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Searching their souls: Can church include transgendered?

Started by Butterfly, January 10, 2010, 05:37:39 AM

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Butterfly

Searching their souls: Can church include transgendered?
By REID FORGRAVE
10 January, 2010


http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20100110/NEWS/1100335/-1/ENT06/Searching-their-souls-Can-church-include-transgendered


Some in the parish believe the Catholic Church must adhere to 2,000 years of teaching because, even in a changing world, what kind of religion is permissive of everything? Others believe the church should welcome everyone because, after all, isn't that what Jesus did?

"It brought up these other issues: 'What's the place for people who have alternative lifestyles, whether they're transgender or homosexual?' " said Phil James, who recently left St. Catherine's, partly because of the controversy, partly because the father of three wanted a parish with more children.
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Allamakee

As far as I know, Susan McIntyre is the only licensed therapist offering gender counseling in Iowa.  I wasn't aware she was using a church as an office, but she shouldn't have used their letterhead stationery.  Her counseling was not a service of the church and use of its stationery suggests that her services were somehow affiliated with it.

So I guess she set herself up for this situation.  Although I don't think she should have been fired from her housekeeping position, I guess I can understand the argument that she put the church at a legal liability and was thus an undesirable employee.  But I suspect she was fired because she was suddenly controversial and the bishop feared her continued employment would create what the Catholic Church calls "scandal."

But I would like to take issue with what the article claims is a 2000 year old teaching on transsexualism.  I don't believe there is any formal teaching about this topic, although parts of other documents have been interpreted to cover it.

Edit:
A closer reading of the article suggests that the letterhead did not belong to the church, although it did use the student center's name and address.

Edit Again:

Susan McIntyre has posted, in a comment thread, that she printed the letterhead on her own computer.  She also states her intention to go to court.
http://www.bilerico.com/2010/01/iowa_catholic_church_fires_woman_over_transgender.php#comments
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