Jamin Bradley

This question comes from a Facebook post I started, where I welcomed people to ask me their political questions.

Question: I’m curious about your thoughts on LGBT issues. Gay marriage, trans healthcare, trans healthcare for minors, so-called bathroom bills, and workplace/student protections?

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Being a straight male, I recognize that my answers on this subject do not carry the same depth as those who are LGBT and are actually impacted by the politics we create on this subject. That being said, I pray for some grace with my reply, should it not feel sufficient, especially for the emotional and experiential weight around the topic for many. This is a topic I’m always trying to grow in.

Gay Marriage

There are several views on this topic from a biblical and theological perspective. Not much in-depth theological thought has been given to the topic throughout the centuries, but now that the conversation has been widely entertained, there are many books to read to sort through the varying views.

But regardless of where anyone lands on this topic from a biblical/theological perspective, this is a different conversation for me when it comes to politics for a number of reasons. First off, even if all of the church were unified in a conservative stance on the issue (which they’re not), they can’t expect people outside of the church to live up to their specific theological takes.

So, regardless of what anyone’s church might think of gay marriage, it’s not unexpected for the government to offer it as an option under their own understanding and research. Whether a Christian disagrees with someone’s decision to pursue gay marriage, it’s not a justice issue in the sense that one person is oppressing another person. The kinds of political conversations I tend to get involved in are the ones where political rights or political power allow a person to get away with hurting someone else. Again, gay marriage does not do that, and so it’s in a different category of justice politics for me. Indeed, gay people are usually the ones in need of more rights because they are the oppressed minority in need of justice.

Trans Healthcare for Adults and Minors

I imagine my response here would be in a similar boat to my answer above. Even if the church were to somehow be in unison on a conservative view around trans issues (which they’re not), they shouldn’t expect the world to be on the same page as them. Healthcare is supposed to help people become healthy, and experts intend to pursue that goal. I am not a scientist or psychologist. If such professionals think they have found a way to help trans people find good health, I should expect that they will offer it. A trans adult is quite capable of making their own decisions in that direction, just as professionals are capable of offering their own expert advice that anyone can receive or deny.

As for minors, I’d assume it’s within reason to have some guidelines as to what a professional can and can’t offer. This is a general principle we apply across the board to most discussions that revolve around minors. Sure, they may not be in the space to make huge decisions at their age, but experts might have other ways of helping them figure out what is healthy for them. (If I understand correctly, this is already a very guided and restricted area for minors in general.)

Regardless, all people are people and therefore worthy of healthcare. As a male, it can be hard for me to wrap my mind around what it’d be like to be trans. I’m grateful for studied counselors and psychologists who know how to help trans people, and I’d expect the government to put some financial investment into helping trans people, lest our beloved neighbors suffer because they can’t find access to help.

Bathroom Bills

Many have expressed the fear that their children won’t be safe if anyone can walk into any bathroom. While we should certainly remain aware of predatory behavior—which has happened in bathrooms in various forms—we should also work to create safety for everyone, including trans people, who often feel the most ostracized, no matter which bathroom they enter. They likely feel more unsafe than anyone else in those spaces and probably carry many painful stories as to how they’ve been treated in them.

This isn’t an issue I’ve given much personal thought to, as I don’t imagine it would impact me that deeply if I encountered it. Still, I understand some of the concerns people have. I’ve appreciated some of the creative ways others have approached this, like installing single-use bathrooms so no one feels like they’re in the wrong place.

Workplace and Student Protections

I assume you’re talking about students and workers having their jobs and schooling protected around rights of sexuality? Sorry if you’re referring to something else. This makes sense to me as people need to be treated with respect and dignity. I recognize this gets a little more complicated if your job is in a religious sphere and may not match up with the doctrinal views of that space. Such cases do get a little complicated, as religious establishments tend to have all kinds of doctrinal expectations for jobs and usually want their leadership to match their views. I don’t feel this should apply as harshly to students—though if it’s a religious school, the school may challenge what kind of things someone can and can’t do on their campus, just as they do with enforcing other rules. I’m not saying that’s right as much as I’m saying that’s kind of to be expected in those spheres since they carry doctrinal beliefs in their agreements.

Conclusion

All humans are people made in the image of God. Disagreeing with someone politically or religiously does not make them any less the image of God, and we are to be obedient to the law of Christ and treat all people with love and dignity, regardless of their sexual orientation or anything else that tries to draw a line in the sand between us.

In order to distinguish when Christian belief is most important in a political conversation, we should ask ourselves, “Does this political belief allow someone to be oppressive to another person?” If the answer is yes, then we should have more to say. If the answer is no, then we should generally be more generous with our responses, regardless of where we land on the issue religiously or politically.