…(unless you’re transgender).

City Pages has an article about where they touch on Councilman Joe Balsanek and his perspective on diversity in Hastings, a suburb in the Twin Cities with a population around 22,000.  “It is important that we accept all the folks with different kinds of identities.”  Well, that’s really nice.

But wait!  There’s more.

Leaders of a few churches and one school have written a letter about the city’s message of everyone being welcomed.   According to the article,

The writers believe there is one group covered under the “all are welcome here” credo that shouldn’t really be welcomed: transgender folks.

“There is extensive evidence that the promotion of the view that a person’s sex as a fluid self-perception rather than a biological fact is harmful to children and teens,” they write. This view is “factually unsubstantiated” and will encourage young people to “make irreversible decisions to artificially alter their sexual identity.”

It’s frustrating to being singled out (again) especially in the light of a message where everyone, oh wait not you is included.  Especially from church leaders.  It’s been a while since I’ve been to church, but I’m pretty sure the Bible teaches ‘Do to others as you would have them do to you‘ (Luke 6:31).  Maybe I’m wrong.

At any rate, I don’t believe that these leaders speak for the entire community.  I am sure there are many residents and businesses that would welcome us with open arms.

You know, accepting people with different kinds of identities.

Love, Hannah