Leave theology out of transgendered debate

TO THE EDITOR:

I must say I’m disappointed with The Daily Tar Heel’s coverage of transgendered people and religion.

I submitted a letter in response (that was not published) to Grayson Street’s assertion that an online comment misunderstood Christians (“Bible lays out what is sinful behavior and what is not,” Sept. 25), stating that perhaps Street should try to understand transgender people before pronouncing them sinful.

Instead of shifting the debate from a theological one to a social one, the DTH chose instead to print a letter contesting Street’s interpretation of the Bible (“Christianity more inclusive than Street asserts in letter,” Sept. 28).

While this is a useful debate to have, I believe it is one to have within religious institutions where all parties agree on basic assumptions, e.g. God exists and the Bible is sacred.

UNC is a public institution with no such religious mandate, and not all students are Christian or agree on these assumptions.

Rather than wade into a theological debate, why don’t we, as a community, make more of an effort to understand one another’s standpoints — religious or not.

I would like to invite Street and all others to attend a Gay-Straight Alliance event or a safe zone training; to meet transgender people with an open mind to understanding them.


Kate McFarland
Graduate Student
Sociology