Navigating a Gender-Fluid World
The best way to find direction in unfamiliar territory is to ask questions. Asking questions often keeps us more grounded than always having ready-made answers.
This world is changing and evolving in ways never imagined before & although it is true that there is nothing is new under the sun [Ecclesiastes 1:9], each generation gets a fair share of curve balls they have to navigate. For those of us today, gender fluidity is one of such realities we have to engage with if we are seeking to embrace reality and understand the lay of the land we live in.
Many theologians have put forward that this idea of continuously shifting gender identity is a subject that Christians cannot avoid or ignore because it is a potent human experience, becoming more visible, at an unprecedented rate in our era. Meaning, in our congregations, families, friendships and other important relationships there are people on this spectrum of nonbinary genders who need us to show up for them in authentic ways.
The questions I imagine might be helpful in this life-long navigation process of change are:
What is the change about, definitions and meanings?
How am I processing the change through the lens of my faith and worldview?
What is the stance of my heart and my response to the change?
Definitions are pivotal to understanding. There is something to be said about knowing what things mean before engaging in responsible conversations. I have come across numerous definitions of “genderfluid” over time, with the first written or known use of the term dating to as recent as 1993, according to Merriam-Webster dictionary. I would like to note that genderfluidity is not a new concept however, as there have been many forms of shifting genders throughout history.
In contemporary times, the term “gender fluidity” has been coined in an effort to describe the way some people feel they fit outside the traditionally known genders normally assigned at birth (ie., male & female). It seeks to capture such an enormous spectrum of human experiences that would perhaps fit under the umbrella of nonbinary genders.
When looking at definitions, I particularly liked an expanded definition written by WebMD Editorial Contributors 2021,
“someone who is fluid -- also called gender fluid -- is a person whose gender identity (the gender they identify with most) is not fixed. It can change over time or from day-to-day. Fluid is a form of gender identity or gender expression, rather than a sexual orientation. Fluid relates to how a person identifies themselves internally and presents themselves to the world”
Liz Powell, a gender-fluid psychologist also puts forward a simple elaboration that,
“gender fluidity at its foundation enables people to take their identity and expression one day at time, instead of feeling tied to a single, overarching gender label”.
These definitions are not exhaustive, in fact they are a drop in the ocean compared to the definitions, perspectives and lived experiences out there that shed more light onto this reality of shifting gender identity.
The idea that gender is ‘not a fixed point’ sends most Christians into a mental abyss and, if I am being completely honest, I cannot claim to understand all there is to it. However, I am committed to learning and understanding as much as possible. Proverbs 4v7b……And in all your getting, get understanding.
For most of the Christian population, our worldview is informed by the Bible, and according to scripture, when God created human beings He created them “male and female” and blessed them (Genesis 1:26–28; 2:20–25). This and many other inferences to men and women throughout scripture is our subjective experience and reality when it comes to gender. Therefore, when we are processing some of these seemingly contradictory realities the temptation can be to denounce, deny or desist and in the worst cases… disown.
Our faith has some absolute truths that we view as unchangeable and impenetrable. One of them is that our identity is in God and defined by Him. Therefore, the idea of identity shifting, introduces an unusual amount of dissonance to us and possibly invokes fears of sorts. We tend to become cornered when what we believe to be true comes up against some varying or straight-up opposing information. There is more to be unpacked about what this ever-shifting gender identity reality means to us as a collective, and individually, in the Christian faith.
However, when looking at the definitions of and perspectives on gender fluidity, there is an underlying thread that seems to run through it, which is a “freedom to be”. The idea of feeling liberated enough to fulfill deep desires of who one feels they are, as opposed to who they are told to be. Something within this idea suggests that gender fluidity is an intrinsically personal path emanating from one’s internal world experiences that only God can see and understand. Therefore, from this angle, it seems to me that our stance should be one of attentive embrace.
Attentive to listen, see and hear our brethren who may experience fluid gender.
Embrace as an unconditional love response to all, as God gives grace to whom He may and shows mercy to anyone He chooses.
Exodus 33v 19b ….and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.
Romans 9v15 For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
From where I sit, there are no conclusions or matter-of-fact resolves when it comes to issues that affect and impact humanity so keenly but the commitment to on-going learning, asking the Holy Spirit to guide and lead us is the noble path that never ends.