Hoot_OS [v.31]@hootwheelz@blahaj.zone
We small talk for a bit and introduce ourselves. Before they begin soliciting, I tell them that I'd actually been thinking about religion a bit more lately. I provided them a brief overview of the context I'd just provided: I was born, baptized and confirmed Catholic; I was raised to treat others with respect, kindness and love; and I should do what I can to do good in the world, as Jesus did. However, I was miserable as a child and a teenager. I wanted to disappear. When I realized I was queer and - after a few years of contemplation - started taking gender affirming hormone therapy, the temptation to disappear had... disappeared. I was finally happy. Yet, Christians who saw people like me trying to survive, they spewed hate and spite at us like we were sinners for daring to live.
I told them that this was why I became an atheist, but I was recently pondering religion and whether I had this wrong. Perhaps the people doing these evil things to queer people like me were misguided, either by misunderstanding the Bible or being lied to by their pastor. I told them I still consider myself an atheist, but i had become a bit more soft to the idea of being religious again.
Their response was to quote a verse from the Bible that spoke about God's love for all. Gentile or Jew, Black or White, Male or Female.
Now is where it gets REALLY interesting.
Hoot_OS [v.31]@hootwheelz@blahaj.zone
I respond to them:
"Hmm. I agree with that whole-heartedly. However, and this may just be me missing the forest for the trees, I have a sticky issue about the "Male and Female" line. I'm non-binary, I don't quite fit in either box. My body has features from men and women, but even those features weren't 100% male or 100% female. This is because of my hormone treatment."
Their response:
"Well... We want to be clear, we do respect your choice, and your right to make that choice. We wouldn't want that taken away from you. However, we believe God created Man and Woman. Still, we believe God welcomes all, including you."
Not a vile answer, of course, but it certainly has a pretty thick veil of "don't hate the sinner, hate the sin." But I don't like making compromises on my identity - the higher power I choose to believe in should accept my identity as fact, not as a temporary fixation or a lie. This will not abide.
My response:
"Thank you for respecting my right to choose my own path through healthcare, not enough people recognize that their religious beliefs shouldn't demand non-believers do the same. More people should respect others' choices, whether we agree with them or not. That being said, I have to disagree. While God may have created Man and Woman, it's important to remember that the human body is dimorphic in nature, not a binary. Certain circumstances can create many variations on the same miracle of life. You two may already know I don't exactly fall into that category of dimorphism, because under a certain perspective, it could be considered "self-inflicted dimorphism" or "non-compliance." However, I would remind you of the eunuchs, men who were castrated for cultural and religious purposes. Some were castrated to serve their community's needs, others were castrated to serve God. Given that language and cultural perspectives shift over time, one could suggest that the eunuch was a "third gender" of sorts, a person who fell in-between genders. They were highly regarded, too. I like to think of myself as a modern incarnation of those eunuchs, seeking these treatments to feel happier - and thus, feel closer to God's light."
The Mormons' response:
"That's a really interesting perspective, we hadn't seen it that way. We can't agree with you, we have our own beliefs, but our beliefs don't get to override yours, and vice versa."
From here, the conversation gets blurry - keep in mind, I'm getting more and more stoned this whole time lmfao
