Listening to a true believer in gender identity and gender expression explain why they believe reminds me of when I was a pious Roman Catholic. I am sure I sounded much the same to non-believers when I explained why I had taken the leap of faith to practice Roman Catholicism. I accepted the theological arguments, the authority of Scripture, and the Apostolic Tradition that compose Roman Catholicism. I attended mass daily, said my prayers, and tried to do good and avoid doing evil. I regularly examined my conscience and tried to turn away from sin. It was reasonable to me at the time. Though I tried to be true to my faith, lingering doubt remained. Eventually, I realized that I could not continue as it was hypocritical of me. I stopped going to mass. I no longer believe in the claims of Christianity.

The difference between having faith in Christ and believing in gender identity and gender expression is that Roman Catholicism has had centuries to work out its theology and is rooted in sound, critical scholarship. Though I no longer believe, I still enjoy discussing the faith with those who do. One thing that attracted me to Roman Catholicism was its love of scholarship. The Church has its doctrines and infallible teachings, but ordinary instructions are up for discussion. There is widespread disagreement among Catholic scholars on Church teachings. For instance, I was welcomed into the faith as a young gay man despite the condemnation of homosexual acts by the Vatican. I am a Deist now, though I fancy myself a cultural catholic if such a thing exists. I celebrate Christmas and Easter, just devoid of the mysteries of faith.

The difficulty I find with true believers in gender identity and gender expression is that having taken the leap of faith required to believe in the existence of gendered souls, they jumped to the conclusion that the doctrine they hold so dear is the absolute, final truth. There is no room for doubt or discussion. As in Catholicism, the claims advanced require a leap of faith. The doctrine of the soul, like that of gender identity and gender expression, is a question for philosophy. Given time, believers in gender identity and gender expression may develop coherent arguments to support their position. After all, they are free to believe as they choose, just as Christians and any other faith group. Unfortunately, governments and business elites saw fit to make belief in gender identity and gender expression a sacred cow. Dissent is treated as heresy, and increasingly it feels as though we are expected to bend the knee to the new faith whether we agree or disagree. No, I do not believe the claims advanced by those who subscribe to the concepts of gender identity and gender expression and will not mindlessly follow them.

Posted by Geoffrey