We Must “Attentively Listen” to God’s Revelation through Transgender People, Writes Priest

“Who gets to tell one’s story? Who should get to tell one’s story?”

Those are the questions asked by Fr. Dan Horan, OFM, a theologian and columnist for the National Catholic Reporter, in an essay urging U.S. bishops and other church leaders to listen to the experiences of transgender and nonbinary people. Horan points out that anti-trans rhetoric in the Catholic Church is “based on false narratives told by others about what it means to be a trans person, including the lie that there is no such thing as transgender people.”

Horan finds the lack of trans narratives within the church ironic considering that Christianity is “inherently a narrative religion.” The Bible uses storytelling to tell us “who God is and who we are called to be.” In order to return to the narrative roots of Christianity, Horan believes we must “attentively listen to the revelations with a lower-case ‘r’ that our transgender siblings are offering us as they relay their own stories.”

Even in the midst of the church’s discussion about transgender equality, particularly concerning gender-affirming healthcare, the “experiences, stories, struggles, joys and needs” of trans folks are usually “dismissed and ignored,” the author observes. He continues:

“We need to remember that when we talk about transgender persons we are talking about real people. The issue is not about some abstraction or ‘culture war’ battle to win like some social-media debate. The issue is about the actual lives and deaths, experience of violence and healing of human beings who have inherent dignity and value.”

“When bishops and other church leaders, nonexpert pundits and church observers treat the serious issues related to LGBTQ persons generally and trans folks in particular as some kind of ‘culture war’ horse race, they actively contribute to the dehumanization and erasure of real people who have real joys and hopes, griefs and anxieties, which ought also be the joys and hopes, griefs and anxieties of said church leaders and commentators (Gaudium et Spes).”

In an effort to listen to trans folks, Horan decided to read two memoirs by trans authors: Pageboy: A Memoir by actor Elliot Page and Burn the Page: A True Story of Torching Doubts, Blazing Trails, and Igniting Change by Danica Roem, a state politician. For Horan, these books provided greater insight into what it means to be a contemporary trans person:

“Nobody was speaking for them, nobody was spinning a narrative in support of some other agenda. Each of these authors were able to speak their truth and share their life journey.”

Roem’s story dives into her “lifelong struggle with coming to terms with her true self and responding to her gender dysphoria.” While gender-affirming care is part of her story, the memoir also discusses her family, education, interests, and political career as a current Virginia state delegate.

Similarly, Page’s memoir details both the challenges and joys that come with embracing one’s true identity. The book’s author states: “I hope that in speaking my truth I have added yet another speck to dispel the constant misinformation around queer and trans lives. If you haven’t already, I urge you to seek out many other vast and varying narratives from LGBTQ+ writers, activists, and individuals.”

As Catholics, we have a duty to acknowledge the inherent worth and dignity of each person. The first step in achieving this goal is to truly listen to the “fully human, fully complex, fully authentic stories” of trans people, as Horan puts it.

—Sarah Cassidy (she/her), New Ways Ministry, July 25, 2023