"Out of the Box"

Most of us who are in this room were born "out of the box." People born out of the box, of necessity, think outside the box. Statistics show that most transgender people have high intelligence. We are thus a sign of hope for our society. We are also a threat to those who would clamp down the lid on the box so tightly that no one can breathe.

Espiscopal Bishop Gene Robinson writes to affirm, "that transgender people are children of God, worthy of respect, valued for their perspectives, and regarded as God's gift to our religious communities and secular cultures. Their experiences will challenge society's normative ways of thinking about gender, call us to a broader-than-binary understanding of gender, and expand our appreciation of the beauty in diversity in God's creation. I argue that the emergence of transgender people into the consciousness of the wider religious and secular communities is a gift of God, given for the benefit of all, and that our response should be affirmation, welcome, and celebration."

I know that a reference to religion may seem out of place to some in this room. I hope I have not offended them, by quoting the bishop in full, but I believe he is right. His views represent Christianity as its founder would have wanted it to be in the twenty-first century.