How Should One Refer To A Trangender Person?

[TradMom]

+Praised be Jesus Christ!

When I was in school (college), I had a professor who now teaches at UCLA (and is a practicing psychiatrist) who (not Catholic, by the way!) very clearly thought gender-based issues (surgery, etc.) were ALL mental/emotional and had no basis in biology. That was a long time ago! I have often wondered what he would say today now that tests are much more sensitive to hormones, etc.

As an example, the runner Caster Semenya - who was forced to have tests done because so many thought she was a man after winning a race in record breaking time - what would we say about her? To her village, this was very upsetting; she presented as a "normal" woman and most likely, without the advanced tests that were made available to her, nobody would have ever known differently. From what I read, she clearly said that she "felt" as if she were a woman and yet, the tests showed something very different. For the majority of us, it is easy to see things in a black and white format and not give it another thought. Stories like the one about Ms. Semenya seem hard to believe, and yet, science shows us how little we understand.

My point is not to suggest that all people with gender-based issues are rooted in biology because I believe there are many whom have been traumatized (in a variety of ways) to the point of not being able to identify much of anything; much less their sexual identity. I don't believe that a perfectly healthy, normal, grounded person would choose to have drastic surgery - and in saying that, I mean health and normalcy in all ways - mental, physical, spiritual and intellectual. Considering that, I believe that mercy, kindness and patience should outweigh any personal judgment. I am in no way a fan of certain celebrities who celebrate their lives/lifestyles/etc., so please do not think I am supporting the need to document and discuss every last thing in a public forum. I don't expose my children to it.

So to answer your question, taking into consideration all that we know and all that we know we don't know - if someone is suffering with this kind of issue, I do not see the harm in giving them the dignity of referring to them in whatever way they choose to be referred to - this is no problem for any of us, and surely if it poses a problem, it could be offered as a penance for their sorrow and suffering. Giving someone in that position a sense of dignity and respect does not indicate that you condone their decisions or choices, but on the other hand, would most likely give them a glimpse of the mercy of God; upon which we are all so dependent.

Please find below a short article about the runner I referred to:

http://articles.nydailynews.com/2009-09-10/news/17931933_1_caster-semenya-test-results-photo-spread

Pax,

TradMom