[Migrated, see pinned post] Casual Conversation

It's been incredibly informative. The author starts off by stating plenty of other books talk about the "LGB" letters (sexual orientation), but she's focusing on the "TQI" letters (internal identity of self). Additionally, the most important thing in reading/studying/applying Biblical scriptures is understanding the context of them.

Some super-condensed highlights of the book:

• Discussion of exclusion (of outsiders, specifically non-Hebrew, women, eunuchs, etc.) in the Old Testament for the purpose of protecting the identity and purity of patriarchal Hebraic society vs. the radically-different inclusion brought about through Jesus in the New Testament.
• The application of Deuteronomy 22:5 against cross-dressing (A woman must not wear men’s clothing, nor a man wear women’s clothing...) is based on a mis-translation of the original text. The original word for "clothing" is keli; other appearances of this word include vessel, receptacle, armor, tool. The word for "man" is geber, or warrior. Thus, a better understanding of the text is "women should not wear a man's armor". Another interpretation is not to cross-dress for the purpose of pagan worship, which was popular amongst other religions at the time.
• "God created them male and female" in Genesis is not an argument that only male and female identities exist and anything else is against his plan.
• The author questions why some medical body changes are culturally-accepted (Botox, breast augmentation/reduction, teeth whitening, hair dye, etc.), but HRT for trans* individuals is unacceptable for some people.
• Gender-variant individuals in the Bible: Jacob (who appeared very feminine compared to his "manly" brother Esau); Joseph of the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat fame (the original words for the "ornate robe" that he wore were ketonet passim, and the only other usage of those words appear in Tamar's story, where she wore "the kind of garment the virgin daughters of the king" wore. Thus: Joseph the flamboyant cross-dresser); Deborah, the judge and prophet (but women at that time were property, so she was doing some serious gender-defying; other eunuchs that play a major role in their stories.