In the last post, I established that everyone (except for a nihilist) believes that there is such a thing as "good" and "right." Now, we will look at whether the gender binary is the good and right way to relate to self, others, and one’s telos (i.e., the purpose for which God made us). In this post, we'll look at whether "sex-reassignment" is good and right.
Is "Sex-Reassignment" Surgery (or altering the body) Good?
People experiencing gender dysphoria have trouble aligning their psychological gender with their biological sex. In a fallen world, it is not surprising to find suffering in which some people experience feelings of alienation from their own bodies.
The question is, What is the good and right thing to do
in the face of such suffering? It seems as though seeking to align the person’s
psychological and physical aspects is correct, but which one should be reoriented?
The transgender viewpoint would say so-called sex-reassignment surgery is one
way to handle it (thus bringing the body in line with inner feelings). The
binary viewpoint argues that the internal feelings should be addressed to bring
them closer to physical reality.
When confusion exists in the mind and body is it good to
alter the body? Perhaps a parallel question would help. “Would it be kind to
tell someone suffering from anorexia that their self-perception of being
overweight is correct simply because that is how they perceive themselves?”[1] Would
the course of treatment be to have them starve themselves to shave off the psychological
perception of being overweight?
In a recent study on “Gaining ‘The Quarantine 15’: Perceived
Versus Observed Weight Changes in College Students in the Wake of COVID-19,”
psychologist Pamala Keel noted that while many perceived they added pounds due
to the quarantine, the objective measurements showed that most did not.
What was her counsel? “Keel recommended people use objective measures
instead of subjective feelings to evaluate the effects of the pandemic on their
weight.”[2] If
seeking to align a person’s perception with reality is good in terms of
treating eating disorders, surely the same is true with the issue of gender
dysphoria.
The gender binary is good because it helps people rightly relate
to themselves by affirming what is objectively true about them. Though feelings
of dysphoria might not disappear this side of heaven, affirming objective
reality is the only way to direct a person towards what is ultimately good for
them and right according to God’s design. In other words, it is the only path to true flourishing.
The same cannot be said of affirming transgenderism, which produces “pain,
uncertainty, and [an] endless search for holistic personhood.”[3]
[1] Walker, God and the
Transgender Debate, 72.
[2] “FSU Researchers Find the
‘Quarantine 15’ Weight Gain Might Just be in Your Head,” https://news.fsu.edu/news/2020/12/16/fsu-researchers-find-the-quarantine-15-weight-gain-might-just-be-in-your-head/
[3] Andrew T. Walker, “HBO’s Transhood Makes
the Argument Against Transgenderism,” https://cbmw.org/2020/11/25/hbos-transhood-makes-the-argument-against-transgenderism/
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