Coming from the lgbt community being leery of religion it's something that is almost second nature. At the least I've gotten yelled at about going to hell, gotten kicked out of my apartment because the lamd lord thought, "someone of my lifestyle shouldn't live so close to a day care," or at a worst outright getting shot at... and that happened to my partner as well.
Basically put Christianity has pretty much pulled out all the stops to make themselves the bad guys.
However one of the things that really hurt more then you would think was this one incident. I worked as a junior for a while. I would come clean this bank everyday for a year or so and would usually see the bank manager im her office and we would say hi etc. I never said anything about my sexuality or gender. I just came and did my job. I had my own style which is pretty androgynous and punk mostly because I'm an artist.
December rolls around and the day before Christmas on the desk by the janitor closet is a wrapped box with my name on it.
I open it and it's a bible.
I don't know why exactly but it just bloody pissed me off. She doesn't know anything about me but decides I'm bad and I need this. It was unprofessional as hell and wanted to do something about it though I was leaving that job anyhow and the contract company I worked for was vary religious as well.
Just another drop in the bucket.
They wonder why I'm a goth, they made me dark.
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4 comments
Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.Those little things can really dig under your skin. Like you, I've faced some rough moments over my being transgender, and you would think the "big" ones would be the most bothersome. But it's those little things... The experience that has hurt me the most, thus far, was during a conversation on evolution and genetics, I was having a good back and forth with this person until it came up that I was transgender. Then, all of a sudden, nothing I'd contributed to that conversation mattered because I was "mentally ill".
Falcopex
Level 4
Dec 18, 2017
2
Very unfair,it's not an illness,
@RavenWolf425 Thanks. Unfortunately, many insist that it is, relying on the outdated DSM designation of "gender identity disorder" to back up their position. When you show them its outdated and explain that gender dysphoria is a disorder but that not every transgender indivudual experiences gender dysphoria and that being transgender, in and of itself, is not a mental illness, they block it out and refuse to listen.
It definitely hurts to be considered seriously until "outed" as transgender and then to suddenly be dismissed. Not only is it an invalidation of your identity, but an invalidation of your worth as a person.
They are not as enlightened as they believe, it's been proven right along with being gay, its not an illness and is not a choice but is an individual that does not fit in theyre four corners
I am gay and was raised by devout Pentacostal parents. The Bible was literally used for bedtime stories when I was very little (the illustrated Children's Bible, so I learned it without really trying. As I got old enough to actually think(teens), I started to see the contradictions, errors, and horrendous teaching points riddling the Bible. Part of me is just plain tired of this ridiculous archaic folk story that has no credibility. But part of me remains morbidly fascinated by this tome of schlock literature that has shaped so much of society. As you described, we are often not in a position to correct or lecture proslytizers, but if you can, it would be fun to take that gifted Bible, take a highlighter to the most objectively horrifyingly cruel parts, to the most blatant factual errors, and (my favorite) to the David and Jonathan and the Ruth and Naomi stories that portray loving, committed same-sex relationships in a positive light. Then add a note to the effect of it being a shame that Christians are too often such hypocrits about their notions of sin and morality.
MikeInBatonRouge
Level 8
Dec 14, 2017
2
Yeah that's enough to piss you off. I let people be people. It's my quote to live and let live. I learned that the hard way. I wish you peace of mind. We sometimes just have to walk away and try not to understand the meaning of something. I know that sounds crude. I have had to be in a place where i was the supervisor and a prayer was being said. I just tolerated it to keep peace with my workers. I didnt loose any sleep over it. Its just a harmless jester to a intelligent you.
BucketlistBob
Level 8
Dec 14, 2017
1
I very much support the LGBT community so when I say this, please understand I don't agree with it. Religious people are indoctrinated from very early on to view your actions as evil. What they believe they're doing is saving your soul, so when they do inappropriate things like sending you a Bible as a Christmas gift you just have to understand in their way corrupt as it is the gesture is one of kindness. It's no different then when they say bless you. I wouldn't let those actions bother you.
paul1967
Level 8
Dec 14, 2017
1
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