Mike Delgado

In this week’s podcast, we’re honored to learn from Austen Hartke about coming out as transgender in seminary, the work he is doing right now to help transgender and gender-expansive Christians, and some encouraging words for Christians parents of transgender youth.

You can get this episode on iTunes, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher or YouTube. You can also listen or download the full podcast episode here.

In this episode, Austen talks with us about:

• Choosing an affirming vs non-affirming seminary
• Anxiety about going to a non-affirming seminary
• Advice for LGBTQ+ students wanting to attend seminary
• How Hebrew courses helped Austen understand bias in Bible translations
• What shocked Austen in his Pentateuch (Torah) classes
• Dealing with difficulties in the Bible
• Genocide and sexual violence in the Bible
• Fears of coming out as transgender in a non-affirming seminary
• Anti-transgender legislation and fears of trans youth
• Advice to trans people on self-acceptance and transitioning
• Tips for parents and guardians of transgender and gender-expansive Christians

Austen Hartke is a graduate of Luther Seminary’s Master of Arts program in Old Testament/Hebrew Bible Studies, and is the winner of the 2014 John Milton Prize in Old Testament Writing. He is the author of a book entitled “Transforming: The Bible and the Lives of Transgender Christians,” which is published by Westminster John Knox Press. He is also the founder and director of Transmission Ministry Collective — an online community dedicated to the spiritual care, faith, and leadership potential of transgender and gender-expansive Christian.

Today, we’re honored to learn from Leyla Jagiella about her book “Among the Eunuchs: A Muslim Transgender Journey, which is published by Hurst.

Her fantastic book shares the story of Leyla’s transgender journey as a Muslim woman and finding belonging among the third-gender communities in South East Asia. Her brave and insightful book explores perspectives of gender identity and sexuality in Islam and South Asian cultures.

From an early age, Leyla Jagiella knew that she would be defined by two things: being Muslim and being trans. Struggling to negotiate these identities in her conservative, small hometown, she travelled to India and Pakistan, where her life was changed by her time among third-gender communities.

Known as hijras in India, khwajasaras in Pakistan, these marginal communities have traditionally been politically and culturally important, respected for their supernatural powers to bless or curse, and often serving as eunuchs in Mughal India’s palaces. But under British colonialism, the hijras were criminalised and persecuted, entrenching taboos they still battle today.

In this podcast conversation, Leyla talks with us about:

• Studying Anthropology & The Problem of Othering
• Constructions of Gender & Sexuality in Culture
• Being Drawn to Islam & Beauty of Diversity
• Suppressing Gender Identity & Sexuality
• Advice for Those Struggling with Gender Identity and/or Sexuality
• Gendered Spaces in Mosques
• Gaining Recognition as a Transgender Woman in Islam
• Third-Gender Communities in Islam & Joining the Hijras in South East Asia
• Muslim Spirituality, Sufi Shrines & Eunuchs
• Trans-Affirming Scriptures in the Quran, New Testament & Talmud

You can watch the entire conversation about Leyla’s new book here.

Leyla Jagiella is a cultural anthropologist and scholar of religion, working on orthodoxy and heterodoxy in Islam and gender and sexuality in Muslim societies. As a Muslim trans woman, she has also been a community activist for several decades and works as a social worker with LGBTQI refugees in Germany.

Read More…

What should you do if your teen comes out as transgender? What are ways to support them in their transition, while also helping them grow in their faith?

Many parents struggle to understand ways to support their their transgender teenager, especially if they think that it’s just a phase of gender exploration, or a mild form of gender dysphoria that will eventually resolve.

A parent may further struggle on how to care for their trans youth if they belong to a non-affirming religious community, which may exclude their teen from participating in important spiritual activities (e.g. communion, confirmation, mitzvahs) and/or gender-based ministries. Sadly, some of these religious communities may further harm trans youth with transphobic teachings and political agendas aimed to hurt the transgender community.

All of this can lead trans youth to feel unaccepted, unloved, and less likely to continue in their faith journey.

This is why it’s important for parents and spiritual leaders to be aware of the prejudice, discrimination, gender harassment, and barriers faced by transgender youth so they can learn ways to help.

Here are some distressing statistics:

Read More…