A Catholic Church in New York City is facing some backlash — from its own parishioners — over a display titled “God is Trans: A Queer Spiritual Journey.”
According to a report published Sunday by The New York Post, the Church of St. Paul the Apostle — located on Manhattan’s West Side — is known to be “very liberal.” Despite that, for some church members, the “God is Trans” display appears to be a bridge too far — or at least one that is going to require an explanation.
‘God is Trans’ exhibit at ‘very liberal’ NYC Catholic Church raises eyebrows https://t.co/ftjIFnLFBA pic.twitter.com/wM7C5WVaDi
— New York Post (@nypost) May 7, 2023
One parishioner told the Post the display felt out of place in the church — and noted that a priest, when asked by a friend about it, had not given an answer.
“The church should not be promoting this. I understand there are transgender people. I pray for all people but enough is enough,” the parishioner said. “It seems like they are trying to force the agenda on others,” they said. “Also, when a friend asked a priest about this they didn’t answer. You can’t put this out on the altar and then hide. That’s what gets the church in trouble.”
The exhibit reportedly details “a queer spiritual journey in three steps: Sacrifice, Identity and Communion,” and features art by Adah Unachukwu. The comparison between God and someone identifying as trans is explained by defining “sacrifice” as a move to “shed” a prior life or identity. “Identity” is then defined as individuals asking the spiritual question, “What does holiness look like?” The definition of the third step — “communion” — more closely aligns with the traditional definition and addresses a convergence between God and man.
The Post reached out to the Archdiocese of New York, but a spokesman did not offer any comment beyond stating that he had not been aware that the display existed.
The display appears to fly in the face of the Catholic Church’s official stance when it comes to the topic of gender identity. In 2019’s “Male and Female He Created Them: Towards a Path of Dialogue on the Question of Gender Theory in Education,” the church pushed back on claims that sex and gender were two separate concepts and referred to transgender identity as an attempt to “annihilate the concept of nature.”
