matches their gender identity, or the gender they internally identify with.  With an understanding that Gender Identity Disorder is a very real issue that many suffer from, we can then examine the Biblical text honestly.

Deuteronomy 22:5

Deuteronomy 22:5 is the chief argument that comes up the majority of the time as opposition to being transgender/transexual. The verse states, “A woman shall not wear anything that pertains to a man, nor shall a man put on a woman’s garment; for whoever does these things is an abomination to the LORD your God.”

What’s important to note about this verse is context. At this time, the Israelite people were in the land of the Canaanites who believed in multiple gods and had many rituals for those gods. One such ritual would have men dress as one of these goddesses and act as prostitutes in the temple. The prohibition in Deuteronomy 22:5 is a prohibition of this behavior and against the pagan worship ritual. When you look at the context of the verse you can see that it has nothing to do with transgender individuals. Also, as we discussed before, “abomination” in the original text comes from the Hebrew term “toevah”, which doesn’t mean sin, but different culture.

Mark 10:6

Another verse that comes up is Mark 10:6, “But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female’.” This verse can be applied to this conversation, however, this verse does not differentiate from physical gender and gender identity. It can be reasoned that God forms people in the womb with a gender identity of male or female, but many can be born with the birth defect of being born the opposite sex of their gender identity. It has been established, Biblically, that God allows birth defects to show his works. God allows us to be tested.

Jeremiah 1:5

A lot of folks like to mention a few verses to state that nobody is born transgender and God doesn’t “make mistakes”, but to say such a thing it stands to reason we are looking at the situation the wrong way. Jeremiah 1:5 is a common verse that comes up. The verse states “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you.” This does not conflict with someone being born with a gender identity that is alternate to their physical identity at birth. This just states that God knew the person from their conception in the womb.

Does God make mistakes?

We, then, must ask the question - does God make mistakes? Absolutely not. But, does God allow things to happen to us; does God test us? Of course. Job is a fantastic example of this. Many people are born with conditions they did not ask for. For example, a man who was born blind. Matthew 9:1-3 is an example. “As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind? “ “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.” People who are transgender suffer from Gender Dysphoria, which is also known as Gender Identity Disorder - a condition that is established from birth, much the same as being blind. In this sense, it is the same way as someone being born blind - it is a test to show the works of God, much as with Job, or the person who was born blind. If you had a child who was born with a birth defect, would you not do everything possible to help fix it? The same applies to being born with a physical gender that is alternate to your gender identity. Being born with Gender Identity Disorder is not a choice anymore than being born blind is.

"For you are all one in Christ Jesus."

There are two verses that I think really show how God views people, particularly the transgender individual. Galatians 3:26-28 and I Samuel 16:7. Galatians 3:26-29 says, “For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus.” The Bible does not say “….except the transgender/transexual individual.” The Bible plainly states “For you are all one in Christ Jesus

"The Lord looks at the heart."

I Samuel 16:7 says, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” This is a very important verse, because it shows that people may judge the transgender/transexual individual, especially during their transition phase, but God knows them. God looks on their heart and does not judge them. This is an important reflection for us to ponder, as we are inspired to be Christ-like, should we also not view people the same way?