Tag: truth

Trans Women are Women?

I want to write about a common phrase going around. The first is “Trans women are women”. The second, which is similar is “Trans men are men”. If you’ve been around medium or transgender forums or groups you will hear statements like this. Both of them are equally valid and equally interesting. Both of these claims bring up questions of the soul in ways that I have been thinking about.

First, it brings up the obvious questions: “What is a man?” or “What is a Woman?”. If the answer we give to these questions is simply based on what body parts we have or the sound of our voice, then it renders these statements meaningless. People can change their body parts through surgery and even change their voice with surgery and voice training. This leads to the idea that a man can become a woman or that a woman can become a man.

If, however, we believe a man or a woman has certain character qualities or roles in society. Then someone proves their manhood or womanhood in the way they behave. When a boy or man cries he is sometimes told he is acting like a girl or woman. Is that statement true? If crying makes someone a girl then any of us can be a girl!

But what about the reverse? What action does someone do to prove their manhood? In my experience, men think that the more women they have sex with the more of a man they are. This standard they have set automatically makes a virgin like me not a man at all!

The crazy rules society sets for us remind me of the many conflicting rules around who or what is a Christian. I was raised as a Christian and so I often compare things to this.

Some people say a Christian is someone who goes to church. Some say a Christian believes certain things about the death and resurrection of Jesus. Some say a Christian is someone who does good deeds and feeds the homeless or something like that. Which of them is right?

Maybe all of them are right and all of them are wrong. They are right because there are people who calls themselves Christians who do these things. They are also wrong because they think that their definition of a Christian is the only one.

All someone has to do to be a Christian is call themselves a Christian. If the Christians can do this, then so can transgender people. We can call ourselves male, female, nonbinary, genderfluid, or whatever other term people use these days. No one can say that we are objectively wrong, because nobody knows us like we can know ourself.

But what exactly is the truth? How can I know for sure that what I am telling people is the truth? I once asked Honesty the unicorn about this and I learned there is more than one truth. There is the truth of my body but also the truth of my soul. I will copy and paste that conversation from my book here so that you can fully understand the depth of it.

Chandler’s Honesty Part 4: Chapter 6: Which Truth to Tell

C: What is it that you say you can show me?

H: That telling the truth is not always as simple as you think. Sometimes there is more than one truth to tell and you might be torn over which to tell.

C: And how can you show me this?

H: With an example. When someone asks you if you are a man or a woman, which truth do you tell them? The truth of your body or the truth of your soul?

C: Is this a trick question?

H: Of course.

C: I do not know how to answer this question. There are too many assumptions, too many complications in how things are defined. What is the answer?

H: You can answer in any way you wish, but either way you are telling only half the truth, which can sometimes be very dangerous. So instead of answering either that you are a man or that you are a woman, you can answer: “It’s complicated”.

C: Yes, it is complicated. You’re right about that, but it does not do anything to answer the question.

H: Those who want to know the full story will take the time to listen to you explain the intricate details of who and what you are and how you feel. Those who don’t really care enough will hear you answer that it’s complicated and they will give up. This way those who only want to know what parts you were born with will go on to bug someone else instead but the more enlightened and curious will listen and get to know the real you.

C: Very clever! A way to sort between two types of people and save time when I don’t know which truth to tell.

H: This same technique can be used in other situations as well. If someone asks you if you believe in God, you can also answer that it’s complicated, because such questions are loaded with assumptions based on the culture, dominant religion, and the life experiences of the person asking. People think they know what a man or woman is and they think they know what God is but they don’t.

C: This is all true and sometimes it’s the best answer, but can I handle the complicated details of these things myself? Only after I understand it can I begin to explain it to those who want to understand me. I want to dive down and understand these things. Words very much confuse me because I assumed they had a meaning but now I’m not so sure. I know it’s complicated and you’re right. Sometimes there really is more than one truth to tell, but I want to know all the versions of the truth, not just part of it.

Part 4: Chapter 15: A Better Way

C: Yes, Honesty, I suppose it would be a unicorn that would be my god. But what does it matter that you are here? What does it matter if you are good and true? What does it matter that you love me? The suffering of others continues and the world goes on with humans continuing to hurt each other and trillions of other animals. What you tell me now will not change the world nor give me the power to do anything about it.

H: Yes the world is full of much evil and humans who do wrong. I won’t disagree with you there, but do you require the world to be perfect and good all the time?

C: Of course, who doesn’t want that?

H: Those who delight in doing wrong. They want their freedom to do wrong just as much as you want them to do right. So who has the final say in what happens? You or the other billions of humans?

C: People would do well if they followed my example. The world may never be perfect but I believe it could be a lot better. But even so nothing could make right the the suffering of countless beings who had painful lives and painful deaths. The idea of all those who have been here and suffered is more than anyone can count. I do not see how a happy ending to this story is possible.

H: And yet, even though you know that, you still see the small good in others. Even those humans who do wrong and even those who mistreated you, you still respect their lives enough that you do not wish harm on them.

C: Of course, because I do not desire anyone to suffer. Nobody, no matter how bad they are or what they have done should be hurt. I only wish for them to change their ways and see that there is a better way.

H: And do you believe that everyone has the potential to change for the better?

C: I do not know, but since I do not know what the future holds, I never know if even the most evil could see that they were in the wrong and then completely change and be entirely different.

H: Let’s do a little thought experiment. I know you are against abortion just as you are against the killing of everyone else. But let me ask you this, if you somehow had the power to go back into the past an abort someone that you knew for a fact would cause you or other great harm, would you choose to kill them to prevent them from hurting others?

C: No! Just because someone will do great evil does not mean that I have the right to end their life. They still have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness!

H: And why do you think everyone, even the most evil of humans have these inalienable rights? Is it only because this is written in the United States Declaration of Independence?

C: No, it is because I, Chastity White Rose hold these truths to be self-evident just the same as the writers of the declaration of Independence.

H: And what evidence is that?

C: Because I want to live, I want freedom, and I want to make myself happy however that may be. Since I want these things for myself I must protect these rights for others or I am in violation of the golden rule which has always been my principle. So, no matter how evil people may be, I would not intentionally kill them because I do believe there is a better way to fix the world. I do not know if everyone can change or which people will and won’t stop their violence but if I have changed as much as I have in my life then I believe that some of them will change for the better.

H: And that is the power of life! As long as one is alive then have the liberty to change and improve. Even though the world is full of great evil, you have the power to see this, Chastity. This is what makes you strong enough to go on. I expect to see great things from you as you try to talk others into a better way and pursue your own happiness even though there are many things you are sad about.

C: Yes, however I may feel at times like giving up, I still believe that unless I try, I’ll never know. I am willing to talk to anybody willing to listen about the way that I live in the hopes that they do follow after my example and walk in the vows of Chastiy, Truth, and Ahimsa. I know many will mock me and reject me as they already have, but the White Rose is stronger than that. I will not be stopped by others because this is my life and I will do what I want to do. I want to make the world better than it was when I got here.

H: “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.” – Matthew 5:11

C: I remember that verse. That seems mysteriously relevant right now.

H: It is! You see I am Truth. Right now you know me as Honesty the Unicorn, but long before you met me people already persecuted you because you spoke the truths that you knew to be self-evident. People don’t usually like the truth because it makes them feel guilty knowing that they did wrong and so they try to silence you by making you feel that you are somehow wrong for sharing the truth with them. They do this thinking it will take away the pain in their hearts but it never does. So people persecute you for telling the truth as you see it and they make up lies about you and call you sexist, racist, or call you a sinner thinking that they are better than you because they call themselves a Christian and surround themselves only with people who agree with them and never speak what they really feel inside. So I say, blessed are you because you are stronger than all of them that revile you for speaking the truth. You are stronger than you know, Chastity, and you are making more of a difference than you can see. So keep doing what you are doing and pursue your happiness! May the Horse be with you!