Adam Plant Presentation

         Adam Plant spoke openly of the interactions between his spiritual journey, and experiences as a transgender man. His intriguing presentation opened my mind to a range of questions, as I discovered the presentation held clear connections to Christian Traditions.

         Adam commented on his ideas to create an inclusive church community for transgender individuals: educate, welcome, make it safe, talk about it, allow them to use any bathroom they want, have a universal bathroom, and don’t let the community cause any harm. He mentioned an interesting statistic: a survey revealed that half of transgender youth don’t know if their church community would be supportive of their sexuality or not. The Catholic Church argues the bible discourages all forms of discrimination against LGBT individuals, but forbids the marriage between a man and a woman. Is it possible to create an inclusive community in a more traditional context while upholding the Church’s doctrine? If an individual stands behind the Catholic Church, but disagrees with specific doctrines, are they really a true Catholic? Where do you draw the line in terms of an individual’s exceptions? I’m interested to hear others’ responses and opinions to these open ended questions. Furthermore, I talked to Adam after his presentation in regards to more personal contradictions. As a Republican, I find it hard to uphold my positive opinions of the LGBT movement among both liberal and conservative communities. Our conversation parallels well with the questions I mention above. Is it even logistically possible to be LGBT inclusive, yet fiscally conservative?

         Adam mentioned experiencing a spiritual awakening after coming out to himself. Honesty with oneself opens the gate to develop an honest relationship with god. Though he may not have been comfortable, I would have been interested to hear more about his personal relationship with god throughout his life experiences. Adam mentioned a journal he kept in junior high. When reading his entries several years later, he noticed his extreme dishonesty with his emotions and outlook. How did his spiritual life flourish in comparison to his previous relationship with god? Did he fake it to god as much as he faked it to himself and his journal, or was he always open in his spiritual life? At Wake Forrest, Adam also began to view god in a gender neutral light. Though god is not technically a man or a woman, most generally refer to the spiritual being as He. I feel like I may have learned this in religion school as a kid, but I’m wondering if any one else remembers the historical reasoning behind this? 

         Adam’s mother was a non-practicing Catholic, and his father an atheist. Though he did not attend church as a child, he asked to go when he was only eight years old. He was baptized that same year. When Adam had come out to all his family and friends, the Wake community put together a name change ceremony for him. He honored and let go of his old name, embraced his new name, and reaffirmed his baptism. Adam mentioned the importance of affirmation when coming out to his peers and family—most are not so lucky. I thought it was so beautiful how he affirmed himself before god, while simultaneously affirming himself. For the first time, Adam was able to see the future, and his spiritual world opened up.

         Adam was a wonderful presenter, and I thoroughly enjoyed my experience in McBride last Wednesday!