Love thy neighbour: The Bible and transphobia

15 Apr

Victoria Pickering, Transgender Healthcare Rally, on Flickr, https://flic.kr/p/2

In this episode, Em and Caz look at the ways the Bible can be used – or misused – to justify intolerance of transgender and genderqueer lives and identities. They cast a critical eye on some biblical texts that are commonly cited in transphobic discourse, before moving on to explore other texts, which appear to affirm and celebrate the value of gender diversity.

Show notes

Find us on Twitter @BloodyBiblePod, on Facebook @TheBloodyBiblePodcast, and on Instagram @bloodybiblepodcast. You can also email the podcast at BloodyBiblePodcast@gmail.com.

The Bloody Bible podcast is produced by Caroline Blyth, Emily Colgan and Richard Bonifant

Episodes are recorded and edited by Richard Bonifant

Our podcast music is ‘Stalker’ by Alexis Ortiz Sofield, courtesy of Pixabay music https://pixabay.com/music/search/stalker/

Our podcast art was created by Sarah Lea West

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Resources for this episode

Rachel Abrams, “Target Steps Out in Front of Bathroom Choice Debate.” New York Times, 27 April 2016. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/28/business/target-steps-out-in-front-of-bathroom-choice-debate.html

Eric’s coming-out scene (Sex Education, series 4, ep. 8, Netflix) https://www.tiktok.com/@netflixsa/video/7287899228637121810

Liv Facey, “Through Eric, Sex Education Season 4 Offers a Realistic Look at Young Queer People’s Relationship With God.” Teen Vogue 25 September 2023. https://www.teenvogue.com/story/eric-sex-education-season-4-queer-people-god-op-ed

Lydia Feng, “Australian study finds risk of sexual assault and violence significantly higher for trans women of colour.” ABC News, 26 February 2020. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-06-26/study-finds-high-sexual-assault-rates-for-trans-women-of-colour/12395226

Nili Sacher Fox, “Gender Transformation and Transgression: Contextualizing the Prohibition of Cross-Dressing in Deuteronomy 22:5.” In Mishneh Todah : Studies in Deuteronomy and Its Cultural Environment in Honor of Jeffrey H. Tigay, edited by Nili Sacher Fox, David A. Glatt-Gilad, and Michael J. Williams, 49–71 (University Park, PA: Pennsylvania State University Press, 2009).

Austin Hartke and Myles Markham, “What Does the Bible Say About Transgender People?” Human Rights Campaign. https://www.hrc.org/resources/what-does-the-bible-say-about-transgender-people

Christopher Hudspeth, “Sex Education Cast Guide: Meet Season 4’s Rambunctious Roster.” Netflix, 29 September 2023. https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/sex-education-season-4-cast-guide

Claire Landsbaum, “Laverne Cox Explains Why Anti-Trans Bathroom Legislation Isn’t Actually About Bathrooms.” The Cut, 24 February 2017. https://www.thecut.com/2017/02/laverne-cox-explains-what-bathroom-laws-are-really-about.html

German Lopez, “Myth #3: Letting trans people use the bathroom or locker room matching their gender identity is dangerous.” Vox, 14 November 2018. https://www.vox.com/identities/2016/5/13/17938102/transgender-people-bathrooms-locker-rooms-schools

Aysha W. Musa, “Jael Is Non-Binary; Jael Is Not A Woman.” Journal for Interdisciplinary Biblical Studies 1, no. 2 (2020). https://jibs.hcommons.org/2022/07/20/musa-jael-is-non-binary/

NSVRC, “What are the connections between Transphobia, Racism and Sexual Violence?” March 8 2023. https://www.nsvrc.org/blogs/saam/what-are-connections-between-transphobia-racism-and-sexual-violence

OUTline Aotearoa, Glossary. https://outline.org.nz/glossary/

Casey Parks, Emily Guskin and Scott Clement, “Most trans adults say transitioning made them more satisfied with their lives.” Washington Post, 23 March 2023, https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2023/03/23/transgender-adults-transitioning-poll/

Radio New Zealand, “Let’s Be Transparent” podcast. https://www.rnz.co.nz/programmes/let-s-be-transparent

Peterson Toscano, “Joseph and the Amazing Gender Non-Conforming Bible Story.” YouTube, 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkikBKW8vmQ&t=575s&ab_channel=PetersonToscano

US Trans Survey, “2015 Transgender Survey.” https://transequality.org/sites/default/files/docs/usts/USTS-Full-Report-Dec17.pdf

Harold Torger Vedeler, “Reconstructing Meaning in Deuteronomy 22:5.” Journal of Biblical Literature 127, no. 3 (2008): 459–76.

World Gender Customs map https://www.pbs.org/independentlens/content/two-spirits_map-html/

Stoyan Zaimov, “Robert Jeffress on What Jesus Thinks About the Transgender Debate.” Christian Post, 16 May 2016. https://www.christianpost.com/news/robert-jeffress-what-jesus-thinks-about-transgender-debate.html

Support services

OUTline helpline (NZ) - https://outline.org.nz/

Rainbow Youth (NZ) https://ry.org.nz/

Gender Minorities Aotearoa (NZ) https://genderminorities.com/

TransUnite (UK) https://www.transunite.co.uk/

Be You Project (UK) - https://thebeyouproject.co.uk/resources/