Being trans is not a matter of faith akin to Christianity
Carine Hajjar’s April 13 Ideas piece, “We should treat the transgender movement as if it were a religious faith,’’ raises concerns worthy of discussion, such as whether parents should be informed about a student’s pronoun choice, or whether trans women should be permitted to join a women’s sports team; however, I could not disagree more with her belief that being trans is a matter of faith akin to Hajjar’s belief in Christianity.
One can change one’s religion or reject it entirely, but being trans is an expression of one’s underlying innate gender. The whole point is that the outward appearance of a trans person is not in concert with what the person knows is their true being.
Hajjar’s concerns seem to be much more with what she argues are extreme positions and policies promoted and pushed by some trans activists than with the idea that there are indeed trans people. Perhaps the parallel is the idea that faith is inborn (and there are those who know they are born without it) while the external manifestations of that faith, i.e. religion, may change. What is essential is that we recognize and accept trans individuals for the gender they are and that we are committed to ensuring that they receive the same rights as everyone else of their gender.
Dr. Roberta Berrien
Dennis
Scientific research supports sense of being trapped in the wrong body
The premise of Carine Hajjar’s argument is that “the belief that anyone can be born in the wrong body is just that — a belief. It’s neither the product of scientific research nor the outcome of a democratic debate. It’s a statement of faith.’’
If the premise is false then the conclusion is false. Here is what scientific research has shown:
· That our genitals develop in the first trimester of pregnancy and the brain develops in the second trimester.
· That our development is a product not just of genetics but also of epigenetics, which is the way hormones and other environmental factors affect how our genes are expressed.
· That the human brain continues developing well into a person’s 20s.
· That the brains of transgender women show many of the characteristics of cisgender female brains.
· That it is possible to have genitals of one sex and a brain aligned with another.
Thus, research has shown why some transgender people have the sense of being trapped in the wrong body.
Willa Taber
Arlington
Meanwhile, at the State House, a bid to bar sports participation
Re “Mass. House passes language barring students from playing on teams of the opposite sex, but requires state analysis’’ (BostonGlobe.com, April 9): The amendment to a $1.3 billion spending bill that was filed by state Representative John Gaskey, a Carver Republican, would go well beyond negatively affecting transgender athletes, who clearly seem to be the ones being targeted. If it were to become law, then someone like Emily Nash, a female student who was a member of the Lunenburg High School boys’ golf team because there was no girls’ golf team and who won the 2017 Central Mass. Division 3 boys’ golf tournament, would not have been allowed to play at all.
Even though Nash won, under Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association rules at the time, she was denied the champion’s trophy, which she very graciously said made her “a little bit disappointed.’’ While the denial of the trophy may have been disappointing, not allowing Nash to have played at all would have been disgraceful, no matter where she might have finished in the tournament.
Also, tacking such an amendment onto a spending bill and doing so without a recorded vote is a pathetic and cowardly way to legislate.
Bill Okerman
Needham
The writer is a member of the Lunenburg High class of 1972.
