A Theological Reflection on Trans Identity in Christianity
In recent decades, the conversation around LGBTQIA+ inclusion within Christian communities has become more visible, more urgent, and, in some places, more hopeful. Many churches have begun to re-examine long-held beliefs, extending welcome and affirmation to lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals. And yet, even amid this progress, the experiences of transgender and gender-diverse people often remain overlooked or misunderstood, both in theological reflection and in church practice. For many trans individuals, the church is not a place of sanctuary but of rejection.
This disconnect is particularly painful because at the heart of the Christian faith is supposed to be a message of love, transformation, and absolute welcome. As someone trained in psychology, I am compelled to ask: how can communities of faith better reflect the inclusive, liberating message of the Gospel when it comes to trans lives? Are there resources within scripture that invite us to see gender variance not as a threat, but as part of the beautiful complexity of their God’s creation?
This essay seeks to explore how Christians might read the Bible anew, with eyes attuned to the lives and experiences of transgender people. Drawing on both Old and New Testament texts, I will argue that the biblical tradition, far from being uniformly exclusionary, contains powerful themes of bodily diversity, spiritual transformation, and inclusion. My hope is that this reflection will invite Christians to move beyond fear or defensiveness and into a deeper encounter with their God who sees, loves, and welcomes all.
Key Takeaways
The Bible contains affirming threads for those who do not conform to gender binaries, including eunuchs in Isaiah 56 and Matthew 19, and the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8.
Jesus acknowledges and includes bodily and social difference, his ministry centres the marginalized and questions rigid norms.
Galatians 3:28 challenges identity-based exclusion, affirming that in Christ there is no “male and female” a powerful spiritual argument for gender inclusivity.
Transformation is a biblical value: physical or social change (such as transition) can reflect spiritual growth and authenticity.
Exclusion has real psychological consequences for trans people, especially youth. Affirmation saves lives and promotes well-being.
Trans inclusion is not about abandoning Christian faith, but embodying its deepest principles: love, justice, and radical welcome.
Reclaiming Biblical Hospitality and Justice
At the core of the biblical narrative is a consistent call to love the outsider, care for the vulnerable, and enact justice in the world. Time and again, scripture tells the story of a God who sides with the marginalized, not merely as an abstract principle but through concrete, transformative acts. From the Hebrew prophets to the teachings of Jesus, texts within the Christian tradition urge a radical hospitality: welcoming those who do not easily fit within normative social boundaries.
Drawing on insights from my background in Applied Social and Political Psychology, the principle of hospitality can be understood as both a moral imperative and a socially transformative practice. It aligns with the broader, evidence-based understanding that societies thrive when they embrace diversity and foster social cohesion. Micah 6:8 encapsulates this dual call by declaring the need "to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with your God." In the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25–37), we see that genuine neighbourly-love comes from engaging with those who are marginalized and often silenced by dominant cultural narratives.
These scriptural themes invite Christians to question current practices within many church communities, where transgender individuals frequently encounter suspicion, strict gatekeeping, or outright rejection. When social and political dynamics are informed by such exclusion, the opportunity to build truly inclusive communities is lost, not only within the church but in the wider society as well.
Embracing trans inclusion is, therefore, not about succumbing to fleeting cultural trends; it is about returning to the tradition of radical inclusion and justice. In affirming transgender lives, churches would align themselves with a transformative practice that restores dignity, fosters genuine belonging, and addresses the social harms of exclusion. This approach offers not only a spiritually authentic return to the principles underlying biblical justice but also echoes the contemporary social mandate for equity and respect for all.
Old Testament Foundations: Eunuchs and Divine Welcome
For those who seek to ground inclusion in biblical tradition, the Old Testament may seem like a difficult place to begin. Often cited for its purity codes and rigid gender norms, it has been used to justify exclusion of those whose bodies or identities do not conform. Yet within this very tradition lies a powerful counter-narrative, one that reveals a God who redefines belonging, even for those once deemed unworthy by broader society.
Isaiah: The Elevation of Ambiguously Gender Individuals
Isaiah 56:3–5 offers one of the most striking examples of this inclusive vision:
“Do not let the foreigner joined to the Lord say, ‘The Lord will surely separate me from his people’; and do not let the eunuch say, ‘I am just a dry tree.’ For thus says the Lord: To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, who choose the things that please me and hold fast my covenant, I will give, in my house and within my walls, a monument and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off.”
This passage speaks directly to individuals who, because of their physical or social difference, had been excluded from full participation in the religious community. Under earlier law (Deuteronomy 23:1), eunuchs were explicitly barred from entering the assembly of the Lord. Their bodies, marked by absence or alteration were seen as a violation of purity and lineage norms. Yet here, the prophet reverses that exclusion, proclaiming not only their welcome but their elevation within the house of God.
In the ancient Near East, eunuchs often occupied ambiguous spaces, both gendered and social. They were neither fully men in the traditional patriarchal sense nor easily categorized. As such, they represent a broader category of people whose identities fall outside binary gender norms, a reality that resonates deeply with the lives of many transgender and gender-diverse individuals today.
The significance of Isaiah’s vision is not merely symbolic. It reveals a God who prioritizes faithfulness and covenant over conformity to social or biological norms. It affirms that one’s worth in the eyes of God is not contingent on reproduction, conventional family roles, or bodily integrity. Rather, it is defined by devotion, justice, and inclusion.
For Christians who look to the Hebrew scriptures as part of their sacred story, Isaiah 56 offers a compelling starting point. It challenges the misuse of Old Testament law as a tool of exclusion, and instead reveals a trajectory toward radical welcome, a trajectory that continues in the teachings of Jesus and the early church.
While Isaiah 56 directly addresses bodily and social difference through the figure of the eunuch, other Old Testament narratives subtly challenge conventional gender expectations and provide space for a broader understanding of masculinity and embodiment. These stories (often overlooked in this context) illustrate that even within a patriarchal culture, scripture holds space for complexity, softness, emotional depth, and non-normative roles.
Joseph: Gender Nonconformity and Divine Favour
The figure of Joseph (Genesis 37–50) provides a striking example of alternative masculinity. Described in Genesis 37:3 as being favoured by his father and given a “coat of many colours” (or, more literally, a richly ornamented robe), Joseph is associated with beauty, tenderness, and emotional vulnerability. His brothers’ violent rejection of him can be read not only as envy but as a reaction to his divergence from traditional masculine roles.
Joseph is a dreamer, emotionally expressive, and closely aligned with divine insight, qualities not typically valorised in the hyper-masculine context of ancient Israelite society. We would argue that his presentation and demeanour may have signalled gender nonconformity. Whether or not we interpret Joseph as queer-coded, his story shows that God’s favour and calling are not limited to those who conform to rigid gender roles.
David and Jonathan: Deep Emotional Intimacy Between Men
The bond between David and Jonathan (1 Samuel 18–20; 2 Samuel 1) has long been a site of both fascination and debate. The text describes a relationship of extraordinary depth and affection. Upon meeting David, Jonathan “loved him as his own soul” (1 Samuel 18:1), and the two enter into a covenantal relationship marked by loyalty and emotional closeness.
In David’s mourning song after Jonathan’s death (2 Samuel 1:26), he declares:
“I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan; greatly beloved were you to me; your love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women.”
While modern readers may differ in interpreting the nature of this love, the passage clearly disrupts normative expectations of masculinity, emotional restraint, and male friendship. It presents a model of deep, covenantal love between men that transcends platonic boundaries as they are traditionally defined. Whether read as homosocial, homoerotic, or simply emotionally rich, this relationship challenges the heteronormative assumptions often imposed on scripture.
Bringing These Threads Together
Taken together, these stories, alongside the prophetic vision of Isaiah 56 demonstrate that the Old Testament is not a monolith of rigid gender norms. Instead, it contains threads of emotional nuance, bodily difference, and divine affirmation of those who do not conform to dominant social expectations. For trans and gender-diverse individuals seeking a place within the biblical story, these figures offer resonance, not erasure.
By lifting up these underexplored narratives, we invite a more honest and expansive reading of scripture, one that honours the lives and identities of those so often pushed to the margins, both then and now.
Jesus and Bodily Diversity: New Testament Insights
In the New Testament, Jesus repeatedly demonstrates an openness to those who live outside social and religious norms, whether due to ethnicity, illness, gender, sexuality, or status. His ministry was not oriented toward reinforcing rigid boundaries, but rather toward dissolving them in favour of deeper human connection, liberation, and spiritual belonging. His interactions with bodily and socially marginalized individuals challenge us to rethink what kinds of difference are acceptable within a faith community.
One of the most significant moments for exploring gender and bodily difference in Jesus’ teaching occurs in Matthew 19:12, where Jesus speaks about eunuchs in a discourse on marriage and celibacy:
“For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let anyone accept this who can.”
Here, Jesus recognizes and legitimizes people whose experiences fall outside the standard male-female marital binary. His words name three categories of eunuchs: those born that way (potentially referencing intersex or bodily atypical people), those made that way by others (through violence, servitude, or social structures), and those who choose it for spiritual reasons. Importantly, Jesus offers no judgment, only an invitation to understanding: “Let anyone accept this who can.”
While not a direct reference to transgender people, this passage reveals a remarkable openness to bodily and gender nonconformity. Jesus not only acknowledges such individuals, he names them as participants in the kingdom of heaven. His framing resists biological determinism and affirms the value of diverse human experiences and embodiments, especially when they align with spiritual integrity.
Another powerful moment occurs in Acts 8:26–40, with the story of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch. This figure, a racial and sexual outsider, is reading from Isaiah when Philip is prompted by the Spirit to approach him. Their interaction culminates in baptism; immediate, unqualified, and joyful.
That the first explicitly baptized Gentile in Acts is a racialized, bodily non-normative, and socially marginalized figure is no accident. It reflects the early Christian commitment to a radically inclusive faith, one that breaks barriers, not builds them. The Ethiopian eunuch is not asked to change, conform, or explain. He is seen, heard, and welcomed.
Together, these New Testament moments reveal a deeply important truth: Jesus and the early church understood the Gospel as good news for those on the margins. Bodily and gender difference is not erased in this vision; it is included, respected, and made spiritually significant.
Identity in Christ: Breaking Down Binaries
In one of the most radical proclamations of the early Christian movement, the Apostle Paul writes in Galatians 3:28:
“There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.”
This passage has been widely cited for its vision of unity across social divisions, but too often, its full implications remain unexplored. Paul is not merely promoting tolerance or inclusion. He is articulating a fundamentally transformed way of understanding identity: one that transcends the boundaries that structure earthly hierarchies, including gender.
The phrase “no longer male and female” is especially striking. It echoes the language of Genesis 1:27 “male and female he created them” suggesting a deliberate theological reorientation. While creation grounded human identity in binary difference, Paul’s reimagining in Galatians presents a new kind of humanity: one united not by biology, nationality, or social status, but by spiritual belonging in Christ.
For trans and gender-diverse individuals, this message offers profound affirmation. It tells us that the strict binaries so often used to police bodies and identities are not essential to Christian life. What matters most is not whether one fits neatly into “male” or “female,” but whether one embodies the relational, liberative call of Christ Gender, like ethnicity and class, is no longer the measure of belonging.
From a psychological perspective, identity is not fixed, it is shaped by context, relationships, and power structures. Galatians 3:28 can be read as a divine affirmation of that fluidity. It insists that no socially imposed label, no structural barrier, no body-based expectation has the authority to exclude someone from spiritual belonging.
Moreover, this passage invites the church to become a space where transformation is not feared, but embraced. A trans person who reclaims their body and name is not abandoning God’s design; they are, in the language of Christian discipleship, walking a path of authentic becoming. They are doing what Paul elsewhere calls a “renewing of the mind” (Romans 12:2), aligning their inner truth with their outer life.
When Christians cling to rigid gender binaries as theologically necessary, they risk opposing the very logic of the Gospel, one that is meant to provide a logic that prioritizes unity, liberation, and new creation over conformity to old categories. Galatians 3:28 is not just a call to inclusion. It is a call to reimagine what it means to be human in light of divine love.
Addressing Common Counterarguments
While many Christians will hopefully reflect more deeply on LGBTQIA+ inclusion, discussions around transgender identities often remain particularly fraught. Common objections are frequently grounded in scripture, tradition, or fears about “changing God’s design.” Yet when examined with care, these concerns reveal not scriptural certainty, but a need for broader, more nuanced interpretation.
1. “But God made them male and female” (Genesis 1:27)
This verse is often quoted to assert a strict gender binary as God’s original intent. However, a closer reading reveals that this poetic statement affirms the divine image in humanity, not a fixed gender system. The creation of “male and female” can be understood as encompassing the fullness of human diversity, not limiting it.
Moreover, God’s image is not gendered; God is spirit (John 4:24), not male or female. If trans people, like all people, are made in God’s image, then their gender journey is not a deviation from creation, but a reflection of the divine complexity embedded within it.
2. “Changing one’s body is unnatural or sinful”
Scripture is full of stories of transformation: of names, roles, and even bodies. Jacob becomes Israel. Saul becomes Paul. Jesus’ own resurrected body is altered and unrecognizable. Transformation, far from being unnatural, is often a sign of divine encounter.
Medically transitioning is not about rejecting the body, but about aligning one’s physical self with one’s inner truth. For many trans people, it is a path toward wholeness, not denial. From a Christian perspective, this can be seen as a form of stewardship, caring for one’s body and soul with honesty and courage.
3. “Gender roles are part of God’s order”
Traditional gender roles are often defended as God-ordained. Yet scripture routinely challenges rigid social roles. Jesus elevates women in a patriarchal culture, speaks to outsiders, and redefines family not by blood but by faith and action (Matthew 12:50). Paul’s letters often disrupt household norms, especially in light of Galatians 3:28.
Rather than reinforcing hierarchy, the Christian story moves toward liberation and the breaking down of barriers. Clinging to gender roles as divinely fixed risks missing the Gospel’s deeper invitation, to see each person as fully human, fully beloved, and fully capable of embodying the call of Christ, regardless of gender.
4. “This is just cultural accommodation, not biblical truth”
Throughout history, the church has had to revisit its interpretations: on slavery, women’s rights, divorce, even usury (unethical money lending). These shifts were not betrayals of scripture, but deeper understandings of God’s justice and mercy in new contexts.
Trans inclusion is part of that same unfolding journey. The Spirit continues to move in ways that challenge and expand our moral imagination. To affirm trans people is not to discard tradition it is to carry it forward in love and humility.
Psychological and Pastoral Implications
While theology provides the framework, it is lived experience that reveals the real cost of exclusion and the profound healing power of welcoming. From a psychological perspective, the way communities respond to trans individuals has tangible consequences for well-being, identity development, and mental health. For those of us outside the church, this becomes not only a theological question but a moral and social one.
Research in social and political psychology consistently shows that affirmation and inclusion are protective, while rejection and marginalization are harmful. Trans individuals especially youth experience disproportionately high rates of anxiety, depression, and suicidality. These outcomes are not inherent to being trans, but to the rejection, isolation, and stigma that many face, often from family and faith communities.
Conversely, studies show that when trans people are affirmed, when their names, pronouns, and identities are respected their mental health outcomes improve dramatically. Belonging saves lives. Respect strengthens resilience.
For Christians, this presents a profound pastoral responsibility. The call to love one’s neighbour cannot coexist with practices that harm, exclude, or erase. The spiritual imperative to “bear one another’s burdens” (Galatians 6:2) includes recognizing the emotional and psychological toll of transphobia, especially when it is cloaked in theological language.
Churches and faith communities have a choice: to be sources of harm, or of healing. To be places where trans people are tolerated at a distance, or truly welcomed as full members of the body of Christ. The stakes are not theoretical they are personal, psychological, and spiritual.
Affirmation is not indulgence. It is not a betrayal of scripture. It is a commitment to the flourishing of real people, made in the image of God, navigating complex and courageous journeys toward truth and wholeness. To walk alongside trans individuals with compassion, integrity, and openness is not to abandon the Gospel it is to live it.
Simply Put: A Gospel That Welcomes All
The story of scripture is not a static record of rules, it is a living narrative of liberation, transformation, and radical welcome. From the eunuchs of Isaiah and Acts, to the words of Jesus about those whose lives defy social norms, to Paul’s vision of unity beyond gender, the Bible offers far more complexity and far more grace than many have been taught to see.
As someone committed to both social justice and psychological well-being, I am moved by the reality that affirmation is not just politically urgent it is spiritually faithful. The call to include trans people within Christian communities is not about yielding to cultural change. It is about returning to the core of the Gospel: good news for the marginalized, healing for the wounded, and love without condition.
Trans individuals are not a threat to the church. They are part of the body of Christ. Their stories, their courage, and their faithfulness have something to teach all of us about authenticity, resilience, and the sacred journey of becoming.
To follow Christ is to welcome those who have been cast aside. To live the Gospel is to stand in solidarity with those who have been told they do not belong. If the church is to be a place of truth and transformation, it must reckon with its role in the harm done to trans people and take bold steps toward justice, affirmation, and healing.
Because in the end, the Gospel is either good news for everyone or it is not good news at all.
References
Mollenkott, V. R. (2001). Omnigender: A trans-religious approach. Pilgrim Press.
Shore, J. (2011). Unfair: Christians and the LGBT question. John Shore Publishing.
Stryker, S. (2017). Transgender history: The roots of today’s revolution (2nd ed.). Seal Press.
Tanis, J. (2003). Trans-gendered: Theology, ministry, and communities of faith. Pilgrim Press.
The Trevor Project. (2023). 2023 U.S. national survey on the mental health of LGBTQ young people.
Q Christian Fellowship. (n.d.). Resources for affirming theology.
