The Passion According to Transgender People

Today’s reflection is from Michael Sennett (he/him), a Catholic trans man and a parishioner of St. Ignatius Church, Boston, where he serves on the Parish Pastoral Council and assists in forming LGBTQ+ ministry. He is member of New Ways Ministry’s Advisory Board, and is currently pursuing his MA in Pastoral Care at Fordham University with a goal of supporting queer people of faith through encounter and dialogue.

Today’s liturgical readings for Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion can be found by clicking here. 

“Are you a boy or a girl?” Growing up, this question was a frequent flyer hurled from mouths to my ears on the playground, at school, during sports, and in daily life. My appearance of “boyish” clothes and shoulder length blond hair did me no favors. Either answer, I quickly learned, would cause the gaggles of children to bust out in fits of giggles. Sometimes the teasing turned to taunting. 

One confrontation is still as fresh in my mind as the day it happened, rewinding and replaying–a video cassette of my childhood. It was the summer I was 13, and my family was spending a usual day at the beach. I was in my routine uniform of basketball shorts and t-shirt, with a girls’ one-piece bathing suit underneath. Walking along the edge of the tide, I noticed a group of tween boys pointing at me and whispering. Laughing, they told the youngest of the bunch to “go find out what it is.” 

Avoiding eye contact, I waded into the water until it was deep enough to float around. I ignored the boy until a forceful wave pulled me under and knocked my shirt off, revealing my swimsuit. Guffaws bellowed from the group and cries of “it’s a girl!” They shouted and mocked me. I floated in silence and shame, unable to grasp why people felt so threatened by my authenticity. Although I didn’t yet possess the language, I knew I was a transgender boy. 

Palm Sunday’s Gospel passage remind us of the torment and death of Christ Jesus. Jesus is arrested because he is perceived to be a threat to the systematic powers of his time. His preachings of justice and peace had the power to overthrow corruption. Jesus is challenged time and time again about who he is, and despite the brutal violence and agony he endured, he always stands firm in his authenticity. He is Christ Jesus, Son of Man. 

Transgender people are increasingly being framed as a threat in our current day. Trans folks are labeled a danger in public restrooms, especially to women and children, despite credible research pointing to the contrary. Licenses, birth certificates, passports, and other official documents have been invalidated and reverted back to the person’s sex assigned at birth. State legislatures are rushing to pass these anti-trans laws and restrictions. Politicians on both sides of the aisle continue to throw the trans community under the bus for political gain. Trans people are also being smeared as violent, when in reality we are at a heightened risk for violence. See research here and here. 

Trans folks, like Jesus, have been put on trial, our existence a threat to the gender binary, and in turn a threat to the systemic powers of our time. A common accusation is that we are “confused” about our gender. Confusion, opponents argue, makes us menaces to society. The idea that I have ever been confused about my gender is laughable. My answer has always been “boy.” Confusion, from my perspective, comes from cisgender people. Cis people were often confused about me, questioning my sex and gender, questioning my authenticity. 

The trans experience is vast; mine is but one thread in the tapestry of transness. Each thread has its own path, its own history, its own meaning, but together they reflect a common image. Confusion is not universal and certainly not the default for transness. Of course there was confusion for trans individuals in navigating what a trans identity is, what it means, what it looks like, and that process is different for every trans person. Deep in my soul though, the younger version of me on the playground, at school, at the beach relished in a boyhood of my own, bridging me to the manhood I now proudly live. 

Trans people stand beside Jesus, refusing to deny who we are. We are denied by the very healthcare clinics our trans elders fought so hard to build, no different than Peter’s betrayal of Jesus. We are crucified for simply existing in a system that denies our humanity. Through the violence and inhumanity, we stand firm in our authenticity, loved unconditionally by Christ, who gave us new life.

—Michael Sennett, March 29, 2026