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Katherine Herrmann lists all things Apple, new wave/alternative music, and fantasy/science fiction among her fandoms. She works as a principal software engineer/architect for a video streaming company, and recently published TransLucent: How I put off my natural man and found a spiritual woman. At church, she has served as secretary for deacons, teachers, and priests quorums, as a Sunday School and elders quorum teacher, elders quorum secretary, ward executive secretary, newsletter editor, and assistant ward clerk—historian. She has also hugged a lot of people at general conference, and bore her testimony in over 40 wards in three years. This is Part 1 of a 2-part conversation. Listen to Part 2 here.
Highlights
02:00 Kurt introduces the topic of transgenderism and what people can expect from this podcast episode. 05:30 Katherine is introduced and she shares her experience with church leaders. 09:15 Katherine shares her background and the beginning of her story. She was born biologically male but since she was a young child she felt female. 14:10 What is gender dysphoria? Katherine describes how it has felt for her. 18:15 Katherine’s teenage years. Always an outsider and having different interests. 22:30 Transgender youth and transition surgeries. 24:50 Is your child really transgender? Based on her personal research and experience, Katherine believes there is a huge difference between kids that come out as transgender when they are 3-4 years old and kids that come out between 10-12 years old.
Links
Listen to Part 2 TransLucent: How I put off my natural man and discovered a spiritual woman Facebook page: TransLucent North Star Saints Read the TRANSCRIPT of this podcast Watch on YouTube Get 14-day access to the Core Leader Library
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Thank you for having the courage to share this discussion. It has enlarged my understanding.
I do wish the term “embrace” wasn’t used on the placard above. It reminds me of the Alexander Pope saying about vice that has been oft-quoted by church leaders such as President Monson, “…We first endure, then pity, then embrace.” However, I really appreciate this member’s nuanced and non-radical perspective that much of what we are seeing today that is purported as transgenderism is in fact social contagion – the angsty teenage girl variety. I’m sure that for some transgender individuals there is a selfish motivation to want to perpetuate gender dysphoria so that there is more of a critical social mass that will help normalize it (and perhaps embrace it via social media indoctrination) to strengthen their numbers and influence. Katherine has eyes to see when it comes to that particular issue. God bless her in navigating an assuredly thorny path of membership in the Church.
In my book I explain that the use of “embrace” was simply a stylistic choice to fill the space. “Hug” looked weird. I had to work with lengthy words like “transgender” and “latter-day saint” while the others had “gay” and “mormon” on their signs. But it became obvious that people were having an aversion to it. In v2 of the sign, I made “hug” work.
There is nothing wrong with normalizing those that are transgender. No different than normalizing people who are poor, divorced, pregnant, or autistic, or bipolar, or gay, blind or deaf, black, asian, lepers, pharisees, prostitutes, and publicans.
I talk about all these things and more in my book.
Another thought about “embracing”: While embracing ideas, concepts, and behaviors could become a problem, embracing another human being is ALWAYS one of the best things we can do.
Just came across the reply to my earlier post from Katherine, and I feel the need to respond to a subtle but important distinction I feel strongly about. Nearly twenty years working in mental health as a doctor informs this position. If you truly believe that social contagion accounts for a large number of the incidents of transgenderism we see today, then it simply does not follow that “there is nothing wrong with normalizing those that are transgender.” Perhaps you would parse words and claim that there is an abundance of people who claim to be trans but truly are not, and those folks should not be “normalized,” but at this point, how are we differentiating. I contend that normalization in this particular case is fueling a psychological epidemic, at least in western societies. Normalization is not the answer, rather, it appears to be spreading the social toxin. And Katherine comes from an era in which the assumption might have been correct that a person likely would not choose the path of transgenderism because of the heavy cost of social stigma, but the current generation is not there anymore. There is veneration and celebration now. We can respond with compassion, but normalization is counter productive to the purposes of our Father in Heaven.
Please don’t invalidate the experience of these young biological girls who are struggling to figure out their lives. When Katherine said she doesn’t want them to be grouped with her it was quite disheartening. She should be their advocate and have the same compassion she has always sought. Please educate yourselves with current studies. The facts are out there! From a mom who has one of “those” trans kids. I am very afraid that this episode will endanger young lives. This isn’t teenage angst or for likes. This is real and I am not hyperbolizing to say that lives hang in the balance.
Sorry Julie, but I have done the research, and clearly, so has Katherine. Read Abigail Shrier’s excellent book “Irreversible Damage” and contend with those statistics. We have gone from .01% of the population in the pre-youtube era, predominantly male-identified persons as trans to now 1-5% of the population, with predominantly adolescent females experiencing the dysphoria, in the smartphone age. Coincidence? You can cite some social science statistics of course, but do understand that the “science” in this era has been ideologically captured. If we look at Ken Zucker’s earlier work before trans activists in Canada drove him out of academia, he found that roughly 80% of these dysphoric individuals, if allowed to explore their identity therapeutically (not simply affirm), would revert to identifying with their biological sex in adulthood. We are now, in the name of compassion, affirming too readily and not challenging sufficiently. Social transition is a social toxin that we are all becoming complicit in spreading. The notion of “a trans child is better than a dead child” is the worst kind of hyperbole and wholly unsupported by the suicidality statistics. Don’t buy into the insidious sloganeering that is selling a great lie by preying on the vulnerabilities of distraught parents.
I appreciated this nuanced discussion. Thank you both for stepping forward to talk to one another and for the thoughts shared!
I very much enjoyed this podcast. It opened my heart and I appreciate Katherine’s willingness to share her story. It gave me much to ponder.