What is in Kelvin's Head?

  • Transgender Visibility and the Church

    Today happens to be International Transgender Visibility Day of Visibility.

    As yet, I’ve heard nothing today from anyone from a faith background. No bishops making statements either positive or negative, no-one threatening to leave a denomination over it, no statements at all really.

    It seems to me that it is worth me going on record to say that St Mary’s is a church which has transgender people connected to it.

    I suspect that wouldn’t particularly surprise anyone. Most people will shrug and say “oh, that’s just St Mary’s for you”

    However, I think it is worth my while saying that each of the three church communities that I’ve been part of since ordination has had transgender people as members of their communities. I’ve also met trans men and trans women in both of my times working in university chaplaincy. This has made me conclude that being transgender is a more common thing than I used to presume and it really is surprising that the church has nothing much to say about it.

    Members of the body of Christ are transgender.

    I’ve had to learn a lot as I’ve listened to people with that experience tell me about their lives.

    One of the things that I’ve learned is that some of the very common narratives that I have become used to hearing from lesbian and gay people of faith don’t really map onto transgender experience very well.

    Many many times, I’ve heard stories from gay and lesbian people of alienation and frustration within church communities which I’ve met by saying, “Well, I don’t think God makes mistakes – God made you attracted to the people you are attracted to and God doesn’t make mistakes”.

    However, that doesn’t really work for people who are on a trans journey. Not quite anyway. I’ve changed what I say a bit and now I think that I’d be more likely to say is that the essential truth is that God loves us as we really, truly are.

    Transgender people and those who are close to them are welcome at St Mary’s. I’d like to think that people already know that but I guess that with the silence I hear from the wider church it is worth saying out loud. The fact that I’ve known people with this experience in very different religious communities to the one I now lead gives me some hope.

    So – God bless all transgender people on this day of transgender visibility.

    God blesses the whole church through them.

    ,

6 responses to “What institutional homophobia looks like”

  1. Edward Andrews Avatar
    Edward Andrews

    Yes, I noticed that as well. It is nothing to do with what was said on both sides (the internal conversation in the Kirk) everything to do with what was said or about people who are gay.
    I would however put in a plea of mitigation for him in that he has to reflect what the institution can get away with. Personally I would have no problem if the so called Confessing Bunch (which an abuse of the name of the Church of Barth and Bonhoeffer neither of whom they would give house room) packed their traps and left, but John can’t say that because that is not policy, though I know a number of people who feel my way.

    Reply
    1. Kelvin Avatar
      Kelvin

      I think the problem here is not so much what the institution can get away with but that the words he says are factually wrong. What the Assembly is being asked to do is not what he says the Assembly is being asked to do.

      As I’ve said, I recognise the pressures on someone in his position. But that’s kind of the point.

      Reply
  2. Fr Keith Avatar
    Fr Keith

    Extremely well put, Kelvin…

    Reply
  3. Richard Ashby Avatar
    Richard Ashby

    Since I don’t know the man I have no idea whether or not he is homophobic personally, but you’re quite right. That’s not what the report says. And in anycase why apologise for only ‘some’ of the harsh things. What about the rest?

    Reply
  4. Bryan Kerr Avatar
    Bryan Kerr

    Hey Kelvin,
    Thanks for your post.
    I think it is helpful as someone who is going into preparation for the General assembly.
    I hear what you say … I for one, on behalf of me, my congregation (the one I serve now, the ones in which I have served and the one in which I grew up), and my denomination seek to apologise unreservedly for any ways in which we have treated those who are LGBTI in any way which falls short of mirroring the love of God.
    John was in a challenging position, defending a report which had been leaked to the media before he could get his head around it fully. He may have been the secretary of the forum but our timescales mean this report would have been finalised in late January and, since then, as Principal clerk, he will have been through every other report going to Assembly.
    Perhaps, we might see this as more of a need for a refresh of what the leaked report said in its entirety at a time when called for comment out of the blue, than anything else. I would imagine that might be close to the mark in this one!
    Blessings.

    Reply
    1. Kelvin Avatar
      Kelvin

      Thanks for your comments, Bryan.

      I’m struggling a bit with your interpretation of what happened. The report doesn’t call for “both sides” to apologise – that isn’t even it’s tone. And in the rest of the news report, the Principal Clerk is shown sitting at a table reading it.

      I do hear your desire to think the best of him – and honestly, this isn’t personal, I’m sure he is lovely.

      The consistent experience that I have is that the most difficult things that are said about gay people come from people who would claim to be supportive.

      A number of gay C of S clerics were in touch with me to affirm that they had heard these comments in the same way that I have outlined above.

      Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Previous Posts

  • Pilgrimage Tomorrow

    We’ve a Diocesan Pilgrimage Day tomorrow at St Mary’s. This time it is primarily for those in the Glasgow and Lanarkshire areas. (Mind you, if anyone from another area wants to slip in under the radar tomorrow, they’ll be welcomed with open arms and not cast off into the nether darkness – we’re like that…

  • Yes to Communion; No to Covenant

    In my last post, I said that the message from Glasgow and Galloway was very clear indeed….”We don’t want the Covenant. We do want the Communion.” I’m very pleased to see the No to the Covenant campaign rallying around the slogan…”Yes to Communion; No to Covenant”. We’ve got a job to do in Scotland you…

  • Glasgow & Galloway and the Anglican Covenant

    People keep asking me about how this diocese dealt with the Anglican Covenant and whether or not we passed it. Well, we were very faithful to the current processes of the church and engaged in quite a thorough consultation session at the diocesan synod on Saturday. I had quite a lot of input into how…

  • On the STV couch

    I was on STV’s Scotland Tonight this evening being interviewed by John Mackay. It was an enjoyable interview and gave me the chance to say that Christianity is about compassion and love, something that is sometimes in danger of being drowned out by the loud shrill antigay voices of the usual suspects. Today it was…