Gender Is Not a Choice
By Denise Hunnell, MD
WASHINGTON, D.C.,
January 09, 2013 (Zenit.org) - November 2012 marked the first time gender
identity was included as a specific protected classification in a United
Nations General Assembly anti-discrimination resolution. This wording is
significant because it elevates gender identity to the same level as race,
creed, religion, and sexual orientation. Yet this term is ambiguous and there
is no clear agreement as to what discrimination on the basis of gender identity
means. Bringing such uncertainty into the language of international law opens
the door for broad assertions of rights for those who claim to be
"transgendered."
In its broadest,
most widely agreed upon sense, discrimination means to single out a person or
group for unfair or unjust treatment.
The United Nations declared that no one should be subject to summary execution or extrajudicial killings on the basis of race, creed, sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity. Certainly, no one advocates that those with a gender identity disorder should be vulnerable to the capricious use of capital punishment. However, once gender identity makes its way into the anti-discrimination lexicon, many will conclude that being transgendered is a variant of normal identity, rather than a disorder. (This has already happened with the term "sexual orientation," which is interpreted to mean acceptance and promotion of homosexuality.)
Including gender identification as a protected class reduces gender to a subjective identity. Maleness or femaleness becomes an arbitrary construct made at the whim of the individual and all are expected to accede to the self-proclaimed gender identity. Failure to do so is seen as discriminatory.
The United Nations declared that no one should be subject to summary execution or extrajudicial killings on the basis of race, creed, sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity. Certainly, no one advocates that those with a gender identity disorder should be vulnerable to the capricious use of capital punishment. However, once gender identity makes its way into the anti-discrimination lexicon, many will conclude that being transgendered is a variant of normal identity, rather than a disorder. (This has already happened with the term "sexual orientation," which is interpreted to mean acceptance and promotion of homosexuality.)
Including gender identification as a protected class reduces gender to a subjective identity. Maleness or femaleness becomes an arbitrary construct made at the whim of the individual and all are expected to accede to the self-proclaimed gender identity. Failure to do so is seen as discriminatory.
As recently seen in
the state of Washington, protection against discrimination on the basis of
gender identity can be interpreted to mean that a man who dresses as a woman
has the right to be considered as truly a woman. At Evergreen
College in Olympia, Washington,
a 45-year-old student with male genitalia declared that he is actually a woman.
The school claimed that because gender identity is included in the state's
anti-discrimination statutes, this student must be treated as a woman in all
aspects of college life. This includes allowing the student to use the women's
locker room at the college pool and fully expose himself to all the females who
share the locker room. Those who object to this policy are labeled bigots and
are said to be infringing upon this student's right to determine his own sexual
identity.
The belief that
gender is a personal choice has made it fashionable to go to great lengths to
avoid "imposing" a gender identity on children. Egalia
is a "gender-neutral" publicly funded pre-school in Sweden. The school does not refer to its students as boys
or girls, but only as "friends". They do not use any gender specific
pronouns. In fact, they have made up a new Swedish word, "hen", to
replace "han" and "hon", the Swedish pronouns for
"he" and "she". They have banned stories like
"Cinderella" or "Snow White" in favor of books featuring
gay and lesbian couples, single parents, and adopted children in order to avoid
reinforcing gender stereotypes.
Some parents have
gone so far as to hide the sexual identity of their children to avoid any
cultural influences on their gender identity. A Canadian couple was profiled by the BBC after
deciding to conceal their baby's gender from everyone, including their own
parents. They named their child Storm and intend to let the child explore
various gender roles so that Storm can decide whether to be male, female, or
some combination of the two.
However, as
Abraham Lincoln said, "calling a tail a leg does not
make it a leg." God created us male and female. Those born as males have
one nature and those born as females have a complementary nature. Each equal in
dignity but distinct in character. A man can have traits that are often thought
of as feminine, such as being communicative or nurturing. That does not alter
the fact that he is a man. A woman can have traits that are often thought of as
masculine, such as being assertive. That does not alter the fact that she is a
woman. It is abnormal for a man to believe himself to be a woman or for a woman
to believe herself a man and it is most definitely not an act of love to
encourage such delusions. Rather, it undermines human dignity to deny the
reality of an essential element of human nature.
In
his 2012 Christmas address to the Roman Curia,
Pope Benedict characterized the rejection of innate male and female sexual
identities as a denial of God. He warned that this threatens not only
individuals, but also the very existence of families and the wellbeing of
society as a whole:
Man and woman in
their created state as complementary versions of what it means to be human are
disputed. But if there is no pre-ordained duality of man and woman in creation,
then neither is the family any longer a reality established by creation.
Likewise, the child has lost the place he had occupied hitherto and the dignity
pertaining to him… The defence of the family is about man himself. And it
becomes clear that when God is denied, human dignity also disappears. Whoever
defends God is defending man.
It is interesting
that it is often the people who tout diversity as a lynchpin of a healthy
society who seek to suppress sexual diversity and create a genderless,
androgynous culture. As Pope Benedict points out, this philosophy that
radically redefines what it means to be human is at the heart of the assault on
marriage and the family. When male and female become meaningless labels then
marriage as a union of one man and one woman becomes unnecessary. Indeed, the
need to limit marriage to two people no longer makes sense when complementarity
is denied. When the unique roles of husband and wife are obliterated, the
status of children also changes. They become mere commodities obtained for the
benefit of an amorphous adult partnership instead of distinct human persons
with intrinsic dignity born of the fruitful union of a man and a woman.
It is misguided and
dangerous to confuse gender differences with gender inequality.
Acknowledging that men and women are different is not tantamount to saying one is better than the other. And while it is noble for the United Nations to affirm that those who suffer from a gender identity disorder must not be subjected to persecution, such an affirmation must not be construed to mean that gender is fungible. Those who identify as transgendered must be treated with dignity and love, yet to deny the reality of innate sexual identity undermines both. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church states, God's creation of both man and woman is a reflection of the Creator's wisdom and goodness. We reject this gift at our peril.
Acknowledging that men and women are different is not tantamount to saying one is better than the other. And while it is noble for the United Nations to affirm that those who suffer from a gender identity disorder must not be subjected to persecution, such an affirmation must not be construed to mean that gender is fungible. Those who identify as transgendered must be treated with dignity and love, yet to deny the reality of innate sexual identity undermines both. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church states, God's creation of both man and woman is a reflection of the Creator's wisdom and goodness. We reject this gift at our peril.
* * *
Denise Hunnell, MD,
is a Fellow of Human Life International, the world's largest international
pro-life organization. She writes for HLI'sTruth and Charity Forum.
I do agree with the title of this article that gender is not a choice, because it really isn't. If that were the case, then the expressions 'boys will be boys' will no longer be relevant. The fact that people THINK that they can actually choose their gender irritates me because they're not being true to themselves. In the cases that people do change their image, then it poses as a sin of mutilation - changing something that is in good condition.
ReplyDelete'Normal' is defined as something that is natural and standard. Being a transgender can never be considered normal, because it isn't natural. The standards for gender are female or male; there is nothing in between. You can either be female or male but not both, and it is not our position to choose which one we can be, but rather embrace whatever we're given because it is right and true. People are taking all these preemptive measures to take away the discrimination towards transgenders when the truth is that it cannot be taken away. When they choose to be transgender, they open themselves up to be discriminated against because again, it isn't normal. With this, there is no such thing as 'the right to determine sexual identity' because you're given your sexual identity at birth and it cannot be altered to what you choose.
This line from the bible (1 Corinthians 6:19) comes to mind when I read this article: "Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own."
When one chooses to be something they're not, to reject their body for what it truly is, they are not respecting themselves and more importantly, God, which is obviously wrong. These bodies were given to us therefore we should accept it as it is. When people think that they can choose their gender, it disrespects God because it is not in our position to choose and only He can do this. This very idea that being transgender is normal, creates a pavement to other issues that cannot be changed like the idea of family. It destroys what is already established and is true.
Melissa del Rosario IV-C
Posting for DEEDEE KUFFEL IV-A
ReplyDelete“And God said, Let us make man in our own image, after our likeness… So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him, male and female created he them.” (Gen 1:26, 27)
It is true that we are all given the freedom of choice. However, the freedom of choice does not revolve around choosing what ever we wish to, and going against the rest of the Church’s teachings, but the freedom of choice consists of our choosing the morally good and upright deeds and refraining from the morally evil and sinful ones – such is the only manner we may perfect our freedom. Thus, the choice of a gender was, and never will be a choice that we can make. When God created man and woman, he created them in His image and likeness; herewith, He created man and woman with natural sexual differences, sexual differences that we must accept, not wish to change, and be thankful for. He gave us these genders as complements to each other, and for the purpose of permanent and exclusive union of love; thus, it is important that we uphold God’s gifts of gender and sexuality, for these two not only serve as the constitution of our body, but also our identity. Choosing to change our genders is morally wrong because we are not only completely mistreating the gift that God has given us, but we are also insulting it. Agreeing completely with Dr. Hunnell, although the UN’s affirmation that those with gender identity disorders must not be subjected to persecution, gender is NOT fungible.
Think of it this way, choosing one’s gender is much worse than throwing the iPhone your parents gave you for Christmas in the trash bin.
As we have studied in previous years, it is understood that God creates every single one of us in His very own image and likeness. Knowing this, it should then be understood that trying to change what God made shows the lack of respect that one has for himself and moreso, for God. God only created two genders: male and female—nothing more, nothing less.
ReplyDeleteAlthough we are given the freedom to choose, choosing ones gender is not one of those choices that we are given the chance to make. The freedom that we possess aims for us to make choices that lead to our ultimate end and towards what is good. Though we must respect the decision people have with regard to how they see themselves to be, it is important for us, as Catholics, to understand what makes such actions wrong. Being a transgender may not seem wrong to everyone due to every person having his own mind and judgement. Because God loves every one of His children unconditionally and equally, people must not get the wrong idea and think that God loses the love He has for these people (transgenders) because of the decisions they make in terms of their sexuality. Therefore, we must have the same sense of respect and love for these people, as God has for everyone. It is important for people to understand completely who he is and not want to change that. Choosing to become transgender is a decision that people make but cover up the wrongness in their decision by defending themselves with the right to not be discriminated against. There is no sense in speaking of having the right to determine sexual identity because that identity is given to every individual the moment he or she is born.
It's true that we have freedom to choose but we also have limitations.
ReplyDeleteChoice of gender is the limitation of our freedom to choose. Like the title of the article, gender is not a choice that we can make. It's only God who can choose the gender for us and we have to accept what God has given us. We can't deny our gender and choose what gender we want to be just because of our freedom of choice.
I agree with what Abraham Lincoln said, "calling a tail a leg does not make it a leg." Telling yourself that you are a man doesn't mean that you can be a man. You can be a man when God made you as a man. You can't just say that you are a man when God has made you as a woman. We should not have the choice to choose our gender and we should accept what has given us and live with it.
What struck me most in this article was how parents nowadays decide to raise their children with the belief that they (the children) are gender neutral. By not making known the standard attributes of their children's original gender, these parents are basically obscuring the truth of gender from their children. They are allowing them to choose their "gender identity" despite the sexual characteristics they have been originally born with, and this way of thinking could distort their children’s way of thinking (and conscience) in the long run. This form of parenting is wrong, as it completely disregards God's plan for mankind, and, consequentially, the true nature and dignity of man.
ReplyDeleteHowever, other people don’t believe that this way of thinking is wrong. In fact, some of these people have taken the initiative to promote “open-mindedness” towards different gender identities, as well as the different lifestyles in society. As stated in the article, some places have banned stories like Cinderella and other well-known fairy tales to avoid discrimination, and instead, consented to the reading of stories about homosexual parents or single mothers. But I’ve noticed that through the prohibition of stories focused on heterosexual relationships in favor of the idea of gender neutrality/equality, these people have discriminated against the customary relationship between a man and a woman. Therefore, in the midst of trying to avoid gender stereotypes, they’ve created a new one. Worse, they’ve rejected the vocation of communion in love, and procreation (between a man and a woman) written in the very nature of every man and woman, threatening the meaning and essence of a family.
The youth has the right to know that gender is NOT subjective, and NOT a choice. They should understand that people cannot simply identify themselves with whichever gender they prefer just like the man in the example mentioned in the article who chose to be identified as a woman. This is because at the end of the day, that man is essentially still a man, as he was born with the characteristics of a man, and will continue to possess these characteristics for as long as he shall live.
-Janelle Cruz
COMMENT FOR SAB LEE IV-A
ReplyDeleteI think many people have the wrong idea of our "freedom to choose". When we are given the right/ freedom to choose, it simply means that we are free to do things that normal people are supposed to do such as eating, studying, and things like these.
As the title says, gender is never a choice. God made us in his image and likeness as either a male or a female. If men were allowed to choose to be women and women were allowed to choose to be men, then why does the word "gender" exist? Just because we want to become a man, we can't simply just "change" our gender. What God has given us is a gift and one simply does not deny a beautiful gift that God has given us. God divided us into two genders for a reason. For us to be able to love the opposite sex and to allow us to have a family. We should learn how to love the gift of God and live with it, not try to change it although knowing that that isn't the right thing to do.
BY GABY MAPUA:
ReplyDeleteGender is not a choice. Gender, I believe, is one of the many gifts or privileges that God has given to us. We as blessed human beings need to be grateful and use what is given to us in the right ways. I believe that the gift of gender is beautiful. The fact that a woman and a man can unite in the way the opposite genders were made to in marriage is beautiful. I believe that when people believe in more than 2 genders, they are very very confused. I believe they are wasting the gifts and privileges God gave us humans. God made the levels of life, there are us humans, animals and the plants. Humans are capable of more, for example, thinking rationally, as compared to plants. Plants are also given genders; although, plants can be only male, only female and both. When a human being chooses gender, i believe he/she is degrading himself/herself into being more of a plant than a human being. Many people are left confused about sexuality due to the media and/or their upbringing. So as to help our brothers and sisters, we must be careful with what we post on the media and how we raise our children and treat others. We treat them like human beings for them to realize the many gifts God has given them, just like gender. God gave gender to us for a reason. Let us trust in Him because he is always right.
I really have nothing against homosexuals. Who am I to judge the orientations and inclinations of people? What I do disagree with is the acts homosexuals would be tempted to do. And because the homosexuals want to become the opposite sex, they are tempted not to just change the way they talk, move, etc.but they also want to change their whole self including gender. It's so unnatural and there's no point in the labels, MAN and WOMAN. If there's no MAN and WOMAN, there's technically no marriage. If you ask a transgender if he/she loves his/her husband/wife or boyfriend/girlfriend, he/she might say YES but doesn't really know that he/she means NO. Love is the total self-giving and giving what's best for the other--a relationship/ marriage with no fruit to yield is pointless. Man to man and woman to woman, there would be no procreation. The couple may adopt, but what kind of family will that child grow up in knowing his parents aren't really what they seem. Changing gender is deceptive and therefore a lie. It's lying to oneself and lying to others. Besides, gender is a gift. When we are given gifts, we're not given the chance to submit our preferences. We simply accept, show our appreciation and make good use of the gift. We accept our gender, thank the Giver, and use it for the right reasons. It's really so offensive to receive a negative reaction from the receiver of the gift. The gift of gender is part of human nature. Although one may have the opposite orientation, it really doesn't mean that he should follow his instincts. Think of it this way: there's more merit in heaven to living chastely if one has the opposite sexual orientation.
ReplyDeleteAnd instead of criticizing these struggling people, the least we could do is pray for them. We pray that they realize the debasement of their dignity due to their shift in gender and that they may find their way back to their natural self.
"They named their child Storm and intend to let the child explore various gender roles so that Storm can decide whether to be male, female, or some combination of the two."
ReplyDeleteI find this article, most especially the anecdote I quoted above, absurd because gender is NEVER a choice for us but only God's. God already had a great plan for all of us when we were just in our mothers' womb. Thus, what ever we have or what ever God has given us, like our gender, should be respected for it came from God, the Almighty. What we are (male or female) must be lived through out our lives in cooperation with the Church's teachings. This is an act of great love for God for we willingly choose to follow and respect His creation and law. Like what it said in the article, "when God is denied, human dignity also disappears. Whoever defends God is defending man."
BY TIPPIE CO:
ReplyDeleteIt is ridiculous that gender identity has now been included as a ‘problem’ by the United Nations. As mentioned in the article, recognition of gender identity discriminations would only further prove that being transgendered is not just a special case but would soon be considered a social norm. It seems that this way of thinking makes gender out to be something changeable – like the clothes or the shoes that we wear. Our genders are permanent, but nowadays we can see that people are making it a choice.
We do not have the right to determine our own sexual identity, and that statement cannot be stressed enough. The examples given in the article were clearly erroneous; and although this 45-year old male student who dresses like a woman, or these ‘gender-neutral’ children can think whatever they want, at the end of the day, “calling a tail a leg does not make it a leg,” as stated by Lincoln. It is appalling that people have become stupid enough to put up ‘gender-neutral’ schools or keep the gender of their child a secret because they ‘think’ what they’re doing it right.
Last Christmas, the pope even made a statement that when one ignores the true identity of his or her gender, then one is also denying God. It is blatantly offensive, to want to change the gender that God has given you for such selfish reasons of satisfaction. This disregard for the gift of our gender will also domino effect on God’s other blessings such as marriage and the gift of having a family and children.
If there are no determined genders, it is also said to endanger relationships and families. Wanting to change from male to female (and vice versa) for one’s own gratification is horribly wrong. It is not worth risking the relationship we have with our friends and family, nor is it worth messing up a child’s future. It may not seem like such a big deal, but many people would be affected by it, especially future generations who would then be confused and utterly lost at the ‘freedom’ of choosing one’s gender.
Gender identity should not be a choice, and it should not be an issue.
We don't have a choice! God has created us how He wants us to be. We are not meant to alter anything because we don't have the right to. Just because you call yourself a female doesn't really make you a female. God created you that way and therefore, you should stay that way.
ReplyDeleteI think it is good that the discrimination for the transgendered people will be removed because everyone deserves to be respected and everyone has a choice. But we should never accept being transgendered as something right. God created us and it is only right that we follow Him and do exactly what he wants us to do, which is to reproduce. Being transgendered doesn't only mean that you are refusing God's plan or you but you are also destroying the complementariness of a male and female.
It is not right for a man to dress as a woman and be accepted as a woman because that is not what he is. That is totally unacceptable and that is not the truth. We cannot plan our own lives and we cannot just change what we have. Instead, we should be happy and grateful for what God has given us.
By changing your gender means that you value your own happiness more than God's plan and that is not right because we don't even deserve to be created. God just wanted to share his happiness. The least we could do it please him and make him happy.
TARA GAJITOS IV-B
Switching of gender means one is not satisfied with what God has destined him or her to be. It is a sign of disrespect and dishonour not only to God, but to one's body and one's identity. If a person either turns gay or lesbian, they are rejecting what God has planned out for them. And this leads to a distortion in society today. If a man deems himself to be woman, then he wouldn't be inclined to WANT a woman anymore but to WANT a man instead. And this will lead him to sins like engaging in sexual actions with the same gender (homosexual acts). It is "instrinsically disordered." And by engaging in homosexual acts devoids one to procreate life. And procreating life is a sole reason why God has created man and woman. Basically, being transgendered does not go according to plan. It leads to grave sinning. Therefore they should be called to spiritual directions, prayers to live a proper Christian vocation to prevent one from sinning against God. Because everyone knows that people should go according to plan that which means gender is not a choice and it is what it is and God has planned for it to be that way.
ReplyDeleteAll humans have freedom and so he have freedom to make a choice between good and evil. I strongly disagree some points from the article Gender is not a choice. We are creation of God and we are made by his image, and we all have purpose of our life, and we are called to live a life on earth. It was God's plan for us. In every situation there is a reason behind, there is a reason behind why you were made as a woman or as a man and it was eventually God;s plan for us. We are stewards of our life we should live our life in what God planned for us, because our life is not owned by us as well us our body is not owned by us it is all owned by God. as we destroy God's plan we are rejecting everything from him. Changing the Gender simply means that you are not happy with God gave you, so you tend to ignore his meaning and have your own meaning of life. We should not ignore God, because he is our creator and we are creation of God. In the article there
ReplyDeleteis a story that a parent hide the sexual identity of their children to avoid cultural influence on their gender identity. And a Canadian couple had let their children explore various gender and let the child decide whether to be a female or male or some combination of two. This situation is totally wrong, it seems you are not living with the gender what was given to you, but your making your own gender. We shouldn't be doing this.
From this article I can see that now a days that changing gender is a easy thing to do, but we shouldn't change our gender. we should take and carry it until your death, because that was what God wanted, so we should follow his will until we die .
Gender is NEVER a CHOICE. It is a GIFT.
ReplyDeleteWe were created as one whole person by God, carefully crafted into His own Perfection.
One cannot choose the gift he/she receives because it is really up to the person who gives us that gift to decide whether we should have it or not. The giver gives us what He thinks we deserve, what he thinks we can use, what he thinks could help us become a better person. Gender is a gift that is given by God because he wants us to fulfill that certain role in his plan for creation. Every gift is different, we are not only given gender we are given unique qualities that makes us truly special in order to become the best female or male God has destined us to be.
God created us as male or as female in order to respond to the role that He has planned for us to fulfill. He created us to be male and female for a unitive and procreative purpose. Giving oneself that "power" to become whatever we want of ourselves makes us selfish to the will of God.
We have to be careful and watchful with the things that are happening in the world today that can cause us to cloud our judgement because we do not know what the TRUTH is or even differentiate RIGHT from WRONG.
-Janel Mendoza IVA
God created both man and woman into the world in His own image and likeness. We, therefore, cannot say that we do not have any gender or neutral. The parents and the teachers who promote gender neutrality and go as far as to hide their sexual identity to their children are taking the truth from their children which is not good at all. Families will not be able to understand each other and it will lead to a dis functional family. These children will be given false truths and it will be hard for them to mature. I agree to what Abraham Lincoln said,"calling a tail a leg does not make it a leg." Even if a man tells everyone that he is actually a "woman" he is telling everyone a lie and not the truth. he cannot deny his nature because he would not be able to fully understand himself, he would not be able to transcend with Christ in him, and he is destroying his dignity as a man. If everyone had no gender then how will we be able to procreate? the world will be in total chaos. There cannot be anyone who does not have any gender because God created everyone with a gender- man and woman. This way of thinking is absolutely wrong and does not solve anything but makes matters worse.
ReplyDeleteThe world has changed in so many ways since God had created it, and not all of those changes are necessarily good. He had a vision, He had a reason for everything that exists, but we somehow rebel against this vision, see it as restricting, and we twist it in certain ways that will satisfy whatever we think we really want, even if it not truly right.
ReplyDeleteGender is something claimed to be very superfluous now, something that has man and woman as the extremes, while there are at least hundreds of different "orientations" classified like little tick marks on a number line. We as human beings are failing to see the real beauty in the relationship between man and woman because we begin to identify ourselves as something we are not. Men want to be addressed to as a female, while other females want to become like men. It is not natural because we were born either man or woman, not something in between, not something claiming to be another. God had something planned for us, specific reasons as to why we are born to be seen as either male or female, but because He had given us so much freedom, we choose to use this freedom in such a way that we go against what He wants for us in the first place.
When we become to accustomed to this idea of different orientations and genders "existing" and being lived out there in the world, we begin to lose our sight of why woman was specifically created for man and vice versa. We are meant to transmit and bring new life into the world, create families that will love and serve Him in the best ways they can. But when this very definition of the family is being challenged by what we selfishly want, then we lose Him. He never strays from us, is always happy to be there to guide and love us, but because of what we see as "normal" and acceptable, we stray from him.
-Hopee Castelo, IVA
Nowadays, it seems like everyone wants to find their "true" identity. In the search for their "true" identity, some may try on different clothes, read very liberal material and hang-out with different kinds of people. Others, on the other hand, may just straight-forwardly define themselves by their inclinations, passions and desires. They may say "We're just being true to who we are." But if you think about it, when one has this kind of mentality, he actually fails to see his true identity which is manifested in each person's very body.
ReplyDeleteJust like the title of this article, "Gender is not a choice." The gender given to us should never be viewed as a hurdle to becoming "who we really are", rather, it should be recognized for what it truly is - a blessing. God made as a man or a woman for a cerain purpose, one that is in accordance with His plan for us. In addition to this, God made man and woman complementary to eachother, which means we were made for eachother. When a man and woman consummate their love after undergoing the Sacrament of Marriage, the act is fruitful. When the act is done at the right time, it brings forth something as sacred as a new human being. When it is done by two people of the same gender, it is never fruitful. This in itself tells us that God gave us our gender, and when it is used correctly, we can work wonders.
Although this is the truth, we sould never look down to people who have homosexual tendancies. Just like what Jason evert said, original sin has different effects on diferent people; one of which is having different sexual tendancies. Therefore, we should preach the truth with respect. We should help eachother carry our crosses, not pull eachother down.
Chelsea S. Tambunting, IVC
Nowadays, many people choose themselves to be whatever they want, specifically when we talk about GENDER. As we observe the surroundings, some of us go against what they are.
ReplyDeleteAs we can see from the title of the article, gender is not a choice that can easily be changed. Our physical body is given from our creator and God made us in that way because he has a plan. But if we choose ourselves to be different from our being, that means we go against His will. God gave us freedom to choose in our lives. But that freedom doesn't mean to destroy nor to change. Freedom was given from God to make a right choice in our lives but freedom doesn't mean we will do anything we want even it is immoral. I am so sad that many people have wrong definition of freedom. Again, gender is not something that we can change it but it is a precious gift from God which makes us special.
Cheong, Seo Hyen (Ann) IVB
The title of this article, "Gender Is Not A Choice", is merely stating a fact because we were made in the image and likeness of God, therefore it is our gender is God's decision/choice and not ours to choose.
ReplyDeleteThis article, in my opinion, is showing how the world is changing so quickly and at the same time shows how as time passes, people start to forget about God. This article completely goes against its title because it is telling us that people nowadays think it is alright for one to choose his own gender. It shows that people are forgetting God because by the people's actions, it's as if they live without God by them. These people who choose their own genders, who hide the gender of their children so their children have the "freedom" to experiment and believe what they want to be, completely go against God because what they are doing is against God's image of us and it also degrades their own human dignity.
In my opinion, I believe this article was written to show others that this is a very serious matter that must be addressed and attended to immediately so that something may be done to fix it because if this issue is not fixed, it may become worse and that will just lead to disorder in the world, a strained relationship with God, and the worst -- completely forgetting God.
We all know that God only created 2 genders which is man and woman. We were all created as man or woman and we should accept that. We should accept ourselves for who we are and not "transform" into someone else. Even if we want to be someone else, man or woman, its not really our choice but God's choice since he's our creator. Since he's our creator, we shouldn't interfere with his choices because he knows what's good.
ReplyDeleteI really think that making gender identity a problem is a dumb decision. Why would they accept it, and accept transformation of gender. Especially the fact that a man who wants to be a woman is allowed to use all facilities that a woman uses. No matter what they think, a man will always be a man and a woman will always be a woman. Their body parts will never change, just what they want to be. I dont know if they are using their heads or not, by accepting this in schools. Also, the school in Sweden which does not identify their students as a "he" or "she", i really think that that doesn't help them. It will make them lost and confused once they grow up. Everyone should just accept their selves for who are they are because thats what God wants for us and they will not be able to change their identity. Behind those plastic surgery and implants or whatsoever, a man will always be a man, and a woman will always be a woman.
JACI YATCO IV-B
I agree with what the article is talking about. How gender is definitely not a choice because when God created the human race, he only made 2 genders. As time goes by, suddenly humans decided to stray from these 2 genders and create their own to fit their wants. This is absolutely wrong because God Himself created male and female (only) out of love in his own image and likeness.
ReplyDeleteHe created male and female as part of His plan for the creation of the human race. This is why male and female compliments each other (physically and emotionally) and from their total-self giving of love in the martial act, they take part in God's plan and conceive a new human being. Our gender is what we are born with because God knows what is best for us. By making us male or female, He is telling us that this is who we are meant to be and this is what He knows it best for us. By not accepting this gift of gender, it is as if we are going against God's plan for us. Though God gave us our freedom, it does not mean that we can play god and change our gender.
The examples in this article is saying that it's okay for the people to stray away from the gender that they were born with. In fact, it is not because it's not what God planned for us and it's not what He wants for us. It is as if we are forgetting that He is the Supreme Being who created everything in the universe and questioning or going against what He gave and wants for us.
Chariza Oleta Concepcion, IV-B.
It is true that gender is NOT a choice. God created us in a way that we are either male or female. We're not left with a blank in front of us asking whether we would like to be one or the other. We are obviously born with our gender and there is absolutely no reason to try and change God's plan for us. The fact that one "chooses" to be a certain sex goes against the entire meaning of being a man OR a woman. That choice does not lie within us but rather with the one who created us himself. Having someone choose his or her own gender is therefore morally wrong. Gender is NOT subjective nor is it relative. We must learn to accept the way God created us and not try to go against his intentions.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that some people go through huge extents to change their gender shows that society is changing more radically than we ever expected it to be. The mere fact that the United Nations recognizes gender identity displays how society is slowly straying away from God. People go through all sorts of things in order to "accept" who they truly are like cross-dressing, etc. but in reality, they are not accepting the way God designed them to be.
I believe in what the article states that people with this condition have to be treated with utmost love and respect but we still have to remember that no matter what, gender identity goes against what God wants and that will always be morally wrong no matter how hard society tries to distort this fact.
Monica Lorenzo IVB
Gender has always been and always should be something that is heteronormative. This means that gender is not something that is chosen and that gender is either only male or female and not a spectrum of different possibilities. What this sector of modern society is doing is destroying the greatness of a family, marriage and one's sexuality. By labeling gender as a choice, one rejects the gift given by God, since gender is a beautiful gift that we must take care of and celebrate. Instead of fighting and changing what was given to us, we have to understand and look into the beauty seen and found in being a man and in being a woman. There are two different genders to complement each other like yin and yang.
ReplyDeleteThe UN should be addressing problems such as discrimination, but by allowing homosexuality or gender neutrality to prevail, it is reinforcing that there is a "preferred" type or "disliked" type of gender, which is contradictory to their role as an organization that is supposed to help people celebrate who they are and be happy.
Moreover, So many professors, professionals, etc keep telling how culture is important. You know, "Let's all preserve history! Let's preserve our culture!" But what they fail to address and see is that by creating this gender neutrality, they're steering away from culture and language, because even language is heteronormative. Like in the Filipino language, "tito" refers to a relative who is male, while "tita" refers to a relative that is female. There is no label for a relative who is a mix of both of who is gender-neutral.
Homosexuality is one of the most debatable topics in the world today. The first thing I want to establish is that homosexuals are not completely evil people. Let’s face it, we do have relatives and friends that may have a little gender issues. I have nothing against them as people. They deserve respect like the next person, since they are still human beings. They haven’t murdered anyone, they haven’t robbed a bank, as far as we know. But the choice of gender, which is a very sensitive topic, must be looked at cautiously. Now, I can’t judge what allures a person to “change” their gender, but there has to be limitation to what they do! There are some points in this article that struck me, which I will later discuss in detail:
ReplyDelete1.“The school claimed that because gender identity is included in the state's anti-discrimination statutes, this student must be treated as a woman in all aspects of college life. This includes allowing the student to use the women's locker room at the college pool and fully expose himself to all the females who share the locker room.” Why I think this is wrong is that it is overstepping bounds, more specifically the right to gender privacy. I remember one time when me and my friends were watching a movie. When the movie ended, we went to the bathroom. Lo and behold, a man walked out one of the cubicles and started to wash his hands. We were all silent and kind of traumatized as he then walked out so casually. It was a pretty scary scene. Also, the “exposing of himself to all females” just really wrecked it. I wouldn’t want to see a naked man, unless he of course, was my husband and we were married. It completely spoils the privacy of both genders, the secret-ness of what actually transpires within the bathroom cubicle. That’s exactly why they made bathroom signs.
2.“They have banned stories like "Cinderella" or "Snow White" in favor of books featuring gay and lesbian couples, single parents, and adopted children in order to avoid reinforcing gender stereotypes.” Okay, now that’s really sad…We all grew up with these stories as children. They are supposed to inspire us and make us rich in imagination, and these classical tales have lived on for many centuries. These stories should be untouchable—they contain elements of children’s fantasies, and should continue to inspire and fantasize us. All this, to be put into waste is very saddening. I mean, don’t bring the children into this. To do this out of selfish intent, considering that most of the world still has a resolute choice of gender, is quite illogical. The world would be breeding a whole generation of indefinite-gendered children.
3. They named their child Storm and intend to let the child explore various gender roles so that Storm can decide whether to be male, female, or some combination of the two."
Once again with the children. You’d be feeding them wrong information. If this is how children learn, the mistaken information will continue to spread in generations years, centuries from now. You will teach the children it’s completely okay to change your gender at any given moment. And that’s not true.
In Conclusion, God gave us our bodies to love and take care of. We were, first and foremost, given the gift of life, which is already a luxury in itself. (5 Million babies have been killed due to abortion.)Can we say that these gender-confused people are enjoying life to its full extent? God created a man, and a woman. There will always be a truth to what you are, and no act, no surgery, no law papers can ever change that.
Imagine a world in which the concept of man and woman didn’t exist. The language would be different because then the people would be called something else. Families (in their true sense and meaning) would no longer exist because all the people comprising a family (father, mother, daughter, son, brother, etc.) would no longer be called such and they wouldn’t have any specific roles or duties.
ReplyDeleteThis is the world that we will live in if this continues: a world where, by claiming to “defend” their identities, people actually lose them or destroy them entirely. There is a reason that God made man and woman, why He made them different, and why He made them complementary to one another. This protected classification of gender identity is dangerous to the family and to man himself because: 1) it completely flouts the definition and function of the family, and 2) when people deny God, they deny man himself.
Firstly, a family is formed by a man and woman, “Each equal in dignity but distinct in character.” That is why a person cannot be “both” man and woman because of the complementarity of the two. The two genders are different from each other, but when joined together they complete one another. This is why families are started by a husband and his wife. The male brings something to the marriage that the wife can’t, and vice versa. How can a person be mother and father, husband and wife, at the same time? How can a man change his sexual orientation and deny his nature in order to become a woman? Not only will the roles of husband and wife be compromised but the roles of the children as well. Children are a gift from God, the result of the expression of love between a husband and wife. If they grow up without a definite parentage, they will end up thinking that gender is arbitrary and that man can deny his nature and be whatever he chooses to be.
Secondly, whoever defends God defends man himself. Why? Because what is man without God? It was God the Father who created man, God the Son who redeemed man and restored man his dignity, and God the Holy Spirit who sanctifies man and helps him reach his true end. The reason why we have dignity is because each one of us is unique, and we are made in the image and likeness of God. Supporting the idea of gender identity is like a clay pot rebelling against its creator (the potter) and insisting it’s made of porcelain instead. A denial of gender is a denial of God (who created us) and is a denial of man’s dignity because that came from God.
It’s sad and terrifying to think that we could end up living in a world where man (husband), woman (wife), and the family no longer existed. It is never a good thing when the creature goes against its creator—that can only lead to sadness, despair, frustration, and failure.
I've been re-reading this article for the past few days, and I have finally come up with the conclusion that what is being told in this article (these happenings) is really ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in my review class, I recall one of my teachers saying: "You must always remember that [pagdating ninyo sa UP] it's the sex that isn't optional, not the gender."
I relate this to the article because although I do not necessarily have anything against people's choice of love interests, what irks me is that people, because of such interests, are starting to disregard the nature of man may he be male or female. To ignore something so important would not only be stupid, but completely unfair to the future generations.
As all my other batch mates said, although we are given freedom freedom from God, people-- especially in this day and age-- have the tendency to abuse their freedom and try to follow rules of their own to the point that it is corrupting their morals and that of others.
When God created man, He had done so with such perfection that He could be able to further spread His love through means of procreation. He did this by giving Adam his Eve, thus the existence of only two kinds of sexes. What this article says is that there is no such thing as a natural sex, but rather one of choice. This is wrong because it disregards God's plans for us-- one of which is to procreate through the conjugal act-- and also because it is quite obscene in essence.
Why would you let someone who has male body parts, use the women's locker room. Although countless homosexuals believe that it is okay, since you're "in the same team" I believe that it is an invasion of privacy for those who are female and completely reckless of that school who allowed regardless of this person having malicious intent, or not. It is still at risk of an occasion to sin. Another thing is for parents to "let their child choose whether to be male or female". This is also very (again) reckless of them for as parents, they should be teaching their child the truth of his gender and not what society feels gender is. This will only confuse their child even more and lead him to grow up thinking that he can be male one day, then female the next. Making gender (sex) such a fickle thing.
It's one thing for a gay man to acknowledge that he is male, but still love other men and another for a gay man to believe that he is, truly, female, and love other men.
In order to rectify this situation the UN (and others) must take note of that although it is good that we stop bullying homosexuals because it is their right to choose who they love, it is a completely different thing to disregard the true gender of man because you cannot separate gender and sex. They are one in the same for they help determine your natural identity and help you find your purpose in God's and your own eyes.
"It is misguided and dangerous to confuse gender differences with gender inequality. Acknowledging that men and women are different is not tantamount to saying one is better than the other. And while it is noble for the United Nations to affirm that those who suffer from a gender identity disorder must not be subjected to persecution, such an affirmation must not be construed to mean that gender is fungible. Those who identify as transgendered must be treated with dignity and love, yet to deny the reality of innate sexual identity undermines both. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church states, God's creation of both man and woman is a reflection of the Creator's wisdom and goodness. We reject this gift at our peril."
Nicole Duran, Year IV-A
MIKA RODAS IV-A
ReplyDelete"Calling a tail a leg does not make it a leg.”- Abraham Lincoln
This quote by Abraham Lincoln shows how erroneous the ideas of homosexuals are regarding their gender. Transgender issues have been prevalent in today’s society; many people have been misguided into thinking that gender is a personal choice. Moral relativism is seen here because this idea shows that the truth is seen as something subjective rather than something objective. It is erroneous because gender is not chosen by man but by God alone. One who thinks this way disregards God’s authority over man because he sets his mind into thinking that it is his choice to decide what gender he wants to have. Also, this idea pulls man away from the truth. For example, even though a man is totally convinced that he is female, he will never really be one because he was created a male. If he continues believing that he is a female, he will eventually be living on a lie and therefore he will not be totally free because freedom comes from following and accepting the truth. I also agree that this idea destroys the essence of what a family really is. It disrespects God’s original plan of marriage and of the family: that a male and a female become one flesh. Romantic relationships of people of the same gender just mock God and it just further distorts the Truth. I also disapprove of how parents encourage their children into thinking that gender is a personal choice. Rather than guiding them to the truth, these parents just lead their children into believing in a lie.
Though homosexuals have erroneous ideas on gender, it does not mean that we have a right to discriminate them. I agree that we should help them get back to the right path and correct their ideas without putting them down or bullying them. Moreover, as mentioned in the article, it is also important to distinguish gender inequality from gender difference. Man and women are equal in the eyes of God but this does not mean that they have the same roles or jobs in life. Furthermore, no gender is more superior than the other.
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ReplyDeleteYes, I do believe that people should not be discriminated for whatever reason it may be. We should respect each other if we ourselves want to be respected. We should treat everyone equally and love and care for each other.
ReplyDeleteBut there are also extremes in which we must take into consideration which is tackled by this article. If people were to respect lifestyles which are not morally right, then it may confuse others into thinking that it is acceptable and 'normal' to be this kind of person when it isn't.
I think it's ridiculous how people choose to ignore the fact that they are either men or women. And it upsets me to know that they force themselves to be someone else because they are not satisfied with what they have been given. The story of the male student that dresses as a woman and is to be treated/considered a woman really opened my eyes into seeing how deluded our world is now. It is beyond illogical to say that you are a woman when you are not just because you are dressed as one.
Man and woman have different natures and purposes, but at the same time complement one another. But if we were to live in a genderless society then we'd lose the importance of marriage and of course family. It'd be absolutely absurd to have a society with no men and women because as Pope Benedict XVI said it would be undermining the family. It would no longer exist or be held in such high esteem as it used to be. I believe they'd live unfulfilled lives in not knowing their true selves and not being who they were meant to be. Homosexuals for example will not truly understand what it is to love since love is the total self-giving of oneself. They cannot truly love one another if they are to commit these acts which do not exhibit selfless love.
I find it truly selfish to change oneself for no real and valid reason. God has given us so much that we don't deserve and it isn't right for us to defy and reject Him. Man and woman are equal so I don't see the point in trying to be a completely different gender.
Although I do not believe that what they do is morally right, I still also believe that we are not to condemn those who are homosexuals or transgenders. They are simply confused or do not fully understand what it is they are doing. We are still to treat them with respect and love as people with dignity. We should continue to pray for their conversion and trust God to do the rest.
Because of Moral Relativism, man's knowledge of truth is based on what he thinks, hindering the truth of God. In this article, moral relativism is present within man because he believes that it is not wrong to change his original identity as they are created by God. As a person, one must respect and accept the gift that God has given to him. Denying ones gender would mean that man doesn't appreciate God's plan for him so he creates a conflict between him and God.
ReplyDeleteCertain societies in the world have accepted the community of gays and transgenders. It may be instilled in man's law but never a doubt is still disrespectful to God's law. For the past years, discrimination has always been present with situations like these because many people are too selfish and self-centered that they think they are different compared to others. They are too close-minded that they don't realize the main reason why God made human beings. Man and woman are created to participate in God's creation of new life but changing one's gender would ruin the whole process of it.
So my main point is, why would man want to change God's plan for him if God only wanted the best for him? God loves man with all his heart that he gave him the greatest gift he could ever receive, which is life. Man could at least show appreciation, gratitude, and devotion towards God by abiding with His rules. It takes perseverance and hard-work but it pays off at the end. Acceptance of oneself is mans choice but gender will never be a choice.
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ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis article contains concrete examples of the disarray in our world today such as the case of the "woman" in the college in Washington and the child (with an unknown gender) named Storm. Through the years, more and more people are starting to decide or change to the gender they want to be. This is wrong for several reasons, as stated in this article:
ReplyDelete-It UNDERMINES HUMAN DIGNITY to deny the reality of an essential element of human nature.
- Pope Benedict characterized the rejection of innate male and female sexual identities as a DENIAL OF GOD.
- this THREATENS not only individuals, but also the very EXISTENCE OF FAMILIES and the well-being of society as a whole.
-There is a complementarity (which refers to the compatible and mutually beneficial relationship between man and woman according to the original plan of God between man and woman - Our Moral Life in Christ, p.345) between man and woman which is being disputed and somehow destroyed because of Gender Identity
[from the article: the need to limit marriage to two people no longer makes sense when complementarity is denied.]
(related to the previous two points/reasons:) There are some major immediate and long-term effects of this (on the existence or families and marriage). An example would be: "When the unique roles of husband and wife are obliterated, the status of children also changes. They become mere commodities obtained for the benefit of an amorphous adult partnership instead of distinct human persons with intrinsic dignity born of the fruitful union of a man and a woman."
I agree with the fact that there should be no discrimination in any way -- whether it be because of racial, religious or gender issues -- but I disagree with gender identity. I understand how people cannot help but be more like a female or a male (because of their environment growing up), but it is wrong to believe that you are not truly male or female by acting upon it [transvestites/transgender, homosexual acts, etc], as taught by the Pope.
Sadly, people, especially from our generation, fail to realize how wrong gender identity is; some don't even realize why it's wrong. There are several reasons why I am against it and why I believe that it is wrong(as proved in the reasons given above)
- SHAKA DIALANI IVA
Many things in this article bothered me while I was reading it but I would like to put emphasis on what affected me the most:
ReplyDelete1. “A Canadian couple after deciding to conceal their baby's gender from everyone, including their own parents. They named their child Storm and intend to let the child explore various gender roles so that Storm can decide whether to be male, female, or some combination of the two.”
- Korina Margarita M. Oblepias
The fact that some parents now a day are teaching their children that Gender can be choice and that that one can decide on one’s Gender after exploring various gender roles is really disturbing. That is not fair for the child. Not only are they obscuring the definition of Gender Idenity, The parents are also keeping such a big portion of this child’s identity. They are completely neglecting God’s plan for this child by concealing him or her from the truth on his Gender. This can greatly affect the development and growth of the child physically and mentally.
Another reason why I don’t like this situation is the fact that because of what these parents are doing, they are teaching their children a wrong idea. They will think that this is right because their parents were the ones who taught it to them. Although there will be some people who will tell them that this is wrong, they will still most likely believe what their parents have told them. This will become a problem to the future generations because this mistake or wrong idea will be passed on. The kid, who has been taught that Gender is choice, will pass this belief to his or her kids and they will past it to their own kids. This will result to the false definition or truth on Gender Identity in the
future, which is a big problem.
The title of this article is no doubt true. Gender is definitely not a choice. How can it be choice when God has already planned and decided on what gender each person is even before any of us were born? We cannot choose on our Gender because God has laid out his plan for us already, He has though of everything. He has put all his effort into every detail of every person in the world and that includes his gender. It is not right for us to just forget that just because of what we want or what we desire. We do not have the right to determine our own sexual identity. God has a purpose in mind when he created man and woman .We must fulfill our roles as a man or woman and not choose which Gender identity we want
Ever since the beginning, man and woman were given freedom to fully fulfill the duties as a child of God. Through the years, some people don't consider and treat freedom as a symbol of God's love for us since they misuse it. This transgender issue allows us to realize why we are made as man or woman and to appreciate more of this freedom given.
ReplyDeleteI have seen different views on transgenders from different people and grew up respecting their decision. Although this respect towards them still continues, I have matured and learned that this is not right. I am not just saying this because I am Catholic but also because I know that only man and woman were made by God from the beginning.
Freedom is not the only thing that is abused in this issue but also God's love. He created us because He loves us. We are mad as man or woman and it was all up to Him what to be. Whether man or woman, each have a purpose as to why they are such because God has a plan for each. These homosexuals go against what God created them to be, neglect the whole reason why they were made, and destroy the plan God has for them.
One instance from above is a couple who let their child to live wondering what his or her gender is and decide to be male, female or both. Reading this makes me so disappointed that there are couples that do not deserve to be parents for they are not doing their job well. This is a proof that our world today is full of incorrect beliefs and immoral influences.
Even if I believe that we should accept people for who they are, we, who are in the right minds, have the task to open the eyes of the people who live wrongly to know what is correct and convince them within all our powers to live correctly.
Gender is truly NOT a choice. We can never choose our gender because God already planned out who we are from the beginning of our lives. As the pope said it is a DENIAL OF GOD and this should never be the case.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, today's generation tends to forget the importance of God in our lives, that people tend to forget the truth. With the rapid growth of today's society, a person forgets the plan of God and how He wanted the world to be. We are created in Gods image and likeness. He too gave us freedom and with this comes our freedom of choice. but with this freedom, we are not given the choice of whatever we want. Here we must remember that with freedom the outcome must always be good. We do not have the choice of what gender we have. I do not discriminate against the people who are confused with what is true and what is right but i continue to respect and pray for them to be able to see that gender isn't a choice and to see that God made each and everyone of us unique and beautiful just the way we are. God makes no mistakes and our gender isn't a mistake or a choice. -Rebecca Garcia
Jessica Sarah M. Kho IV-B
ReplyDeleteI agree that gender is not a choice. However, being a man or a woman is God’s choice. In Genesis 1:28-29, the bible says: “God created man in His image; in the Divine image He created Him; male and female He created them. God blessed them.” Through this, each man must accept his sexuality of being a man and each woman at the same way must accept her sexuality too. Otherwise, not acknowledging and accepting one’s sexual identity is not just going against God’s commandment but also brings about other concerns and problems in our society such as denying the primary purpose of marriage, crisis in the family life, deprivation of a child of either his natural mother or father, confusion in society and so on. Therefore, to each one of us who has been given the gift of freedom to choose or do whatever we want, must not only think of ourselves when we make choices. But we must be responsible enough that what we choose to do would be good for man, society and most especially to God too.
You can't change what God made you as. God made you this way and God gave you this gender, either you are boy or girl, because He has a great plan for you. You were born a boy but, you want to be a girl? No, this can't be happening. You are beautiful just the way you are, the natural way God made you. Gender ISN'T a CHOICE because THIS IS DENIAL OF GOD and what God has planned for you. Denial of one's gender means that one is denying what God has given you.
ReplyDeleteMoreover, the statement from above: “A Canadian couple after deciding to conceal their baby's gender from everyone, including their own parents. They named their child Storm and intend to let the child explore various gender roles so that Storm can decide whether to be male, female, or some combination of the two.”has caused me a big ridicule and surprise. I do not understand why this parents are acting this way. Although God gave us the freedom, this does not mean we can change what has given to us already. Also, I personally think that this parents are ruining the "baby" who does not know what to do. If the baby is exposed to being a girl, boy, transsexual, or whatever the gender is, then the baby will soon be confused and might get the wrong perception of gender: that gender can be changed whenever you want to change.
It ridicules me that these gender issues are at their verge of explosion. Many, such as this issue, are released these days. This means that the people today do not really have the right idea and mindset about gender. I believe to fix this problem, we should pray, hope and fight for the correct and true way to view the gender issues.
---Dan Bi Kim IV-B---
t is honestly very nice to read how people are taking a stand to discrimination against the transgendered people. Everyone, as a creation of God, deserves the right to be respected and treated like any other human being. However, no human being has the right to dictate his or her gender. God created man and woman and no other gender for the reason that man and woman are made to participate in the God's plan of procreation. They are not only spiritually called to procreate but are also physically called to procreate through the structure of their bodies. Having said these, people cannot dictate their gender because it goes against God's will and plan for each and everyone of us.
ReplyDeleteGod never make mistakes. Everything that He creates and has created is perfect. A person who is therefore created as a man, is meant to be a man, and a person who is created as a woman, is meant to be a woman. God gave people their specific gender for a reason. in fact, people who can readily tell what their gender is, dictated by their bodies, should consider themselves lucky because unlike those with gender identity disorders, like the transgendered people, there is no confusion in terms of acting according to their gender.
The people who dictate their gender and the parents who dictate the gender of their children pose as a huge threat to what the God set forth as the image of a family. The family is the basic unit of society and has always been made up of a man as the father and a woman as the mother. To, first, change the identity of "parents" by making a family of two women as the parents of a child or two fathers as the parent of the child, is unnatural and dangerous to the child that will grow up in such an environment. To, second, allow a child to dabble in both genders despite the gender given to him or her at birth by God is an even greater harm to the future society of the world. Parents were given the responsibility to be stewards of their child and to make sure that their child is morally upright so that he or she contribute properly to society and the catholic faith. Just imagine what kind of a society we will have if the children of tis generation grow up thinking that they can be whatever gender they want to be. It is bad enough that the image of a family is being characterized by parents being made up of two people, regardless of their gender, but to distort the image of the family even more by making a child genderless is an even worse.
it is always admirable to see how people can be moved by a certain cause; but, this passion can only exist up to a certain extent. In this article, to see how moved society is by the topic of discrimination against the transgendered people is heartwarming but to see them take their passion so far as to manipulate the freedom given to them (seen in their dictation of their own genders) is alarming, but most of all, heartbreaking. "Freedom" is defined as " the freedom to do God's will; to be free from sin..." therefore, if we cannot do God's will, we are not free. People should remember that God created us and therefore He is the only one with the power to dictate our existence (for this article, dictate our gender) and that we cannot and should not ever assume that we will ever have the power to alter what God has set forth since the beginning of time, because God is everyone's beginning and everyone's end.
- Cara Alegre IV-A
GENDER IS NOT A CHOICE. Many people will disagree and reason out by saying that God has given us freedom to be what we want to be. We have the freedom to choose to become a doctor, a teacher, a lawyer, a businessman but deciding whether or not we want to be a male or a female doctor, a male or a female teacher, a male or a female lawyer, a male or a female businessman is not our decision to make. The decision has already been made, even before we were born. God has already set out a plan for each and every one of us. To go against His plans for us makes us a slave on this Earth. It is only when we follow God's plan by following his commands that we are truly set free so fight for freedom, don't be fooled by the things the world teaches us today --don't become a slave.
ReplyDeleteIn the article, we find many situations that are disguised as bringing freedom to a human being such as 1) the United Nations declaring that no one should be subject to summary execution or extrajudicial killings sexual orientation or gender identity, 2) concluding that being transgendered is a variant of normal identity, rather than a disorder, 3) a 45-year-old student with male genitalia declaring that he is actually a woman and because of this, the school claiming that because gender identity is included in the state's anti-discrimination statutes, this student must be treated as a woman in all aspects of college life, 4) Egalia being a "gender-neutral" publicly funded pre-school in Sweden where the school does not refer to its students as boys or girls, but only as "friends". For me, all these are wrong but the worst of them all is inflicting the growing problem of adults on children. Not just any children but pre-schoolers who have just begun going to school and because they are just children, they have open minds as compared to most adults. Instead of coming to school to learn, they are being brainwashed. God's plan for them has just begun and already, people are preventing God's plan from taking place. God created man and woman. He did not create "friends".
"And you, be ye fruitful, and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein" (Genesis 9:7)
Our duty on this earth is and always will be to God. As seen in the bible verse quoted above, one of God's first commands was to go forth and multiply --to procreate and start a family. We are diminishing the possibilities of allowing God's plan to happen in us because it is not true love when a man falls in love with a man and a woman falls in love with a woman. God is love and love is God. By choosing to become what you are not, you are rejecting God's plan and as said in the article, when God is denied, human dignity also disappears.
We are created in the image and likeness of God. We were created for a purpose in God's plan of creation. God created male and female; not female to be male and the other way around. Yes, God gave us the freedom to choose who and what we want to be BUT not in this way. To choose something that is NOT natural is not right in any way and under any circumstance.
ReplyDeleteIn the article, the story that struck me was the story of the couple who decided to keep the gender of their child and decided to name their child Storm so that he/she could "explore" both genders and from there decide what he/she wants to be. God created that child to be a boy or a girl. Not a boy to be a girl or the other way around. That child had a purpose in the bigger plan of God's creation. The idea of "exploring" can get the child confused and even lead the child into thinking that it's okay for a boy to be a girl and vise versa. When in reality, it isn't.
In a way, it's like tampering with God's plan of creation. We have no power over God to alter what he has already set. We are just creatures in God's creation and we have a duty to love and worship what he has created and we do this respecting what he has made us and by not changing what he has created. We are all created because God has a plan that he has set from the beginning of time.
- Andee Torres IVB
I strongly agree with this article because we do not have the freedom to choose our own gender. God gave us the gift of freedom but our freedom must be used for the good, for us to become better people. Using our freedom by thinking that gender is wrong because we cannot change the way God created us. Thinking that gender is a choice makes people think that God's creations are subjective. They do not recognize God is the perfect Supreme Being who created us.
ReplyDeleteI honestly fins Egalia, the pre-school in Sweden that is "gender-neutral", very absurd and stupid. The school misleads the children by being gender neutral. They are not teaching the kids the right thing by not recognizing them as boys and girls. Since the School refers to the kids as "friends", this causes confusion for the children. Since children's brains are like sponges, which means they can absorb or learn quickly, they learn the wrong values by being gender neutral and will bring it with them as they grow up. They will think that they can be whoever they want to be in terms of gender. The children should also know and recognize they're gender so that they can be the person who God created them to be.
No matter what we do not have the right to change God's creations for our own satisfaction. God's plans for us is absolute and we must follow what he willed or planned us to do. In order to do so, we must recognize our own gender and live the way God made us to be.
-Claudine Afable IV-B
While reading this article, feelings of anger, disappointment, and sadness came across me. For men and women to neglect what God willed for each and everyone of us and to think they have the right to choose their sexual orientation, just sickens me. If this generation and future generations to come continue to act like this, then truly, the human race is in peril! Something must be done to set people straight with what is right and what is wrong.
ReplyDeleteBased on what we've been learning in Theology class, particularly on morality, marriage, sexuality, and the conjugal act, it is evident that gender IS NOT a choice. God created man on earth with a unitive and procreative purpose. Either we choose to get married to the opposite gender and participate in God's will to become a union and procreate, or we choose to be celibate. Just through the physical uniqueness of man and woman, it is evident God had a plan for everyone in the beginning of creation. The very meaning of God's love and our lives is seen in our human nature and supported by the natural law. Men and women are created in such a way that they are willed to complement each other. This being said, it is against God's will and the natural law for people of the same gender to have sexual relations. Also, men and women do not have the freedom, nor the ability to choose their sexuality. Our sexuality and gender is willed upon us the day we are created;either you are a man or a woman- NOBODY can change that.
The government has no right to tell people that they have the right to choose their sexuality. This is a sin. As the authority, the government should only be thinking about what is GOOD and how society will become better. If this problem is not fixed and if the definition of sexuality and gender is not clarified for children and adults alike, then truly, our world is in peril.
-Monique Kahn, IV-B
Gender is MOST DEFINITELY not a choice. In the story of creation, God created only Man and Woman. He created each and every one of us in His own image and likeness and with that being said, we are are who we are for a purpose. God has a specific plan for us that's why He gave us this very special gift of life. He gave us our human bodies, which is also a temple of God, from the day we were born. To all those who think they can just choose their own gender and act the way they want to must consider themselves ungrateful because being alive the way God made us is already the best blessing/gift we can ever receive and we must love, understand, obey and accept that.
ReplyDelete"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." -Genesis 1:27
As for the homosexuals and transgendered people, I believe that these people need God's love the most in order for them to understand his plans and promises for us. We must pray a lot for these people and respect them because they are also our bothers and sisters in Christ. Also, these people need to learn how to trust in the Lord. However, this does not mean they can engage in sexual acts that go against the Lord. It is a sin for any couple of the same gender to have any sexual activities for it defeats the purpose of procreation and disrespects the temple of God.
"Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality." -1 Corinthians 6:9
The parents in this article must teach their children about God. It's evident in this article that these parents don't have a strong faith in God because they teach their children the wrong things and later on, this will pass on from generation to generation. Parents, as stewards of their children, must raise their kids to be God-fearing and faithful. Having parents of the same gender is definitely going against God and the more exposure of these kinds of relationships to the youth today, our society will grow immorally which will be seen in the years to come.
"And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise." -Deuteronomy 6:6-7
Freedom has its limits and this freedom that God has given us must ALWAYS be towards the ultimate Good. But one must keep in mind that freedom should never go against God's laws and what disrespects the Lord.
"Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God." -! Peter 2:16
It saddens me to know that there are parents out there who believe that their kids have the responsibility to decide on their gender. GENDER IS NOT A CHOICE. It is a gift given to us by God the moment he created us. Yes, it also gives us a responsibility - the responsibility to accept it, respect it, and nurture it, but it doesn't give us the right to impose it on ourselves. If a person decides to defy his/her sexuality, then he/she defies God and his plan.
ReplyDeleteSuch schools and institutions who claim to be "promoting sexual freedom" only cause more confusion for the youth they cater to. By replacing traditional children's stories with new ones that show "gender neutrality", they are leading the youth to disregard the importance of ones dignity. By promoting gender neutrality, they are only "playing safe". But what they do is make people believe that gender is a choice that one has to make on his own.
In today's society, people give in to their feelings much to easily. Attraction is often mistaken for love. This should not be the basis of ones gender. Just because a man is attracted to other men, it shouldn't give that man the right to switch genders. And just because a woman shows masculinity, it shouldn't push her to think that she is a man.
GENDER IS NOT A CHOICE. God created us with a plan, and we should respect that. We have no right to go against God's plan and be ungrateful for it.
--Kaye Bachar IVB
Total acceptance. That seems to be the world's creed today, it seems. Regardless of the objective wrongness of certain acts and ideas, nearly everything is accepted as possible, for the sake of 'peace and harmony'. Once anyone speaks out against it, that person is seen as closed-minded or bigoted.
ReplyDeleteOne such issue is the question of gender identity. Transgender, genderqueer, bigender, trigender: all of these are terms that refer to a new concept of gender identity, of labels that people give themselves in order to identify who they truly are. In the article above, examples of these people are given, such as the man who calls himself a woman, little Storm, and the school Egalia.
What the proponents of this 'freedom' with gender do not understand is that gender identity is intrinsically tied to biological gender. Within a person, male or female, is the sexual identity that dictates what gender one is. It is odd to assume that because a man is nurturing, a quality commonly identified as female, he is a woman. It would go against human nature to say such a thing.
To say that a woman can easily identify as male or vice versa would also destroy the sanctity of marriage. It was instituted as a unity of two halves, the man and the woman, to become one flesh. This call to unity is shown in the biological differences between male and female; by saying that one's gender is detached from one's biological sex would deny the complementarity of marriage.
People do not have to be the same in order to be equal. It is in the differences between man and woman that they can respect one another; sexual discrimination is still very wrong. However, allowing people to call themselves women when they are men defies the truth of human nature and identity.
In the beginning, God created man and woman in his image and likeness. He created us for a special purpose and that was to become one flesh and create new life. We did not choose and cannot choose to be man or woman because God himself already created us with a specific gender. God did not give us a choice. Since he is almighty and all-knowing, he gave us our sexuality along with a plan. We must also take care of this gift of gender from God.
ReplyDeleteThe story about "Storm" struck me greatly because the parents of the child kept the gender but is leaving it to "explore" both genders. So it is basically saying that he could be a boy or a girl, whichever he preferred, that is what he will become. That is wrong. It is such a shame that parents could let their children do that. First of all, their child is a gift from God, and along with that child was God's gift of gender. I think that the parents should value that. The child may grow up to be confused and eventually not know who he is.
Gender is truly not a choice. No one can change their gender for any reason. Sexuality not only covers a physical aspect, it carries our identity as well. God gave us our gender for a special purpose and we need to learn to respect that.
KITKAT CUENCA IVB
Ericka Capulong IV - C
ReplyDeletePart 1 (because it wouldn't work if I posted it as one whole comment)
Gender is not a choice.
It is both disappointing and at the same time disturbing how the topic of gender identity disorder has come to be, not only acceptable, but also considered "normal". Not only has that notion become increasingly popular among the people of the "responsible adult world", but it has spread to children through their misguided and irresponsible parents.
Male and female God made them. From the very moment of creation, God had a plan. God had a plan for each and every single person He created: each person was to be either a man or a woman. Only one or the other, never both and never something in between. It was God's plan that there should only be male and female, that there should be a complementarity between only male and female. It is foolish to think that a person has the ability to choose his/her gender. For anyone to choose a gender identity that is not his/her true sexuality, as God has made him/her, then that person chooses to go against God's plan. It is not normal for a man to willingly choose to identify himself as a woman. He is physically male, and he has the attributes of a male: He was born male and he is male, and the same goes for a woman who chooses to identify as a man: she remains to be a woman, to be female regardless of the gender she wishes to identify with. Though, there are some people who genuinely suffer gender identity disorder, but because of the human dignity which they also have, it does not mean that it is alright to discriminate against them. These people are different from those who think that they can willingly choose to go against God's will. Original sin affects each person differently and for those who genuinely suffer that disorder, it is their cross to bear, but it does not make them exempt from God's laws and plans.
Another thing that I find wrong is that there are such institutions as the pre-school in Sweden that was mentioned. I had actually read that article about the child Storm and the school Egalia, quite some time ago, and what is now clearer to me than it was before is how incredibly disordered that whole idea is. As parents and as teachers, those people had the responsibility to teach the children what is true and correct according to the moral law, according to God's law. Instead they are raising those children in an environment than not only accepts but also encourages the idea of gender identity as a choice. They should not be allowed to do that. They should not be allowed to confuse those children and to feed them information and ideas that are so morally disordered. The only thing that their actions will accomplish is to produce children who are confused as to what is TRUTH, to what is HUMAN DIGNITY, to what is MORALITY. In the environment and ideology in which they are raising those children, the only outcome will be the blurring of everything that is true and right according to God's will. What is even more disturbing is how the preschool is publicly funded by the Swedish government. As the government, they have a responsibility to the people and to the human dignity of their society to stop anything and everything that would disregard it and treat it as a commodity.
Ericka Capulong IV - C
ReplyDeletePart 2
I believe that the main reason why this issue is even out there is because many people confuse gender differences with gender equality. In the video we watched in Moral Theology class about Feminine Genius, the woman talked about how in the west there is the misguided view of feminism wherein, in order for a woman to be of equal dignity to a man, she must essentially become a man. What many people don't seem to understand that when God made man and woman, God made them different but of equal dignity. One is not less than the other. In fact without the other, then the one loses dignity rather than gains more of it. People need to understand that man and woman will always have their differences and that is so beautiful because it is the essence of the complementarity between them. If it were not for those differences in their physical, mental, and emotional attributes then there would not be such a thing as complementarity and there would be no need for the sacrament of marriage. Those differences are part of man and woman's human dignity; the differences do not take away the dignity of a man or a woman, rather it supports that dignity.
It would be against human dignity to disregard the authenticity of one's true gender as God has given it to us, and it would be against everything that comes as a consequence of that dignity as well.
First of all, gender and human sexuality is one of the greatest gifts of His. He created everyone either man or a woman, not man and a woman. He created created gender as the description of the identity and the body. Everything is pre-ordained in the world. We were created to be either a man or a woman. And since our gender is a gift from God, we should accept it. Gifts are meant to be cherished, it leads to happiness and not unsatisfactory. If God created someone as a man, then that man should be happy and accept his sexual vocation, same thing goes with a woman.
ReplyDeleteThe problem nowadays is that the mindset of the people have become more subjective and more open to many options. But the problem is, these environments that we are exposed to now are not of the best. Our minds are being influenced by the most immoral of things such as the approval of divorce and same-sex marriage in many countries. Yes God gave us freedom to choose what we want to do with our life but that doesn't mean with have the right to abuse it. Our freedom is real, but it is limited. Our freedom is not absolute unlike God's; therefore we must put our freedom to good use for the sake of God.
If we allow people to choose their own gender despite the human sexuality that God has given us, then that will really mean that we are denying God's ultimacy. We would be indirectly saying that we are unhappy with how He created us: in His own image and likeness. By denying our own composition (a reflection of God's being), then we would be denying God ourselves. The human population of this generation should be educated more about their Catholic Faith, because without education chaos such as this topic arises. Homosexuality has been said to be respected by the the church, but it does not mean that it is allowed to be acted upon. There should be limits as to where something will be immoral and moral. Such as the topic of gender. We have been allowed to think and about how one is able to "change" his gender if he or she wants to but it doesn't mean that it would be moral to do so because in this case it would be morally wrong. We should not abuse our intellect into acting upon immoral thoughts. Because by allowing one to choose his or her own gender, this would mean that he or she would be denying the complementarity that God has ordained for us. But denying our own human sexuality and gender, we deny God and our own dignity.
- Christine F. Hizon IVB
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteIt is not right that we manipulate Gods plans for us all for what we want and self gratification. Our gender is a gift and a blessing for God and by physically changing who we are, we are showing God that we do not like what he has given us and that we will go against his will for us. People are NOT entitled to change their gender because it is a way of degrading and disrespecting themselves too. How are we to take them seriously if they arent taking themselves seriously?
ReplyDeleteI was shocked when i read about the canadian couple who named their child "storm" and let him explore his sexuality. This just goes to show that they are not doing their duty and obligation as parents. As parents, it is their job to lead their children towards God and towards the right path. This couple is masking their child from the true values of life. How are people to take their child seriously? They are lowering this childs dignity because of what they are leading him to be. He is a boy and he has no right to change who he is because of the plans God has in store for him. Because of his parents, he will start to stray away from Gods will and live a life of impurity.
I think that my generation is very much too liberated. They think they can get away with anything and do whatever they like because of the lack of guidance from parents, bad influences and the wrong ideas. The sad thing is that Teenagers of today alter what God destines for them to do. In this case, our gender defines who we are, what are we to do and what we bring about for the betterment of the world. As catholics, it is our job to cure the illness of our generation right now.
Alex Tankeh, IV-C
Gender isn't a choice. Ever since the day we were born, our gender has been determined. Actually, there is only two genders: male or female. However, there is more to being male and female than our genetics. There is also psychological, emotional, and mental components.
ReplyDeleteGod himself made man and woman. He made only two genders because.. it only takes two people to reproduce in order to form a family. That's how God intended it to be! Men and women were created equals and we have to accept ourselves for who we are; we must embrace our sexuality. It is true that we have the freedom to make our own choices, but the decisions we make should always follow the moral law. God gave us this freedom, however we should never abuse it.
- Dee Tan IVB
Gender is definitely not a choice. Yes, God gave us the freedom to choose because He loves us but that doesn't mean that we have the freedom to choose to be a male or a female. We learned that freedom may seem unlimited but it is actually limited because God established His laws for our own good. He gave us the laws to make us choose the correct path which leads us to eternal happiness; the laws are given for us to follow and respect. As it is stated in the Book of Genesis, we are made in the image and likeness of God; therefore we have to thank for what He gave us. The fact that God is our first love shows that we have to love Him back and cherish what He gave us. Each of us is gifted as male and female because there is a reason; God has plans for us. Each one of us is given a unique gift to use it to grow as a better child of God. Gender is what allows us to be distinguished from each other; we are different because of the characteristics each of us posses. God gave us everything on earth to take care of them. It is not only these things that we should take care and love but we should do the same to ourselves first. The first thing that we should remember is that God loved us first and He will continue to love us forever so we should love ourselves. Gender is definitely not a choice because it is God’s gift for us.
ReplyDeleteTo think that one can chose or manipulate one's own (or others) gender is somewhat an uncomfortable idea because it tries to take away true aspects of life. It seems like in this modern world, people sacrifice truth and morality in the name of progress, but for any reason, I can not agree with the whole idea of gender being a choice. To identify as any other thing other than what God has created you is a direct affront to his plans. God does not make mistakes, he chooses to create us in the gender we were born into because it is what will help us reach our ultimate end.
ReplyDeleteGod created two genders: man and woman, two different yet compatible beings. Together married men and women form a family which is the basic unit of society. By distorting the idea of a family, one strikes at the core of society. The institution of marriage, and the sacredness of the family should always be preserved and protected because this is where the morality of any nation lies.
-- Ingrid Dela Cruz IVC
Gender is not a choice. It is something that is up to God. I believe that sex change is wrong because it is as if the person is not content with what God has given him. Being ungrateful is bad because with every blessing we receive, we should be thankful for it. I am not against gays and I believe that being gay is not bad. However, same sex marriage is bad because God created man and woman to unite after marriage, and create new life. Nations that protect the rights of homosexuals should know the reason behind this.
ReplyDelete-- Twix Tan Gana IV-B
(posted this for her since she doesn't have internet)
POSTING FOR BERTA KWOK IV-C:
ReplyDelete"Rather, it undermines human dignity to deny the reality of an essential element of human nature."
Lifting this from the text above, it is already given that by choosing your gender, you are going against your own human nature. By denying your human nature (being made in the image and likeness of God) you are denying God. ("And it becomes clear that when God is denied, human dignity also disappears.")Although I have nothing against transgender/homosexuals, i believe that it is not right to choose your gender. "Those born as males have one nature and those born as females have a complementary nature." This line also justifies that it is what it is and what you are born with, you cannot change because it is who you are.
This also affects the unit of family. Beginning with marriage, "When male and female become meaningless labels then marriage as a union of one man and one woman becomes unnecessary. Indeed, the need to limit marriage to two people no longer makes sense when complementarity is denied". Marriage is supposed to involve a man and a woman and it is through them that they serve the unitary and procreative purpose of marriage and with "choosing a gender", it totally changes the purpose of marriage and therefore is not a real marriage at all. When it comes to the children, "When the unique roles o husband and wife are obliterated, the status of children also changes." It may cause the child confusion with deciphering who he/she is. (there is a lack of identity).
Again, reality shows that people who choose their gender exist, and although they are wrong in denying their true identity, it does not mean we should treat them any less. They are still made in the image and likeness of God and therefore we must still respect them like we deserve to be respected.
Gender is definitely not a choice because God has a plan for each of us. When we are born, he chooses us to be either a woman or a man. He gives us our gender and guides us to live ours lives as how we should live it. Remember that each person has a role in life and the gender specifically reminds us what our role is. (Ex. Women are made to propagate life while men are to work to give better lives to their families.)
ReplyDeleteThe gays are alright as long as they don't engage in sexual acts that are immoral. Same-sex marriage is something I oppose greatly because it desecrates the holy sacrament God gave for men and women to be united to work with the plan of God. If such a bill is passed in the Philippines, we can expect a faster decline in morality which can endanger many lives.
Hanna Arbilo IVA
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis article stated that gender is not a choice, and I agree with it wholeheartedly. God created us as either man or woman, and we should accept that. God made us in His image and likeness and we should be happy with that. Yes, God did give us freedom, but we shouldn’t abuse this freedom. We shouldn’t use the freedom he gave us to choose the gender we want to be. God has planned out our life for us before we were even born. He made us male or female because it was part of his plan. Who are we to go against what he wants for us by changing gender? By choosing our gender, it is like what the Pope said: We are denying God. We deny his plan for us, therefore we deny Him.
ReplyDeleteNowadays, people tend to forget all that God has done for us and all the things he’s already prepared for us. People think that they can live their life the way they want, but that is not the case. We need to follow the path that God has prepared for us in order to meet Him at the end of the road and obtain eternal happiness with him forever. I have nothing against homosexuals, or those who are confused with themselves. I respect what their decisions are but I still continue to pray for them so that they may open their eyes and realize the truth. The truth of God’s word and beauty. That God made us what we are for a reason and we should try our best to not stray from the path he wants us to take. We should always remember that God is infallible and we should accept the way he created us with a happy heart.
- Chantal Bongat IVB
It is admirable how parents are trying to raise their children without typical stereotypes. However, they have gone too far to the point that they are raising their children without a gender, when in fact, being female or male is not a stereotype, but an innate quality of a person that helps them achieve their end. To fully dissect this article, I have divided my comment into four sections: the UN's decision, the pre-school, the parents who raise their kids without gender, and gender identity in itself.
ReplyDeleteSo first, it is always good that the UN is fighting against discrimination, and ensuring that no one gets persecuted simply because he/she is confused with his/her gender identity. But, it has gone too far to simply allow everyone to claim that they are female with male genitalia and treat them as females. Not only does this create a discomfort among society, but it also confuses the purpose of man and woman which I will discuss further on. Especially since people treat gender identity as a choice, people can pick to be a man one day and be a woman the next which is confusing and simply put, not true. Sure, we have to solve the problem of discrimination, but it shouldn't come at the extent of confusion, possible abuse, and discomfort.
Second, the pre-school has taken far too many lengths to ensure that no stereotypes occur. There is nothing wrong with men and women being differentiated and identified by their body. It is natural and God-given. Although the pre-school should be open and understandings of unconventional families, they shouldn't ban stories such as "Cinderella" and "Snow White" simply because they embody a certain type of woman. That just shows a certain type of discrimination against them which is something we are trying to avoid.
Third, I have heard about Storm, the baby whose gender is unkown, before. Personally, I find it odd to hide a child's gender. It is something wonderful and beautiful that is part of one's identity. I understand that they don't want gender stereotypes to occur but I don't see why that can't be avoided when they know their gender. It is only these exaggerations on stereotypes that make stereotypes more prominent.
Fourth and last, gender identity. There is obviously a global misconception of what gender identity is. It isn't something chosen. It is something given. You are born with either male or female genitals. It is as basic as someone being born with either fair and tanned skin. It isn't something you choose, but it isn't exactly bad. They fail to realize that proper gender identification is essential for families and the future. God created man and woman as complements to one another. This means that a man and woman put together creates perfect love. This love creates a child. If people aren't properly identified as a man or a woman, it would be incredibly difficult to ensure that this complementary factor is fulfilled and children are born. Therefore, the beauty and power of man and life is greatly diminished. Knowing one's gender is essential to knowing oneself and one's role in society. And, I do not mean that if you are a woman, you have to become a housewife. I mean that if you are a woman, you have to be a mother. God gives special graces and gifts to each gender to help them fulfill their role so if we allow this confusion to grow, it will weaken God's gift and make it more difficult for man.
Bianca Suarez IVB
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteCESCA DEL ROSARIO IVC
ReplyDeleteGender is definitely not a choice. It is simple. It is either you're born female or male. There is nothing else to it. I agree with this article. The points given are very true. The author was able to clearly send the message across about this gender issue.
The part that struck me the most in this article was about family. I strongly agree on how this can destroy the very definition of what a family is. The fact that this issue will make marriage nothing is wrong. This can and will confuse children involved in this kind of situation. Everyone is either male or female, and one cannot just discover it along the way. The moment we are conceived we are given an identity for the rest of our lives. We do not go on living thinking whether or not we are male or female.
Children should know what is right. They can go on living finding who they truly are (in the sense of vocation - like being a doctor or a priest or having a family) but they should know that they're a male/female human being living in this world.
This gender issue definitely denies the complementarity of males and females that we are in God's plan to procreate. Another part in this article that shocked me was about the school that disregards genders. That they don't even use personal pronouns to distinguish whether or not that person is a boy or a girl. If you think about it, it's like calling them an object. Giving them a general pronoun, like "it". We are above objects. We are in the intellectual level and God has given us this gift to do the right thing.
We all deserve respect. Every human has the right to be respected. And every human has the right to be treated the way they should be. They should be taught the proper things, the right things. God created us in his image and likeness. He created us either male or female. He did not create us to create our own gender.
In the end, there is a right and a wrong to all of this. So it is our duty to do the right things and follow God's plan for us.
CESCA DEL ROSARIO IVC
ALEK TAGLE IVC
ReplyDeleteI do believe that gender us not a choice. God created man and woman for each other which means we must not interfere with God's plans.
Making a decision to be a man instead of a woman and vice versa is wrong because that interferes with his plan. Yes God gave us the freedom to choose, buy we have to do it the right way.
Nowadays, many "gay people" say that they don't care what other people think of them because they are happy with the decision they made, but making a decision that goes against God's plan is a way of betraying Him.
It shows that they don't respect Him with the choices Ge has made for us. If its rude to disobey our parents, what more if we disobey The Lord?
Our genders are gifts from God that we must use wisely. There is a reason why God created us the way we are and it is our duty to figure it out.
Starting a family consists of a man and a woman first, and creating a new life starts with them as we'll. but what If there are two girls and two boys? That wouldn't count as a family and it wouldn't be right because the idea of having to dads or two moms in a family does not make them a family. It shows how they rejected god's plan for them.
So, I believe that GENDER IS DEFINITELY NOT A CHOICE.
ALEK TAGLE IVC
From the very beginning, Gender was never a choice. God created Adam as man, and Eve as wrong. Just those two genders are what are normal and accepted. It is wrong to choose which gender we prefer because it disrespects God's choice for us. It destroys the complementarity between man and woman and the dignity of the family. To have inclination to the same sex is somewhat inevitable, but acting upon it and changing your sexual identity is what makes it dangerous and wrong. Therefor changing your sexuality to what you want is morally wrong because it is not what you truly are according to God.
ReplyDeleteMaleness and Femaleness is never up to the person and will always be objective according to God. The government cannot allow such laws to be passed because it allows people to think that gender is arbitrary, when it's not. You can't be a gender-neutral institution because leads people to thinking that homosexuality is something normal and natural, when it's truly disordered. That is why we cannot accept what the parents of Storm did, which was to let Storm choose what gender the child wants to be. It isn't wrong to have feminine traits when you are a guy, or masculine traits when you are a girl, but it is wrong to assume you are something you are never going to be. Like what Abraham Lincoln said, "It undermines human dignity to deny the reality of an essential element of human nature."
Last but not the least, the fact that it is a detriment to the existence of families makes homosexuality extremely morally wrong. It was already destined by God for man and woman to become one to be able to create a family, and that act can only be done by MAN AND WOMAN, who are TRULY MAN AND TRULY WOMAN. "But if there is no pre-ordained duality of man and woman in creation, then neither is the family any longer a reality established by creation. Likewise, the child has lost the place he had occupied hitherto and the dignity pertaining to him… The defence of the family is about man himself. And it becomes clear that when God is denied, human dignity also disappears. Whoever defends God is defending man." This cleary reflects how wrong it all is to the family, marriage, a child's dignity, and God.
We cannot let a gender-is-a-choice world exist. We have to accept what gender God has given us, and keep our sexual identity to what it truly is. Gender is never up to you, and will always be ordained by our Lord.
I found this article very interesting, as this issue of gender identity has been around for a while, and is especially piqued at this time.
ReplyDeleteGender is most certainly not a choice. We may be able to choose so much now - our hair color, our clothes, our homes, our pets- but that doesn't mean we have the right to choose everything, especially when it strips us of our dignity, and diverts from God's plan.
This whole "issue" is very illogical and flawed. We were made by God as either a man or a woman, to fulfill certain roles designated to us by the Lord. Though this does not mean we must fall into typical stereotypes (such as a man works, and a woman takes care of the children), we must stay true to who we truly are, right from birth. For women, it's fulfilling what their feminine genius asks of, and the same for men and masculine genius (or their version).
Men and women were created to complement and complete each other, both being unique and distinct. By embracing this whole "genderless" idea, society will stop seeing each other as unique, or different. They will stop seeing a reason for marriage, because if we're all the same anyway, why do we need someone else to complete us? This is obliterate God's entire plan for man and woman and the distinction between genders. By denying what God wants, we're destroying His plan, and in turn, demoting ourselves by stripping ourselves of our human dignity and making us like objects at a mall... All the same, easily replaceable, not unique.
Part of who we are, depends on our gender. It dictates a part of our personality. By allowing people to "choose" a gender, we'll be taking away an integral part of their personality, of who they could truly be.
Nowadays, people are so caught up in the latest protest against "stereotypes" and what is considered "norm", that they forgot what they're really fighting for. A feminist campaign may begin out as a way to get women equal rights as men, but then turn into a campaign to make women LIKE men.
Like with this gender issue, they start out thinking that they're campaigning for people to have more freedom, choice over their lives, and find out "who they are", when in fact, it's just limiting them, and leading them astray from who they truly are.
This issue is making a simple black or white situation a gray area. You are either a male or a female. To confuse a poor child, by letting her "decide" on her own, is going to lead to her feeling conflicted and hesitant all her life about whether she is really a boy or a girl.
We want so much power over our lives, so much freedom. We look for it everywhere, creating laws allowing us to do things we think we want, when in fact all we need to do to achieve this freedom is look to God. He's already given us His plan, given us the way to achieve those plans, and yet we still look for more. We are truly flawed in that we can't see what's right in front of us.
God never makes a mistake. When you're born a boy, it's because He meant for you to be born a boy. It's who YOU ARE. It's who YOU'RE MEANT TO BE. By diverting and exploring other genders, you're only turning away from your fate, and destroying God's plan: for what a family should be, for what a society should be, and for who you should be.
I can only pray for these people, and hope they realize their missteps soon enough.
Contrary to popular belief, gender is and has never been a choice for man to decide upon. Gender is a gift from God, not a privilege, and that is why I agree with this article. In a way, people are trying to "play God" by proclaiming that they are the masters of their own lives and that they have the right to dictate their own gender. God has set a plan for each and everyone of us, and this includes our gender, which is not of our own choice, but of God's, since He alone knows what is best for us. Male and female is God-made, anything else other than that is already man-made. There is a reason why God created man and woman, for each respective gender has it's own set of traits and abilities that is unique to each, and one would remember that he created Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve, and not even Anna and Eve. One would reason that these are changing times, that these "ancient laws and presets" no longer apply but God's laws are in themselves eternal, they are not bound by time or space, for God himself is not bound by time and space. These very same laws apply whether they are in the first century BC or even 3000 years into the future.
ReplyDeletePeople nowadays use a cafeteria morality or a bandwagon idea, where they believe that since everybody else is doing it, it makes it alright or acceptable but this belief is wrong. For only God knows what is truly right and He has decreed this in the commandments and the teachings of the Church. For one to say that these teachings are no longer acceptable in these modern times is to ignore the fact that God's laws and teachings have and will always apply to anyone and everyone, regardless of the times. Society must be taught this moral truth, that gender is something that is predestined by God, and can never be altered nor changed due to the ever-changing mind of man. To deny one's true gender is to deny God's plan, it's to deny man's very nature and dignity for which God has already designated for each one of us. It has never been a preference for man to take into his own hands and toy with. There is a reason why God only created two genders and this is because of the fact that they are complements of a whole, they are meant to complete each other through each of their unique abilities.
For the parents whose children are not told their true genders or are sent to schools that teach gender-neutrality, they are committing an injustice to their children. Parents have the responsibility to teach what is good and right to their children and by teaching them these erroneous concepts is synonymous to lying to them. It is wrong for these parents to inflict these morally wrong beliefs on their children for as parents, they have to guide these children entrusted to them by God to the right path. To purposefully lead them astray from this path is to shirk these responsibilities and create their own set of moral laws and rules that will only serve to confuse the child, especially once they grow up and are immersed in the real world. Instead of "freeing" or "liberating" the child, they are caging him in a set of wrong rules that will only serve to be detrimental to his or her character development.
In the end, gender is something that is to be treated with care and respect, for God himself has given it to each and everyone of us. And since only God knows the extent of His plan for us, it is not up to us to disregard, deny, or change this. We must fully respect God's plan for we must understand that God only wants what is best for us, for we are His children and as our Father, it is our duty to serve and obey His laws. People should learn to accept what is given to them by God, for only in accepting God's plan do we experience the true meaning of life and happiness that can only be found in God himself.
RIA DISPO IVC
I agree with the tile of this article -- GENDER IS (most definitely) NOT A CHOICE.
ReplyDeleteGod created us in a certain way and he alone, can determine our gender. It is one of the most fundamental concepts in the Bible as seen in Genesis 1:27 where it says that God created mankind "in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” Both genders together reflect God’s divine image. God, a spirit with both masculine and feminine qualities, made man and woman to reflect His nature as well as to complete their purpose which is to procreate. By saying that one can choose his own gender, that person is also choosing to attack and go against God. Even the apostle Paul notes that the reality of God and his power are clearly evident “through what has been made”—the Creation—but that sinful and unbelieving people reject this obvious truth. Romans 1:21 says: “They did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.” All we know about gender is obvious in nature — God made males and females for the purpose of reproduction. Same-sex couples can’t have children biologically without help from the opposite gender. Thus, by also saying that same sex marriages are okay since one can choose his own gender anyway, then in this analogy, the institution of marriage is being undermined. We are not giving respect to the role of man and woman together and the role of children in this union. Manhood and womanhood represent the deliberate creative purposes of a wise, wonderful and loving Creator. They are deliberately, differential and complementary. As nuts and bolts fit together and form a completed purpose, so do manhood and womanhood. We must remember that gender is determined by the foreknowledge of God; it is not our choice. He is the Creator and we are the creature; He is the potter andwe are the clay. To say that someone can “choose” his/her own gender is the ultimate rebellion of God’s created order.
MARIA ESTRELLA LOPEZ IVA (Marielle)
God created man and woman to have a complementarity nature so that they made cooperate in his plan of creating new life. For this reason when two people of the same gender are together as a couple it doesn’t follow the complementarity nature created by God. Nowadays, to the homosexuals say that they have the right to change and choose their sexuality. However, human sexuality is not a matter of choosing between chocolate and strawberry ice cream. It is an identity given to us by God and one which should be respected.
ReplyDeleteOne of the things I really shocked me in the article was Storms’ parents who raised their child to choose his gender. I am strongly against that idea of hiding the child’s gender and allowing that child to choose his or her gender because it is morally wrong. One’s gender is one’s identity and God knew and planned our human sexuality even before the moment of conception. One doesn’t choose the gifts he receives neither does he need choose something already given to him. Also, by hiding the child’s gender, that child would be lost in finding himself and finding his vocation and purpose in life. Moreover, this is a form of denying the sexuality given by God to that child and a failure in the parent’s part in their responsibility to bring up their child as a moral child of God. However, I agree that those who suffer from a gender identity disorder still deserve to be treated with dignity and love as they are still children of God of equal dignity.
IVC, Santiago, Maria Margarita Silva
Morality aside, making gender a choice brings up so many issues and creates so many problems which will inevitably lead to the destruction of so many social boundaries. What is the use of separate bathrooms and changing areas if one can simply invoke the protection of the UN regarding gender identity? When the UN decided to protect those who have chosen their own gender, they gave license to all the sexual perverts out there, allowing them to simply declare themselves the opposite sex in order to enter locker rooms and watch the opposite sex undress.
ReplyDeleteThe article itself brought up two issues:
Like I have mentioned before, the case of the sexual perverts, like that "45-year-old student with male genitalia" who will be treated like a woman. (Side note: why didn't the author just call him a man?) For all the school knows, he could be lying about his gender identity.
The other case is for the upbringing of the children.
For one, childhood is supposed to be carefree and easy and innocent. How can it be carefree and innocent if the child is focused on the gender they wish to be? If they're focused on weighing the pros and cons of being a girl and a boy? Gender, as wrong as it is, is a really big choice, and do parents really wanna laden their kids with that burden?
For another, that school in Sweden. That school is a breeding ground for perverseness and immorality. If a child is placed in an environment where gender is a blurred line, sexuality is not an issue, and propriety and chastity is ignored, then that child will grow up with all these wild ideas that "chastity, gender, and sexuality" are just old-fashioned ideas made by people who don't want to enter a newer, more "modern", (and frankly, more stupid) society.
It's cases like the ones mentioned above that will bring about the destruction of human civilization. Gender choice will destroy social boundaries, all for the protection against all forms of discrimination.
Through that, doesn't that also mean that the UN acknowledges the fact that there is something wrong in choosing whether to be a man or a woman? If they feel the need to protect the those who choose their gender, if they feel the need to classify it as a discrimination, it's because there are so many people against it. It goes against so many fundamental principles written in the hearts of so many.
In fact, this entire issue is borderline offensive—to me, personally. I’ve got four brothers, and my entire life, I’ve been treated as a girl whereas they’ve been treated as boys. Is the UN saying that that none of that matters? That how my parents brought me and my brothers up is irrelevant if one of us chose our own gender?
For all that the UN is trying to ensure peace within its members, all it seems to be accomplishing with this issue is destroy the very essence of humanity.
Andi Fandino, IV-B
ReplyDeleteIgnoring gender differneces and in particular raising children to be genderless is as unjust as discriminating against homosexuals. Although I believe that we should respect others in the same way God respects our freedom, I also belive that there are some things that God ultimately decides for us, like gender.
I think the parents in the article are doing their children a disservice. Rather than making a big deal about letting thier children explore the "different genders," parents should let their children decide naturally and must accpet who their children are. Why make things more complicated than they really are?
ANGELA R. RUNES IV-A
ReplyDeleteI feel that man is abusing the freedom God has given him. True, we have the freedom of choice, but Man should not go against the natural order God has already created. God made Man and Woman and we should not go against that. A man cannot choose to be a woman because that would be going against what God has given him. He'd be lying to himself as well as to his creator.
And I don't understand how people can be okay with lying to one's self.
I agree that the youth of today should know that gender is NOT subjective. Our generation is far too accepting of the problems of the world because people know how to make it appear right. I agree that we shouldn't hate others for their misguidance and their beliefs, but I do not agree to the fact that people are encouraging this sort of mentality.
I believe that we must remain true to ourselves and not try to manipulate what God has given us to please ourselves and to abuse our freedom.
-ANGELA R. RUNES IV-A
Reading this article made me realize how far this issue has gone. It really shows the reality of how people are living nowadays and it shows how far people have gone from the truth so that they can practice their ‘freedom’. People think that their free will is meant to allow them to do anything they want to, but in truth, all this really leads to is confusion and error.
ReplyDeleteGender, without a doubt, has never been a choice to begin with. God has made each and every one of us in His image and likeness which means that we should not try to change who we are and most importantly, we need to accept it. When one chooses his own gender shows that they are denying the fact that God created us as either male or female. It shows that instead of the gender God has given us, it is now up to the person to decide what gender he wants to be. As stated in the article, “it undermines human dignity to deny the reality of an essential element of human nature.”
There are differences between the characteristics or traits of men and women but in the end, they both complement each other. Having different traits does not mean that one is more superior to the other because we were all created equally. These differences are essentially important for the family because of the different roles of the father and the mother. By denying that we were created by God as male and female with their differences will end up attacking the family and society.
God has given us our freedom but that does not give us the right to go against Him and to make up our own rules just to satisfy what we want or who to be.
“God’s creation of both man and woman is a reflection of the Creator’s wisdom and goodness.”
A common misconception in today's society is, in order for two things to be equal, they must be exactly the same. Although the technical definition of the word "equal" agrees with this, one must understand that when it comes to certain matters, more specifically regarding people, "1 person = 1 person" is impossible because no two people can ever be exactly alike; this is how we are made -- never the same, always unique. These differences are good. These differences allow society to function harmoniously because, what person A cannot do, person B can since they are DIFFERENT.
ReplyDeleteThe misunderstanding between "equal" and "the same" often arises in issues concerning gender. Some people, like the ones presented in the article, believe that it is wrong to forward or even acknowledge that men and women are different. They believe admitting to an inherent gender in itself is discriminatory because it labels a "man" and a "woman" thereby implying that they are different from one another. To be completely frank, I find this stupid. OF COURSE men and women are different from each other; that is the POINT and that is how we were made. To try and deny that there are any differences between us is completely illogical; just look yourself! Our bodies are the most tangible example of the differences between men and women. Our reproductive organs were made to compliment each other in order to conceive the miracle that is another life. If our bodies were exactly the same, how would this be possible? The human race would die out in a matter of years. Other than physical differences, we are also psychologically and emotionally different. This is what enables a husband and wife, to not only produce a child, but to become parents to that child satisfying both his nurture and disciplinary needs.
Admitting to the differences between men and women is not tantamount to admitting they are not equal. The term "equality" is used to refer to the dignity of the person, which is inherent regardless of the person's gender. We are all born with human dignity whether we are male, female, rich, poor, black, white, catholic, muslim or buddhist-- these are not factors in determining the human dignity of a person. In fact, there are NO factors in determining the dignity of the person because it is something that is inherent, permanent, and unchangeable.
It is important to remember that, no matter how much we'd like to believe something is true, it cannot be so unless it actually IS true. Therefore, these people who try to deny the existence of a real gender are fighting for something crazy. Acknowledging the existence and difference between genders is not discriminatory; it is recognizing what is TRUE and what is REAL. Gender is not a choice, it is a fact -- that is what is true and what is real.
ANGELICA ALBERTO IVB
SAM QUIBILAN IVA
ReplyDeleteIt just surprises me how people would even think of gender being something that is of their choice, most especially with the mention of that Swedish School who doesnt give regards or importance to gender, but instead, make the pre school children "explore" and "chooose" their gender. These people think that they are doing the society a favor by being gender-neutral but what they dont know is that they are endangering human dignity, like as mentioned on the article "It is abnormal for a man to believe himself to be a woman or for a woman to believe herself a man and it is most definitely not an act of love to encourage such delusions. Rather, it undermines human dignity to deny the reality of an essential element of human nature." Although I believe that we should respect each other like how the Lord said to "love our neighbor as ourselves", we should be able to also put boundary, and stand up for what we think is good. The article mentioned that men and women are complementary, meaning they are made for each other, they are made for a purpose, and if we think that there shouldnt be "gender" then we are rejecting God, when we reject God's plans and gifts, we are rejecting him. I just hope that people one day will realize that they are destroying they human society instead of making it better. Anything out of the ordinary/ abnormal is wrong. A guys who thinks his a girl is wrong and vice versa. Instead of helping him/her becoming a woman/man or supporting him//her of being a woman/man,I think we should help him/her realize that he//she IS a man/woman, and that him/her as man/woman will serve as a better purpose, that he/she was born a man/woman because he/she serves an important role in life.
SAM QUIBILAN IVA
Our gender isn’t out choice. Every person’s gender has been given by God. And every human being has been made by the image of God. We are supposed to accept what He made us. Just because we have our own freedom it doesn’t mean that it is right for us to choose what gender we want to be. Our gender is NOT a choice. It has been given to us and we should live with it. As human beings we should accept who God wants us to be and be satisfied with what He made us to become. If He chose for a person to become a girl then she should live like one and respect the decision of the Lord. She cannot just change because she wants to. She may have her free will but that will isn’t God’s will. We were made to fulfill God’s will and a part of this is accepting who we were made to be. Even if a person tries to have a sex change, it doesn’t mean that they have completely become a whole new gender. They may look different physically, but spiritually they were still the same gender they were when they were born because that is truly how they were made and they should just be thankful about that and live the way God has planned out for them.
ReplyDelete-Ivana Ohara IV-C
With the freedom given to us, we are able to make our own choices and do what we want. However, not everything is a choice that we can make. There are several things, like gender, which have already been set for each and every one of us and we cannot change these anymore.
ReplyDelete"A man can have traits that are often thought of as feminine, such as being communicative or nurturing. That does not alter the fact that he is a man. A woman can have traits that are often thought of as masculine, such as being assertive. That does not alter the fact that she is a woman." Certain traits and characteristics one possesses are not what his or her gender is based on. Wearing men's clothes does not make a woman a man and wearing women's clothes does not make a man a woman.
Our gender is given to us by God the moment He created us. We cannot choose our own gender and other people cannot choose our gender for us either.
"...it undermines human dignity to deny the reality of an essential element of human nature. "
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the article above a couple of times, this quote caught my attention the most. Our gender is a part of our human nature, it is a gift from God and it is something He planned for us. Altering what God has planned for us is something that brings all of us to an occasion of sin. For me, it is fine for a boy to act feminine as long as he knows he is male and doesn't try to change his gender. He may have traits like a girl but at the end of the day, he knows he is male and accepts that fact.
When it comes to the topic of discrimination, I think we should respect everyone, regardless of who they are. The only thing that bothers me is when these transgenders try to be like the opposite sex. If they naturally tend to act like the opposite sex but still accept their own gender, then it's fine. BUT when a male starts to claim he is female and starts using all these things that will make him become like one, (e.g. estrogen) that's when it becomes morally wrong. It's when they don't accept who they really are. There is a reason God gave them a certain gender and He gave you that because He knows its for the best.
I agree with the title of this article because our gender is a gift from God. It is something we accept and it is given to us because the giver, God, knows it's for the best.
-Paulina Vasquez IVA