Anglican LGBTQ+ groups argue that the Bible affirms transgender identity and that “not everyone in the Bible is cisgender.”
Part of a new resource, “Bible Affirmations” series Organized by LGBTQ Faith UK, the group claims the Bible contains “obviously gay characters”, citing eunuchs and women in traditionally masculine roles as examples.
“Not everyone in the Bible is cisgender, and not everyone in the Bible is biologically or anatomically male or female,” reads the text by Anne Redcliffe. is stated.
“In the Bible, the most obvious example of this is the eunuchs, who can be considered the 'ancestors' of transgender people in the Bible,” the text continues.
“Some people are born with poorly formed or missing male genitalia,” the report said. “In modern parlance, they would be intersex, but at the time the Bible was written, they would have been eunuchs.”
According to the document, eunuchs were welcome and could become full members of the early Christian church “without having to be fully male or fully female.”
This passage quotes the story told in Acts chapter 8. baptize An Ethiopian eunuch in charge of the Ethiopian queen's finances.
“While we can label him with modern labels such as intersex, queer, and trans, another label would be 'Son of God,'” the text reads. “God sent angels and apostles to welcome him into the church, not as a second-class worshiper, but as a full and equal member.”
As for the “intersex” characters in the Bible, the source asserts that the “most likely” one is the Samaritan woman Jesus met in the fourth chapter of the Gospel of John, but the five husbands It is not explained how a woman with a child can qualify as “intersex.” ”
Importantly, the text claims that Jesus is “aware of her situation and shows her respect” and that “Jesus affirms her.”
Moving on to “Q,” the text states that understanding queerness in terms of gender performance “reveals several clearly queer characters,” one of the most obvious being Deborah. It states that. spoke In the book of Judges.
Deborah was “the only recorded female leader of Israel,” the text claims, and when the Israelites were attacked by the Canaanites, “it was Deborah who led the armies into battle.” .
“For women, going to war was a very masculine act,” she added.
