Dear Editor,
While I am aware that how people feel about themselves is hugely important psychologically, it seems to me that in light of psychological maladies such as delusion, psychosis,neurosis, etc, a responsible community cannot, without more (as the lawyers would say), give practical and legal preference to ‘how one feels’ over against ‘how/who one is’.
So, if someone is, by standard, scientific criteria based on chromosomes, male (sexual identity) but feels (psychologically) female (gender identity), which identity should society take as the given?
If one feels like a fried egg (sunny side up) nobody indulges that delusion by making a large plate and allowing the person to sit in it with or without bread beside him. God no! If we care enough, we provide therapy because the person is not well.
Might we in modern society be too indulgent by allowing transgender persons (an incontestable psychological designation) to use the restroom of his/her choice based on how they feel about themselves? And we pass laws justifying this?
How is a transgender person discriminated against if required to use the restroom of that one’s gender or sex at birth?
Two Sunday mornings ago, I arrived early to preach at a church and needed to use the restroom, but learned that the male restroom was not yet opened. While the members there were wondering about who had the keys, I asked if the ladies rest -room was open and suggested (nay insisted) that I be allowed to use it, since it was open and no female was inside it.
Despite my mature bladder, I could not have insisted nor would I suggest using the female rest room if and while any female was inside it.
As a thought experiment, what if a person (thus incontestably of the genus/species homo sapiens) decides to argue for the designation of being trans genus (a weird coinage I know, but bear with me in a little folly) because he feels more canine than human? What then?
Is modern man degenerating from homo sapiens to homo saps (my non-Latin coinage again in folly)?
Clinton Chisholm
clintchis@yahoo.com>
While I am aware that how people feel about themselves is hugely important psychologically, it seems to me that in light of psychological maladies such as delusion, psychosis,neurosis, etc, a responsible community cannot, without more (as the lawyers would say), give practical and legal preference to ‘how one feels’ over against ‘how/who one is’.
So, if someone is, by standard, scientific criteria based on chromosomes, male (sexual identity) but feels (psychologically) female (gender identity), which identity should society take as the given?
If one feels like a fried egg (sunny side up) nobody indulges that delusion by making a large plate and allowing the person to sit in it with or without bread beside him. God no! If we care enough, we provide therapy because the person is not well.
Might we in modern society be too indulgent by allowing transgender persons (an incontestable psychological designation) to use the restroom of his/her choice based on how they feel about themselves? And we pass laws justifying this?
How is a transgender person discriminated against if required to use the restroom of that one’s gender or sex at birth?
Two Sunday mornings ago, I arrived early to preach at a church and needed to use the restroom, but learned that the male restroom was not yet opened. While the members there were wondering about who had the keys, I asked if the ladies rest -room was open and suggested (nay insisted) that I be allowed to use it, since it was open and no female was inside it.
Despite my mature bladder, I could not have insisted nor would I suggest using the female rest room if and while any female was inside it.
As a thought experiment, what if a person (thus incontestably of the genus/species homo sapiens) decides to argue for the designation of being trans genus (a weird coinage I know, but bear with me in a little folly) because he feels more canine than human? What then?
Is modern man degenerating from homo sapiens to homo saps (my non-Latin coinage again in folly)?
Clinton Chisholm
clintchis@yahoo.com>