Over the next few months, members of the Reconciling in Christ (RIC) Task Force and others throughout the Northern Illinois Synod will share faith stories that highlight the importance of the RIC process.
Where are you finding hope these days?
That is a question that I am asking and answering a lot these days. It is one that grounds us in the messiness of life and allows us to look beyond what is currently in front of us to something better. It seems that, most days, hope is something that is far off and hard to grasp as the humanity of my neighbors is being stripped away, as my own humanity is trying to be stripped away.
Even in the moments of despair, there is one moment of hope that sustains me as I witness states enact laws that make my existence as transgender illegal. The hope that sustains me is the hope that I experienced when I traveled with a small delegation to the Tamil Nadi region in India, to visit our companions in the Arcot Lutheran Church.
You might be wondering how going to India would give me hope as my existence is being erased. Unless I had experienced it first-hand, I would be with you. Before going, the only things I knew about India was what most people know: the Taj Mahal, curry, and tea. Before going, the only thing I knew about the transgender experience is that in the Hindu religion, the third gender is recognized; on average, the rate of death for a transgender individual is significantly less than that in the United States.
Beyond the basic things, I had no idea what being transgender in India really was about. I had no idea about the legal system that identifies someone as transgender and dictates what parts of transition one must endure. I had no idea that in India, transgender men rarely exist because there is no process to legally change from female to male. Transgender individuals in India face significant discrimination, often finding themselves in unsafe relationships and struggling with finding jobs that pay a living.
What I experienced in the Arcot Lutheran Church is that, for them, transgender individuals are not someone that should be marginalized. Rather, the ALC gives them the support and resources they need not only to survive but to thrive as beloved children of God.
What I experienced in India is a church body, a minority in the country’s religions, making space to give support and extend grace to a community that is often seen as untouchable. The Arcot Lutheran Church isn’t just investing in allies to do this work but also investing in Nachiya, a transgender missionary, that is leading the Trans Ministry.
That is where I have found hope that sustains me.
Getting to spend time with Nachiya and other women who have found a home in an apartment owned by the Arcot Lutheran Church was powerful. To hear stories of resilience, of joy, of encouragement, and of love is something we haven’t heard much of lately. To witness a group of people who have been pushed to the margins, wanting to be involved in a place that historically hasn’t been nice, is encouraging and fills me with undeniable hope.
It is rare to be in a space where I am not the only transgender person. I can’t even begin to tell you what it meant to be in a room where the number of those who are transgender was greater than our cisgender friends. I can’t even begin to tell you what it meant to stand on a dirt road, to bless land that will one day be home to the Trans Ministry, a place of love and hope.
Being in India, meeting Nachiya and the other women, has sustained me in these days. It has given me hope for what our church can one day be. It has given me the courage to continue to fight for justice and inclusion in spaces and places that would rather ignore.
Being transgender today, in the United States, is incredibly challenging. I am forever grateful for my experience in India and for being in a synod that holds companion relationships with those who are striving for greater inclusion of not only the transgender community but all those on the margins.
