Being Transgender is not a Sin

Definition of termsGenotypic sex - one's gender based on the number of chromosomes (X,Y). Phenotypic sex - one's gender based on outward form. Gender Identity - one's sense of being either male or female. Transgender - one whose gender identity and phenotypic sex is incongruent. Transsexual - one who undergone or undergoes gender reassignment. Gender Reassignment - the treatment for Gender Dysphoria which consists of the Gender Affirming procedures (psychotherapy, hormone therapy and surgery). Gender Dysphoria - the distress that comes from being transgender. Being Transgender is not a SinThe axiom that the Bible is the only source of morality is prevalent in Sola Scriptura Christian believers. Being transgender isn't a sin since there is nothing in the Bible that says so. In fact, the Bible implicitly tells us that being transgender is not a sin since being a transgender is an inborn condition (a congential condition). We read in John 9:1-3: "As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind? ” 3 Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents,but that the works of God might be displayed in him. "Jesus himself said that birth defects are not caused by anyone's sin. By implication, every congenital defects/disorders is deemed to be as no one's fault. Transsexualism is a congenital condition. Thus, being transgender is not a sin. The strongest evidence to suggest that abnormal prenatal brain differentiation may lead to gender identity disorder comes from a recent study examining hypothalamic brain nuclei in men with gender identity disorder. Zhou et al. (1995) found that the central subdivision of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (a region of the hypothalamus) was smaller in MF transsexuals compared to normal males but similar in size to normal females, a difference that was not accounted for by hormone therapy. The fetal brain develops during the intrauterine period in the male direction through a direct action of testosterone on the developing nerve cells, or in the female direction through the absence of this hormone surge. In this way, our gender identity (the conviction of belonging to the male or female gender) and sexual orientation are programmed or organized into our brain structures when we are still in the womb. However, since sexual differentiation of the genitals takes place in the first two months of pregnancy and sexual differentiation of the brain starts in the second half of pregnancy, these two processes can be influenced independently, which may result in extreme cases in trans-sexuality. This also means that in the event of ambiguous sex at birth, the degree of masculinization of the genitals may not reflect the degree of masculinization of the brain. There is no indication that social environment after birth has an effect on gender identity or sexual orientation (Garcia-Falgueras A 2010). 1. God created mankind in his own image. The binary gender (male and female) reflects the divine image. The Bible says "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him;male and female he created them (Genesis 1:27). Yet Transsexualism and hermaphroditic conditionboth blurred the lines of binary concept of gender. The improvement of the DSM is not only in line with recent scientific discoveries but also in line with what the Bible says. Being a female isn't a disabling disorder and being a male isn't a disabling disorder. In other words, the female gender identity is good and the male gender identity is good. In Genesis 1:27, God created mankind -- male and female -- in his own image and verse 31 says that it was very good. Gender identity is not a disorder. Gender identity is in fact very good. It is never wrong to be a male and it is never wrong to be a female. In fact, science has shown that gender identity is innate or inborn. It is not shaped by environmental factors. Although the mechanisms remain to be determined, there is strong support in the literature for a biologic basis of gender identity (Sarswat A et al. 2015). The American Psychological Association (APA) renamed the diagnosis Gender Identity Disorder as Gender Dysphoria in theDiagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5). The former shows that gender identity per se is a disorder while the former shows that the disorder is the distress that comes from the incongruent gender identity and phenotypic sex. The American Psychological Association (2011) explains that a“psychological state is considered a mental disorder only if it causes significant distress or disability. "Therfore, what is considered as a mental disorder in Transsexualism is the disabling discomfort of gender identity and phenotypic sex incongruenceand not the gender identity of the Transsexual. In other words, gender identity is not a disorder sincebeing a male or a female is not disabling.2. If you believe that Gender Dysphoria is a real diagnosis? Why ,then, are you against its medical treatment? Gender Dysphoria is real and its medical treatment is the most effective treatment available.3. Sex Reassignment Surgery is part of the medical treatments for Gender Dysphoria. Gender reassignment (which includes psychotherapy, hormonal therapy and surgery)has been demonstrated as the most effective treatment for patients affected by gender dysphoria (or gender identity disorder), in which patients do not recognize their gender (sexual identity) as matching their genetic and sexual characteristics (Selvaggi G, 2011). Although current transgender treatment is relatively invasive and does not address the problem completely,it is the most successful intervention available. Studies report very high transgender patient satisfaction with sexual reassignment. Thus far, the largest evaluation has been a survey of Dutch transgender patients. Among the 1,285 patients surveyed, 1,280 were satisfied (Joshua D. Safer et al. 2008). References. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov...http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov...