The Catholic Transgender

Blogging about being trans at the crossroads of Calvary and Rome

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Dear Christians: Practical Ways to be an Ally in 2017 America

Dear Christians: Practical Ways to be an Ally in 2017 America

Alright, peoples. The board is set; the pieces are moving. If you’re a person of good will, and I know most of you are, you need to get real serious about your commitment to your own values. It’s time to cash them in for some hard currency. Christ said: “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me,” and:

 “Come, you that are…

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Waiting for Adoption: Transsexual Persons in the Life of the Church

Waiting for Adoption: Transsexual Persons in the Life of the Church

THIS IS AN OLDER ARTICLE THAT NEVER GOT POSTED ALTHOUGH SOME FORM OF IT EXISTED FOR YEARS. I HAVE DECIDED TO PUBLISH IT BELATEDLY AS IT IS ESSENTIALLY COMPLETE AS-IS.

Waiting for Adoption: Transsexual Persons in the Life of the Church

We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit,…

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A rediscovered poem

I found this in my 2013 dream journal, from when I was still in the closet.

  My dreams were born from above, not below,

or if below, in the  primal ember of love and material birth

in a subterranean reality  not infernal, but  from clay and blood.

And if above, from the more primal womb, the first vibration that stirred the world to dancing.

From a place like this came my dreams, not from some…

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The Stones Cry Out - 7 Things Catholics Must Learn From Orlando

The Stones Cry Out - 7 Things Catholics Must Learn from Orlando. Don't be silent!

The silence has been deafening.

My dear fellow Catholics, your silence screams; our ears are ringing.

Tragedy has struck. Yes, much needs to be grieved; and yes, I know everyone grieves in their own way. Yet there are two kinds of silence, one unlike the other.

There’s the silence of grief – the ear-ringing shell-shock as you beg your tumultuous surroundings just a moment more to get your…

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My "Where I'm From" Poem

My “Where I’m From” Poem

I am from a chrysalis, from alarm bells and asthma, early arrivals and a long stay, vital curiosity in a plexi fence. (more…)

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"Transgender Catholics hope to build bridges in the Church" (news)

“Transgender Catholics hope to build bridges in the Church” (news)

I was blessed to be interviewed for another cool article, this time by Crux Magazine following the RECon trans panel. Michael O’Loughlin wrote a very charitable piece and gave my co-panelist Mateo and I lots of space to share our thoughts

You can read the whole piece here: “Transgender Catholics hope to build bridges in the Church”. (more…)

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RECongress "Transgender Lives in the Church" Talk (Transcript)

A week ago I got to speak at the RECon about being Catholic/trans. Here's the text of my talk:

This is the text of a talk I gave as part of a panel on “Transgender in the Church” at the Religious Education Congress in Anaheim, CA on February 27, 2016. You can order the audio here (#5-12).

  Thank you all for being here and showing interest in this topic. Really, truly, thank you.

All of a sudden everyone is talking about “trans” issues… and I’m like wait, that’s me. I mean… my story’s…

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Are Transgender People Gnostic? An Afterthought.

Are Transgender People Gnostic? An Afterthought.

This article is a post-script to Are Transgender People Gnostic? An Answer to Robert Barron.

* AFTERTHOUGHT

Trans persons have been accused of dualism – separating our minds and bodies as if they have nothing to do with each other.

While I personally have come to understand my transgender existence through a hylomorphic lens (ie. concieving my body and soul as basically inseparable), I think…

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Are Transgender People Gnostic? An Answer to Robert Barron

Are Transgender People Gnostic? An Answer to Robert Barron

Of all the criticisms Catholic commentators make regarding transgender persons, the most recurrent is the accusation of Gnosticism. Gnosticism was an ancient Christian heresy that took numerous forms, all of which denied the Incarnation and believed the material world to be inherently evil. This was in opposition to orthodox Christianity, which taught of the goodness of Creation as created by God…

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Interview with Dan Hitchens about transsexuality and Catholicism

Interview with Dan Hitchens about transsexuality and Catholicism

Last month I was blessed to be interviewed by an excellent journalist, Dan Hitchens, about the theological and pastoral landscape of transsexuality in the Catholic Church. I was interviewed alongside two other dear Catholic trans women: my friend Aoife Assumpta Hart, and a fellow activist Jane Fae.

An article based on the interview was featured in the Catholic Herald. You can read the entire…

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Reflections on the CDF’s ruling for transgender godparents

Reflections on the CDF’s ruling for transgender godparents

On September 1, 2015, the Bishop of Cadiz and Ceuta publicly issued his ruling regarding trans man Alex Salinas, who requested to become a godfather. At first the Bishop denied the request, but then later reversed the decision and said yes, he could be a godparent. However, with media attention growing around the issue, he decided to turn to the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith…

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Is Caitlyn Jenner a Demon? [Reblog]

Is Caitlyn Jenner a Demon? [Reblog]

I was going to write a response to Fr. Dwight Longenecker’s shortsighted article The Devil of Detroit and Caitlyn Jenner, but thankfully Melinda Selmys (my hero!) saved me from that ugh-some task.

From Is Caitlyn Jenner a Demon? by Melinda Selmys.

Fr. Longenecker’s article turns on the fact that the statue of Baphomet recently unveiled by the Satanists in Detroit includes elements of both male…

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The difference between Gender Theory and talking about "gender"

There's a difference between Gender Theory and talking about "gender"

In my last series of posts I attempted to demonstrate how different people use the term “gender,” and how while each person is pointing to a genuine conflict that needs to be addressed, the word itself becomes muddled.

This venture was spurred on by a few things. The first was after reflecting on Pope Francis’ words regarding gender theory. (Read What Does Pope Francis Actually Say About…

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What is Gender? Part 7: A Personal Plea for Gender Sanity

A Personal Plea for Gender Sanity

This post is the last in a series on What is gender? Click here to read the first post, or here to return to the previous post.

As a transgender woman who was raised as a boy and is a devout Catholic and devout feminist with a foot in both the gender essentialist and gender deconstructionist camps, I find myself hemmed in on all sides by quibbling voices that have no interest in doing anything…

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What is gender? Part 6: Gender as role

What is gender? Part 6: Gender as role

 This post is the sixth in a series on What is gender? Click here to read the first post, or here to return to the previous post.

The conversation on gender roles.

So far my posts on gender have focused on various transgender or queer experiences to help bring to light the ways in which different aspects of gender can be problematic for different people. This last post has the most to do with…

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What is gender? Part 5: Gender as behavior

What is gender? Part 5: Gender as behavior

This post is the fifth in a series on What is gender? Click here to read the first post, or here to return to the previous post.

The conversation on gender expression.

In the last post I talked about gender groupings and how one is perceived/treated as a gendered individual. The gender one is perceived as is largely determined by two factors: secondary sexual characteristics, and gender…

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What is gender? Part 4: Gender as social grouping

What is gender? Part 4: Gender as social grouping

This post is the fourth in a series on What is gender? Click here to read the first post, or here to return to the previous post.

 The conversation on gender grouping.

As I detailed in the last post, for many transsexuals the site of gender embattlement is their subconscious sex, which is often confused with gender identity. Subconscious sex is a person’s persistent embodied sense of belonging…

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