LBGTQIA+ RIGHTS:
There are currently fifty plus different gender identifications
recognized by most organizations whose function it is to protect the rights of
minorities. And here I was thinking all
these years there were only two. I have
always identified myself as male. This
had to do with many different clues as I was growing up. Clues like my parents named me after my
father and grandfather and not my mother or grandmother. They referred to me with masculine nouns and
pronouns and other language identification.
They dressed me in boy’s clothes, painted my room blue and bought me a
bicycle with a straight bar from handle to seat instead of a curved one. Oh, and my genitals were external rather than
internal…I had a penis and testicles as opposed to a vagina, uterus and
ovaries. All of that, with the possible exception of my privates, is all
circumstantial and apparently has nothing to do with modern-day gender
identification.
Some of these numerous descriptions of gender relate to
sexual orientation. Some are just
psychological differentiations. Now, I
do admit, as I have aged, to possessing a rather prominent set of “man boobs”,
but I don’t think that qualifies me for one or more of the cross-over
definitions of gender. The other thing I
will admit is some of these terms for gender identification are totally
baffling to me. For instance, “Agender”
refers to someone whose gender identity or expression does not align with
either man, woman or any other gender.
Sometimes this is called “gender neutral”. While I don’t understand how that could be,
it isn’t my place to judge how other people perceive themselves. Here is a list of gender identifications for you to ponder:
Agender Cis Man Cis Woman Cisgender Female Cisgender Male Cisgender Man Cisgender Woman Female to Male FTM
Androgyne Androgynous Bigender
Cis Cisgender Cis Female Cis Male
Gender Fluid Gender
Nonconforming Gender Questioning Gender Variant Genderqueer Intersex
Male to Female MTF Neither
Neutrois Non-binary Other
Pangender Trans Trans Female Trans Male Trans Man Trans Person Trans Woman Transfeminine Transgender Transgender Female Transgender Male Transgender Man Transgender Person Transgender Woman Transmasculine Transsexual Transsexual Female Transsexual Male Transsexual Man Transsexual Person Transsexual Woman Two-Spirit
I have accepted over the years, it is not my place to
judge a person’s sexual preference.
Promiscuity and adultery are clearly addressed in the Bible (New and Old
Testaments), the Koran and those that adhere to any of the three great
monotheistic religions know those activities as sin. There is also admonitions
in the Bible concerning homosexuality. Some
would debate that the Bible (Leviticus) got that right and cite that no where in the Bible did Jesus even comment on homosexuality, bisexuality or any other gender identification. What I believe is
that if the relationship between one human being with another is based on
committed love, that my God, who is a God of love, would support that
relationship. So the commandment to "love my neighbor as myself" applies to everyone.
Interestingly, I also learned recently that there are several breeds of fish
which actually start out as female and morph into a male later in life. They actually change their sex. They are transsexual. So obviously this is God’s plan. The fish
don’t make a conscious or reasoned choice for this to happen to them. This cannot be said for humans, however,
again, this is not my place to judge their surgical choices.
The thing that I do believe is that no human being and,
certainly, no citizen of our country should be denied the rights guaranteed and
enjoyed by the rest of its citizens.
Equal rights cross all gender boundaries and discrimination based on
gender identification or sexual preference is unacceptable and should not be tolerated. Having said that, I also want to point out that the LBGTQIA+ community and those that identify with one or more of the above definitions, according to a 2017 Gallup Poll, represents less than 4.5 % of the US population. So while their basic human and minority rights should be protected, developing legislation that elevates their status above the majority is not the purview of our government at any level.
I realize this may be one of my more controversial posts but I would encourage you to comment if your opinion/beliefs differ or you agree.
