On welcoming transgender people
Last July, General Synod voted on a contentious motion about the welcome of transgender people in the Church building, proposed past Chris Newlands as a Blackburn diocesan motion. That it was contentious was already evident from the fact that the Bishop of Blackburn had voted against it when it was previously debated in the diocesan synod. The movement read every bit follows:
That this Synod, recognising the need for transgender people to be welcomed and affirmed in their parish church, telephone call on the House of Bishops to consider whether some nationally commended liturgical materials might be prepared to mark a person's gender transition.
Chris Newlands had introduced the upshot with a story about someone who approached him wanting a liturgical rite alike to baptism, considering they were not sure that God knew them under their new gender identity. In his Synod speech communication, he cited the story of a v-yr old as an example of transgenderism:
"David" and "Ruth" are active members of an evangelical Church of England parish church and they accept been for a long time. Five years ago, they became parents of a salubrious baby boy, "Nathan". The church was delighted to share their joy at his birth, only information technology was not long earlier Nathan showed every sign that he was actually their daughter and not their son. He refused to wear trousers and showed admittedly no interest in any boy toys, simply pink princess-type toys and decorations for his bedroom.
The hit paradox about this story is the detachment of the terms 'daughter' and 'son' from any sense of biological reality, coupled with an absolutising of socially constructed gender markers. In the Victorian period, pink was associated with boys and non girls. And the projection of transgender ideology on children when they are so immature appears to be highly dissentious, especially to young girls, a group who already have plenty to cope with as they form their understandings of themselves in society.
But the problem with the motion equally information technology was presented was the absolute connexion fabricated between 'welcome' and 'liturgical materials'. There was an attempt to carve up these 2 issue out, in the course of an subpoena proposed past Nick Land, simply this was resisted by Chris Newlands, largely on the grounds that he refused to 'acknowledge different understandings effectually gender dysphoria and the field of gender identity more widely', and rejected in the debate. (I had already discussed this prior to Synod, and asked whether he would accept a friendly subpoena, only he refused point blank.) Despite this, members of the Firm of Bishops had indicated conspicuously that these were indeed dissimilar issue. Richard Frith, bishop of Hereford and Vice-Chair of the Liturgical Committee, made it articulate that the 'consideration' that was being asked for would consequence in a determination not to act:
We already have liturgical materials which speak of our common identity equally Christians and which are advisable for the welcome of transgender people. I exercise though very much welcome the motility as information technology gives the states an opportunity to make a positive statement almost inclusion and openness.
A contemptuous listener might have classified that final statement as an expression of virtue signalling—but the comment does accept the virtue of clarity. This was made even more clear in the last speech in the debate by John Sentamu, Archbishop of York.
Chair, members of Synod, there are two parts to this motion and they both have to be taken with equal weight. The outset is the need to welcome and assert in their parish transgender people. Is there any one of us who does not say "yeah" to that get-go part? Anybody? And then on that first part nosotros will say "yes".
Then the second chip talks virtually the Business firm of Bishops. It is the House of Bishops beingness asked "to consider whether" and "whether materials might be". Actually, the movement has been very advisedly crafted. I welcome it because information technology allows the states to do what Chris Newlands was trying to suggest without kicking it into the long grass. The theology has to be done but that cannot be done very quickly.
Because the first part of the motion is affirming, the need to affirm that people should be welcomed in their parish church, I desire united states to vote "yeah", and the 2d bit, because it is "considering" whether some materials might be prepared, it is provisional, and considering information technology needs a lot of work nosotros shall come back to the Synod from the House with what we thought, but we are going to give it very serious consideration in light of the Secretarial assistant General's newspaper, specially paragraphs 12 and xiv.
From these comments, information technology was very anticipated what the House of Bishops would decide (not to introduce new liturgy) and when information technology was leaked to the Daily Mail, a statement was quickly issued. Despite what was said in the debate, the Mail's report characterised the bishops as 'throwing out' what Synod had 'demanded'—and this apparentvolte face was widely interpreted by supporters of the motion as hypocrisy, of saying one thing in the public forum of a Synod debate, only the contrary in private when there would be less publicity. The House of Bishops' statement makes the same separation between welcoming and the devising of new liturgy, but it seems clear that the response is to say: 'That which the campaigners have united, let not the House of Bishops split up.'
Don't forget to volume your place at the Festival of Theology on Jan 30th!
The cementing together of welcome/affirmation and agreement with transgender ideology is evident in other discussions in this surface area. Paris Lees, a trans woman journalist who grew upwardly in Nottingham, documents the traumatic experience of bullying, taunting and violence experienced by her and other trans people—and I can't help wondering whether the Synod motility might have made more explicit mention of this. Only at the eye of the slice there is a quite boggling claim:
This violence is often justified on the grounds that we're non "real" women, that we're tricksters, ill men who deserve to be browbeaten and murdered. I wonder if cosy establishment figures who question whether we're real women accept considered how that directly contributes to this culture of violence? The abuse trans people face up doesn't occur in a vacuum. The things people read or hear nearly trans people in the media affect the style they perceive and, ultimately, treat trans people.
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