The Yahoo group "Teach The Facts" posts a lot of interesting articles that I wind up linking to, and this one regarding transgendered people especially moved me.
According to this story, the murder rate of transgendered persons is 17 times the national average, the highest rate of any minority group.
"It's ignorance, more than anything else, that creates fear," said Vicky Ortega, who founded LOTUS and also works as a health education specialist at the Gay and Lesbian Center of Los Angeles. LOTUS is the League of Trans-Unified Sisters, a support group of transgender people working to change society's attitudes toward them. I was not able to find a website for them, but if anyone knows of one, I would be happy to post it here.
I'm not going to pretend to have any more than the most cursory understanding of transgender issues, but I do know that they are people too and deserve every right that I enjoy and should be treated with no less respect than anyone else. The problems here are a lot worse that name-calling and discrimination and need to be taken very seriously.
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Stumbled across your site. Very interesting point of view. I agree with you on most of the things you've said but unfortunately, not on the important ones. (I'm of the Exodus camp myself.)
ReplyDeleteI don't doubt that there are spirit-filled believers living in the homosexual lifestyle. I have a transsexual friend (post-op) who was baptized in the Holy Spirit and still very much an MtF. I also know of Buddhist monks in Thailand who have received the Gospel and when I heard of them, were still living in the monastic community and wearing monastic (orange) clothing.
In either situation, I don't believe these folks will go to hell if they stay where and as they are. At the same time, I don't believe Christ revealed himself to them just so they could go to heaven. He saved us so that we can be part of his bride “a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.” (Eph 5:25-27) He wants to draw us near to Himself, purify us and teach us to stomp on Satan’s kingdom! However, there are things that will keep us from knowing Him as we should and being effective for the Kingdom of God, be they hatred, unforgiveness, idolatry or sexual sin.
The New Testament talks continually about being "new" and "renewing" our minds. I don't know if you've ever really looked at I Cor. 6:9-11. After the gift of salvation, it has to be one of the most beautiful gifts in scripture: the washing, sanctifying, justifying power of Christ. The Apostle Paul offers a litany of sexual sins (homosexuality included), that keep us from inheriting the kingdom of God, then rounds out the list with slanderers and swindlers and Lord knows the church is full of those two! What Paul then says (v.11), And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. There are still slanderers and swindlers in the church today but there doesn’t have to be!
I personally know gays, lesbians, transvestites, transsexuals, trans-prostitutes, who either were Christians or became Christians and realized that their lifestyle—however seemingly natural—was in irreconcilable conflict with scripture. As for you and your family, I wish you blessings. I will pray that God will continue to reveal his perfect will as only the Holy Spirit is able to do. I would like to encourage you though, not to criticize what God is doing in the lives of others just because you may not understand it. As believers, we have to keep our focus, our enemy is not each other it’s the Enemy with a capital “E” – the Devil! Instead of protecting our own interests, let’s focus on God’s interests and tear down the Kingdom of Darkness!
Be encouraged! And let’s seek ALL that God has for us!
[Sorry this is so long! I got a little excited... ;0)]
I don't mean to jump in here in place of Jim, but I'd like to thank you for your very respectful comment. I have my own feelings about Exodus and other similar groups, but am willing to put them aside to listen to an individual such as yourself, especially where your tone is so respectful and loving.
ReplyDeleteI might add just one thing to your estimation of what the Corinthians scripture is all about, and it can be found here, for what it's worth.
I agree, neither of us are the enemy, and it is the devil who would like to bring more division. My vote is for more understanding and the God-kind of love such as you've exhibited today. I am also glad you've found happiness in coming to terms with your true orientation. Many of us have as well, though they be different from your own. I too believe God calls us to live holy lives which are pleasing to Him, as the way He made each of us as unique as He has. God's richest blessings be yours, as both you and I grow in the knowledge of His Word and grace.
According to this page
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/homicide/overview.htm
The 2002 homicide rate for averages about 6 per 100,000. 17 times
that would be 102 per 100,000, about the homicide rate for young black
males.
Is the argument that transpeople are being killed at a higher rate
than young black males? Does that stand up to any simple analysis?
Gwen Smith reports an average of 12 trans homicides per year in the US
at http://rememberingourdead.org/ . Assuming that this is a 300%
under representation and there are 36 murders at 1,700 per 100,00 per
year, there are would only be a total population of around 2,100
transpeople our of 280,000,000 people in the country, a number which I believe to be quite low.
It's hard to argue we are being murdered at a high rate and that there are a lot of us at the same time.
It is dangerous to be a tranny, but more because of the soul killing stuff that many pump out, telling you to kill your own God-given nature because it's evil than because we are more likely to be physically murdered than, say, young black men.