After watching #DisclosureNetflix, I made a commitment to challenge myself to become less heteronormative in my work. That’s included reading more. Someone suggested “Beyond a Binary God: A Theology for Trans* Allies” by Tara K. Soughers. I started reading it this week.

Early on in the book, Soughers echoes what I’m coming to realize about myself. Affirming that all are beloved by God is not enough. We must continue to do the work that stretches us beyond comfort to see, honor and live into the full scope of God’s intention and love for us.

Soughers says, “I could—and did—affirm to my son that I believed that all people were made in God’s image and likeness, and beloved by God. However, I realized that I had never really thought through the issues the experiences of trans* people raise for traditional theology (1/4)

and how the experiences of trans* people might broaden our theological understanding and enrich our understanding of God. As a practical theologian, I believe that our understanding of God is influenced by our context and our practices. (2/4)

How, then, is our understanding of theology different in a context in which there are people who do not fit the idea of traditional gender binaries? Even trans* people who identify as either male or female challenge the immutability of gender. (3/4)

Those identifying as non-binary challenge the very idea that gender is a duality. What does it mean to understand gender in a way that affirms that it cannot be contained within a simple two-gender system based upon the appearance of genitals or even chromosomal makeup?” (4/4)