“…for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”

1 Samuel 16:7

Anybody remember “Switched on Bach?” We had it on 8-track when I was growing up. It was created by a guy named Walter Carlos. He took classical Bach pieces and performed them with synthesizers. It was awesome, and formational for my love of music.

A few years later, I found out that Walter had become Wendy. This was my first time hearing about somebody being transgender.

The term “transgender” refers to someone who’s gender does not match their sex assigned at birth. Easter Sunday this year happened to fall on a day also declared as “Transgender Visibility Day”. I’d never heard of that before, and so I dared myself to write a devotion about it.

Wendy is not the last transgendered person I’ve heard about. Caitlyn Jenner, obviously, comes to mind. Remember The Matrix? That’s one of my favorite movies, directed by the Wachowski brothers. Except, today, they are the Wachowski sisters. That’s right–they’re both transgender. Remember Ellen Page–the star of the great movie Juno? Ellen is now Elliot Page.

For a long time, that was it for me. I’d only heard of a handful of famous people who chose to live as a different gender. But in the past decade or so, transgender identity has moved more into the headlines. As more people have come forward declaring this as the way they choose to live, an equal or higher level of vitriol has been directed towards them.

There are questions about what bathrooms to use. Should transgender athletes be allowed to participate in sports? Should young people be able to receive gender affirming care? Those are all questions that our society is wrestling with. And certainly, there are some Christians out there who denounce the whole concept as against the will of God. Maybe you do, too.

I had a youth in one of my churches, a girl who was active in the youth group. During her high school years, she became more and more convinced that she was not born the right gender. Suffering great ridicule, (and some strong support, too) she changed her name to a male name. Now a young adult man, he has changed his hairstyle and his manner of dress.

I’m sure you can guess what happened to him…

He’s fine. He’s happy, and I think he feels freedom at living what, to him, is an authentic life. As for what the denouncers say? I don’t think he really cares.

I’ve seen families go through great turmoil related to transgender identity. I’ve also seen some families be transformed and become closer than ever. The transgender people I know don’t seem like freaks, or acting out, or going through a phase. They seem like…people.

As a Christian, I try to look at people through the lens of Imago Dei, this idea that we were created in the image of God. Genesis says that we were created male and female, but Galatians says “there is no longer male and female, for all of you are one in Jesus Christ.” And the statement, above, from Samuel reminds me that God sees people with a depth that most of us aren’t capable of. God sees the heart. That’s something I am trying to do too.

My love for Switched on Bach (https://bit.ly/4aB1TLe) hasn’t changed a bit just because Wendy’s gender has “switched”. Wendy is 83 now and has had a profound career in electronic music and film scoring, including being the first transgender person to receive a grammy. More than her career, she has lived a full, rewarding life. As her website biography says, her other interests include solar eclipse chasing, photography, reading, gourmet food, film, and a love of animals. (https://www.wendycarlos.com/)

I believe evidence like that, of someone, anyone, living a healthy, balanced, full life has to be pleasing to God…

and music to my ears.

Have a great week,

Mitch