By Father Casey

Given the volume of hard-to-fathom news these days, you may have missed the announcement this past week that all citizens will now be required to travel with passports that match their sex assigned at birth. This may seem a small thing to those of us who have always lived comfortably in our bodies. Indeed, many of us don't think much before checking the little box declaring our sex on various documents.

But for millions of our transgender neighbors, this is another assault on their rights and dignity. It denies their ability to live outwardly as who they know themselves to be inwardly. It communicates loud and clear that they are neither respected nor tolerated; according to the government they do not even exist.

We know differently. Transfiguration is home to numerous trans and non-binary parishioners, who bless us in myriad ways by their presence and participation. I've been honored to hear many of their stories, and they are heartbreaking and inspiring in equal measure. These folks didn't ask to be different, and they are certainly not trying to make things hard for anyone else. They are simply trying to live with honesty and integrity; they are trying to be who God made them to be. They are people of courage and resilience, empathy and compassion.

Societies don't grow great by bullying and belittling. Nations don't grow strong by removing rights from vulnerable people. It's bizarre to me that so much of the hostility toward trans people comes from Christians, for as Christians, whether or not we understand someone else's experience, we know our basic responsibility to them: to love them as Christ does. And it's impossible to love someone you are pretending doesn't exist.

Did you know almost half of transgender people have attempted suicide?

Did you know over half of trans people have experienced significant family rejection, which has led nearly a quarter of trans people to experience homelessness?

Did you know 90% of trans people have experienced harassment or discrimination at work, and nearly a quarter of trans people have been fired as a result of their identity?

I share these statistics to remember what is at stake. This isn't a matter of mild inconvenience at the airport. It's not just an awkward conversation with a customs agent or a forced-change of attire when traveling. When we tell people they don't matter, that their well-being isn't important, that who they know themselves to be is a lie and the government knows better, we are doing evil. It is as simple as that.

I trust our church to continue creating a culture of inclusivity and embrace. I trust our church to stand on our mission statement and seek Christ in all persons. But I also hope we will speak up on behalf of our trans neighbors who have too few allies. They need us to stand up and speak up when their wellbeing is at risk. They need our help ensuring their rights and safety, and protecting their full and equal participation in our world. Because they need more than a safe church to go to on Sunday. They need a safe world in which to live.

Father Casey+