James K. Beilby - Understanding Transgender Identities: Four Views

An Introduction

P AUL R HODES E DDY AN D J AMES K. B EILBY

S ince the social ferment of the 1960s, Western culture has become increasingly attuned to matters of sexuality and gender . Over the last two decades, one way this new sensitivity has manifested is in the increasing awareness of the experiences and identities of transgender people. While the contemporary understanding of transgender identity was largely forged in the late twentieth century, it has only been within the last few years that our culture, in the words of Time magazine, has reached a transgender tipping point. Key moments have included Diane Sawyers 20/20 interview of Caitlyn Jenner in April 2015; the debut in July of that same year of I Am Jazz , a reality TV show featuring Jazz Jennings, a transgender teen; and the back-and-forth of the transgender bathroom debate.

While the church has spent significant energy in recent years engaging certain questions surrounding gender and sexualityquestions about the role of gender in marriage, the place of women in ministry, and an understanding of homosexuality within the context of the Christian lifemuch less attention has been given thus far to transgender experience. To date, most of what has

It is the purpose of this book to further the Christian conversation on transgender experience and identity by bringing a range of perspectives into dialogue. The bulk of the book will be devoted to reflections from our five contributors and their responses to each others reflections. This introduction will serve to set the context for the dialogue. We will begin by offering a survey of key historical moments over the last century or so (with a focus on the North American context). Next, we will touch on some of the contemporary issues, questions, and debates surrounding transgender experiences and identities. Finally, we will set the stage for the conversation on transgender identity in Christian perspective that follows.