Sunday, August 07, 2011

Seriously, Y'all Need To Chill In The TBLG Community With The Christian Bashing

One of the places in which we African American transpeople are different from our white transbrothers and sisters is that our faith is an important component to who we are.    I've talked about the fact that it seems in the TBLG community every faith tradition up to and including atheism is expressed or respected, but let someone in a TBLG space say their are a Christian and they get no love and respect for that, but derision..

The Christian bashing we see in elements of the TBLG community is offensive to us in the African American community and our allies.

Remember as I have said numerous times, the trans community is a microcosm of our parent society, and the parent society we African descended transpeople are raised in has a deep faith tradition as a component of it.   That spiritual and faith tradition that undergirds our culture is one that we African descended  transpeople reconcile our faith and our transitions with as the recently completed TransFairth In Color Conference recently demonstrated.

That TransFaith of Color conference in Charlotte was one in which many of our leading activists attended and if I can work it out with the people who run it, I would love to be in Charlotte for the 2012 event.   So yeah, when we see predominately white transpeople merrily attacking and mocking the Christian faith but would have a cow if we did the same to them and their faith traditions, it's another one of the issues which causes blood pressure to rise for us and contemplate going our own way..

It's understandable why elements of you have major issues with organized religion, the bigots who wrap themselves in religious cloaks and use the Bible as a baton to beat people with.    We have issue with those little c 'christians' as well and call them out on a regular basis.

But at the same time you cannot dismiss the folks who are people of faith such as Bishop Carlton Pearson, Bishop Yvette Flunder, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Rev Al Sharpton and countless others who are standing up for TBLG people. 

But seriously, y'all need to chill in the TBLG community with the Christian bashing in this community.   It's problematic, it ain't cute, and it's complicating our ability to convince some people of faith of the importance of supporting the trans civil rights cause when some you irresponsibly mock and attack the faith of Christians.  

2 comments:

HHB said...

Well, the issue with Christians is simple enough. Pedophiles in glass houses should not throw stones.
But they do.

genevieve said...

Thank you for addressing this, Monica. My faith is important to me and it was instrumental in my accepting my trangender identity. I also chastise those who call themselves 'christians' and mock the tlgb coomunity. Many folks are throwing the baby with the bath water and that doesn't do anybody any good. Gennee