First Transgender Nun?

[ToJesusMyHeart]

From the article below:

 

"A transgender trailblazer is hoping to be accepted into the Catholic church - as a nun.

 

Tia Pesando was living as a man named Ted. She tells her story in the book, God Doesn’t Hate You.

If she does become a nun, she would be the first transgender one in the world.

 

 

Tia Pesando, who wants to become a nun, speaks with CTV News in London, Ont. on Monday, July 7, 2014.

 

Born a hermaphrodite - somebody with hormones and at times biological parts of both genders - she says she always felt trapped.

“I'm on a hormone replacement regiment to balance things,” she says.

Now, living as a woman, Pesando wants to enter into a domain that's reserved exclusively for females.

So far, the Catholic Church has been silent.

 

Two years ago Pesando heard God calling her and she knew she had to take her transformation farther.

“I’m very convinced of the reality of God and the importance of such a calling,” she says.

 

 

http://london.ctvnews.ca/call-to-religious-life-strong-for-transgender-londoner-1.1903042

[ToJesusMyHeart]

Perhaps belongs in Debate. I guess we'll see.

[AccountDeleted]

There was a thread about something similar (not exactly the same situation) before...

 

Gender Reassignment

[Credo in Deum]

My prediction: the Church will state this person does not have a calling. This person will not take this as an answer from God and will protest. The populace and a majority of Catholics who are ignorant of the faith -and who think people become religious as easy as applying for a job at Target- will claim this is bigotry and that we are try to ruin this person's dreams.

The End.

Edited July 16, 2014 by Credo in Deum

[CatherineM]

Not the same as a transgender. Intersexed or indeterminate gender is considered a birth defect, and those born that way are allowed to have surgery to fix the defect.

[cmaD2006]

There is a similar question in Q&A right now.

 

Also I think one of the Church Scholars had answered that the issues are different -- one issue is when it is a flat out reassignment from male/female or female/male or where the person is choosing to dress as the opposite sex without any reassignment surgery/hormones.

 

It is a different distinct issue when there is a physical issue where there is gender ambiguity.  That's definitely not the same as "transgender".

[cmaD2006]

... and CatherineM said it much more succinctly and in a better way than I did.  And I forgot to say that I thought the Church allowed someone with a gender ambiguity to correct it.

 

Heh that's why she's a Church Scholar and I'm not :)

[Nihil Obstat]

Hermaphroditism is an extremely difficult topic from a theological/philosophical perspective. I thank God I do not have to carry that particular cross.

[ToJesusMyHeart]

Not the same as a transgender. Intersexed or indeterminate gender is considered a birth defect, and those born that way are allowed to have surgery to fix the defect.

 

Is it different since this person waited until after high school to "correct" the birth defect and become female?

 

In the video at the top of the article I posted they say "she lived most of her life as a man."

 

So it wasn't like she was born with indeterminate gender and it was immediately "corrected."

[Nihil Obstat]

Is it different since this person waited until after high school to "correct" the birth defect and become female?

 

In the video at the top of the article I posted they say "she lived most of her life as a man."

 

So it wasn't like she was born with indeterminate gender and it was immediately "corrected."

I would be venturing way into speculative territory here, but perhaps in their attempt to correct the indeterminate gender at birth, they 'picked wrong', in some sense.

Perhaps, at least.

[ToJesusMyHeart]

I would be venturing way into speculative territory here, but perhaps in their attempt to correct the indeterminate gender at birth, they 'picked wrong', in some sense.

Perhaps, at least.

 

Could be! Thanks for daring to venture.

[Credo in Deum]

Sister Mary Michael.

[cmaD2006]

I would be venturing way into speculative territory here, but perhaps in their attempt to correct the indeterminate gender at birth, they 'picked wrong', in some sense.

Perhaps, at least.

 

 

Heh. I almost went there too.  Same line of reasoning that I went down.  But we don't know the full story right?

[cmaD2006]

Is it different since this person waited until after high school to "correct" the birth defect and become female?

 

In the video at the top of the article I posted they say "she lived most of her life as a man."

 

So it wasn't like she was born with indeterminate gender and it was immediately "corrected."

 

Actually one of the keys that you posted was the word hermaphrodite.  That is the difference between "living most of her life as a man" and being a physical man vs. "living most of her life as a man" and being a person whose gender is indeterminate (hermaphrodite).

[Nihil Obstat]

Heh. I almost went there too.  Same line of reasoning that I went down.  But we don't know the full story right?

I want to avoid trying to come to any concrete conclusions, because stories of this sort are particularly susceptible to spin and distortion.