In episode three, Jo and Peter tackle one of the most contested topics in our culture today – the trans debate. They explore the complex questions surrounding sex, gender and being embodied humans. With the transgender and feminism conversations often feeling charged and toxic, it can be difficult to know how to engage when this issue can affect us personally and divide opinion so quickly.   

So, this episode provides a hopeful look at what it means to be human when it comes to such a contested issue.  Engaging with topics like the Barbie movie, gender and sport, controversies surrounding those in the public eye – like JK Rowling or Dylan Mulvaney – and the treatment of transgender children, this episode looks at where we find the gender debate bubbling up across culture today. Jo and Peter, using the Being Human lens, keep bringing it back to God Story; how it speaks to feminism, equality, human dignity and understanding the importance of our bodies.  This conversation reminds us of importance of thinking through our theology and recognising the significance and dignity of one another, particularly when we might disagree. 

Show notes  

00:00 Welcome back to Being Human and catching up on Peter’s chocolate and sugar sacrifices in preparation for a mountain marathon 

02:20 ‘I am kenough’: exploring the cultural phenomenon of last year’s Barbie movie and questions it posed about what it means to be a woman and a man.  

05:14 From JK Rowling to Dylan Mulvaney, introducing one the most contested issues of today: male, female, sex and gender identities.  

11:46 Looking through the Being Human lens and kicking off with significance: who matters, and do we matter when it comes to our bodies? Navigating the often-emotive topic of trans rights and human rights. 

20:03 Recognising the significance and dignity of one another, particularly when we disagree.  

23:41Feminism meets Christianity: in the book of Genesis, are women really just “an afterthought”?  

Part two (26:25) 

26:25 Finding common ground: when different sides of the trans debate seek to cancel, push out and disown one another, is there a possibility of reconciliation when it comes to our connections to one another?   

40:05 Presence and reflecting on the Cass Review: a key moment for the conversation on transgender care for children.  

44:03 Recognising bad theology and reclaiming good theology when it comes to thinking through our bodies and our spirits.  

46:45 How might we attempt to participate in the gender identity conversation when it so fraught with emotion, sensitivity and difference? 

53:00 Theological study, fasting and hospitality: three practices for navigating cultural conversations and reorientating us back to God.