Governor Bill Lee of Tennessee recently signed a bill to ban drag queen performances in public spaces and in front of minors, and to severely restrict health care services to trans youth. I was born in that state and have a lot of experience (trauma) with the conservative Christian homophobia and ignorance motivating the legislation. I’d get into arguments much like the one Jesus is having with Bill Lee in this strip — an argument familiar to anyone who has tried to reason with fundamentalists on their terms, a pretty futile endeavor in the end. You’re not dealing with people arguing in good faith, or even blind faith, which at least has the virtue of conviction. They fetishize the “literal” word of a text to justify willful ignorance and hateful actions against anyone who differs from them or does not conform to their narrow, authoritarian ways. In the end, as Fr. Shannon Kearns says, “This isn’t a helpful conversation.”
Further reading:
What does the Bible say about transgender people?
Biblical Support for Transgender Identities
Antisemitism and Anti-Transgender-Hate in Attacks on Gender-Affirming Healthcare
How antisemitic tropes are being used to target the LGBTQ community
Discussion ¬