Trans-formative: Albemarle middle-schooler gives God a lesson on gender and sexuality

God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. —Genesis 1:27

Or so the Creator of man proclaims.

“But from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother, and the two shall become one flesh; so they are no longer two, but one flesh.” —Mark 10:6-8

Or so says the Son of God.

But since these voices of ancient wisdom are verboten in Albemarle County Government Schools, modern understandings must be conceived.

To that end, following is a discerning expository on sexuality and gender, courtesy of an Albemarle County middle-schooler, as published in the online school newspaper:

Finding your Identity

By: xxxxxx xxxxxx

Identity is a hard thing to figure out, and many teens are left confused about gender and sexuality. I’m here to give you a helping hand. Here is a list of a few sexualities and their definitions.

• Heterosexual (straight)- Often considered the “norm” It means to like genders other than your own (typically used to describe binary genders)
• Homosexual (gay and lesbian)- means to like the same gender as your own.
• Bisexual- means to like your own and other genders.
• Asexual- means to feel no sexual attraction, but doesn’t necessarily mean that they don’t have any interest in romantic relationships.
• Pansexual- means that they ignore gender entirely. They don’t have any preference for gender and it’s a lot more personality based.

Of course, these are only a few of the many different sexualities’, and sexual orientations, so if you feel like none of these fit you and you want to learn more, or if you’re just a bit curious, there is more information online. 

In addition to that, you don’t need to use a label and you don’t need to make your identity public. You can make decisions about what you want to do with your life. Middle school is early in our lives, and you will likely change a lot by the time you’re an adult. You don’t need to stick with the label that you use today! You can change and develop and so can your sexuality.

Now to begin talking about gender identity, I feel as if I must explain a bit more before starting the list. Sometimes, people are born into a body that they don’t belong in. Whether they are born into a female body, but are actually a boy, or they are born a boy, but don’t feel that they fit with either binary gender, they are all very real and valid. If someone requests that you refer to them with a different name or new pronouns, please honor their request and do so. They understand that it might be hard for a while and you may make mistakes, but if you make an effort to help them, that’s often all they need. You may be wondering, What are pronouns? Pronouns are what you are referred to by. For example, He/Him, They/Them, She/her, and Zie/Zir are a few examples of pronouns. If you’re ever unsure about someone’s pronouns then you can simply ask. More often than not they will appreciate you asking even if they’re cisgender. Now for the list!

• Cisgender- Identifying by the gender you where born with
• Transgender- someone who transitions from their birth gender to a different gender.
• Nonbinary- someone who doesn’t fit with either binary gender
• Genderfluid- someone whose gender flows and changes.

Obviously, I couldn’t possibly cover every gender identity in one little list, but there are many resources online that provide more information.

If you’ re interested in good safe spaces and organizations for LGBTQIA+ this website that shows lots of local LGBTQIA+ organizations and such: http://cvillepride.org/2018/07/31/organizations-support/

Plus, the Henley GSA (gender sexuality alliance) is an amazing group of students and teachers who create a safe space and discuss issues regarding LGBTQIA+ in our school and area. Sadly the plans for the GSA while online have not been confirmed.

Presumably, the author—in his recognition of almost-certain outlook-change prior to adulthood—would vociferously oppose irreversible surgical and chemical procedures (“gender-affirming care”) promoted to minors by the University of Virginia and other health care facilities.