When political arguments are presented as theological conclusions, don’t be surprised when they are measured against the very scriptures and traditions they claim to interpret.
I appreciated reading this viewpoint since it's very different from my own. The architecture of your logic, however, has some considerable flaws.
Firstly, it has never been a popular claim that people can change their biological sex. No serious person is claiming that. In fact, standards of care indicate that transmasculine folks should still receive cervical cancer screenings since many have body parts that correlate to that medical need. I.e., medical science is indicating a move toward a "If you have it, check it," model. If folks were seriously suggesting they are able to change their biological sex, such indications then wouldn't be necessary.
You're alluding to the lack of RCT related to GAC in minors as evidence that GAC is harmful, but failing to acknowledge that those are very difficult, (and not to mention, unethical), to complete. Gender affirming care, however, is backed up by loads of peer-reviewed research that show both the safety of it, and also the efficacy in patient outcomes (both in physical and mental wellness). GAC includes a host of services -- anything from allowing a young person to wear the clothes they feel comfortable in to accessing hormone blockers to accessing binders, on and on. Surgeries are a valid medical treatment, though I do think there can be some middle ground here (i.e. requiring minors to wait until age 18 to be medically evaluated for a gender-affirming surgery if they so choose).
I agree with your point that truth is not subjective. Disrupting gender binaries in our society might feel concerning to you and to a lot of other folks, but those feelings are not facts. The fact is the vast majority of pediatricians agree that GAC is not harmful and, in many cases, lifesaving. All the major medical societies in the U.S. that provide gold standard of care guidelines all say that GAC is effective and safe for minors and adults. The vast majority of trans folks do not now, nor ever, regret their choices to undergo GAC. There are no, and have never been, any largescale, concerted efforts by adults to push trans and nonbinary identities onto minors. And, perhaps most crucially to this piece, the Biblical justification for anti-trans legislation is pretty shaky (Matthew 19:12, Acts 8:26-40).
I'll highlight what I think is your most important point - compassion IS sorely needed for all folks in our society. I'm a firm believer that if we start there, the real work of a loving community can truly begin.
Absolutely correct, Robin. I considered ending my subscription to Daily Chela
because of this article. After some thought, I thought better of it. I will instead watch carefully for any such biased articles, in particular, those that may be against the best interests of Hispanics.
It is in the best interest of Latinos to get the truth. And the truth is that James Talarico voted against Senate Bill 14 (SB 14), which prohibits gender-affirming medical care for minors. Therefore he supports giving puberty blockers to minors.
Respectfully, this feels like a lazy argument against Talarico and mirrors a strategy often used to pivot away from substantive policy. Some people like to spend an exhausted amount of energy on an issue that has statistically little weight on the daily lives of most us Texans, distracting us from the critical needs of our state.
Do I personally support giving puberty blockers to kids? No. But a study published last year showed that across the entire United States, only 0.1% of adolescents use puberty blockers. That is a national figure, not just a Texas one. Talarico views bans on gender-affirming care not as a radical agenda, but as an overreach of government into private family matters. He has frequently stated that the focus on these bans is a "horrific" distraction from state priorities like our struggling education system and crumbling infrastructure. The narrative of this article makes it sound as if he is forcing these medical decisions on children, which is a fundamental mischaracterization of his position.
I don’t hold loyalty to any political party and I am not a supporter of the current administration’s leadership. However, I have supported Talarico for years because of his record on education and corporate responsibility. Furthermore, as a Christian who strives to follow the teachings of the Bible, I find that his message of protecting the vulnerable and holding the powerful accountable transcends partisan lines. I think we should be focusing on the "weightier matters" of justice and community rather than manufactured culture wars.
It's amusing to me that the first things Greg Abbott throws out there in X are about DEI and this. Currently, Corpus Christi and other South Texas cities are in a water emergency for no clean water, our education is currently experiencing a massive funding gap in public schools (we continue to dip in education), we have a power grid that ERCOT is warning that demand will exceed supply soon and we continue to have some of the highest maternal mortality rates in the country. Among many other things. I hope many Texans are getting fed up but I won't hold my breath that they are. It's a big ass state and there is only so much weight the bigger cities can do. If he wins with Latinos though, that could be the difference maker.
This is always the plan, the prescription, posit the fight along 1% of the platform while ignoring the 99%. Cruz did the same to Allred, just hammered away on the “boys in girls sports” theme, but never going after more consequential policy bc he didn’t offer anything new. Instead it was fear tactics like “Democrats will make your kids gay” or “New genders for everyone” which is asinine.
.
Youve managed to write a whole article on Talarico on one of his stances but conveniently avoiding the underlying theme he says of LOVING EVERYONE… I don’t recall the post arguing how Christian Nationalism has distorted the Bible; when the head of this administration is a charlatan using religion as a cloak, Ken Paxton, or any number of bad faith actors, pun intended.
.
It’s also why people are tired of politics; it’s the same bullshht everywhere, repeated, washed, rinsed, and soiled. I expect American Cholo to write this, not you, but that’s ok. The culture war rages on with pieces like this while an actual war rages on.
.
Oh, more Epstain files dropped last week w/ Trvmp in it. Oh, look, a squirrel.
I would encourage every Democrat to vote for Talerico for the Senate in the November election. Is he perfect? No. Is he a better choice for Texans and especially Hispanics than either one of the two likely Republican opponents? Absolutely. He is a seminarian, and he supports separation of church and state. Does he use scripture at times in his arguments? Yes, occasionally and usually to refute a Republican statement or position based on a theological argument. Has an article on the corruption of Ken Paxton been posted on the DailyChela. If so, I haven't seen it. Have any articles been posted here on the spineless actions of Cornyn, who remained silent through the brutality aimed at Hispanics by Homeland Security under the now disgraced Kristi Noem? Has he spoken out over Trump increasing his wealth in excess of $1B, by leveraging the presidency? No? Have any articles been posted in DailyChela to point that out. If, not, then I wonder why you would take aim at Talarico. It is a disservice to your readers to be so blatantly biased. Talaricco is the best thing Texas has seen in 20 years.
It’s not a false doctrine. He is saying to love EVERYONE and Don’t judge anyone (Jesus also tells you that). Our most important commandment, according to Jesus, is to love your neighbor. That means everyone. We are ALL sinners. When we Judge others, we are judging ourselves.
Please, your assumptions about Talarico are just that, taking his words and creating fearful assumptions. I’ve been an atheist half my life but I have no quarrel with a Christian who is honest enough to say people have the right to do/be what they feel is right for themselves (biologically speaking). Your writing appears fear mongering, it’s unattractive and mean-spirited. If you are afraid of Talarico - okay, but let moral, intelligent people think for themselves. Who do you think you’re writing to…MAGA?
I appreciated reading this viewpoint since it's very different from my own. The architecture of your logic, however, has some considerable flaws.
Firstly, it has never been a popular claim that people can change their biological sex. No serious person is claiming that. In fact, standards of care indicate that transmasculine folks should still receive cervical cancer screenings since many have body parts that correlate to that medical need. I.e., medical science is indicating a move toward a "If you have it, check it," model. If folks were seriously suggesting they are able to change their biological sex, such indications then wouldn't be necessary.
You're alluding to the lack of RCT related to GAC in minors as evidence that GAC is harmful, but failing to acknowledge that those are very difficult, (and not to mention, unethical), to complete. Gender affirming care, however, is backed up by loads of peer-reviewed research that show both the safety of it, and also the efficacy in patient outcomes (both in physical and mental wellness). GAC includes a host of services -- anything from allowing a young person to wear the clothes they feel comfortable in to accessing hormone blockers to accessing binders, on and on. Surgeries are a valid medical treatment, though I do think there can be some middle ground here (i.e. requiring minors to wait until age 18 to be medically evaluated for a gender-affirming surgery if they so choose).
I agree with your point that truth is not subjective. Disrupting gender binaries in our society might feel concerning to you and to a lot of other folks, but those feelings are not facts. The fact is the vast majority of pediatricians agree that GAC is not harmful and, in many cases, lifesaving. All the major medical societies in the U.S. that provide gold standard of care guidelines all say that GAC is effective and safe for minors and adults. The vast majority of trans folks do not now, nor ever, regret their choices to undergo GAC. There are no, and have never been, any largescale, concerted efforts by adults to push trans and nonbinary identities onto minors. And, perhaps most crucially to this piece, the Biblical justification for anti-trans legislation is pretty shaky (Matthew 19:12, Acts 8:26-40).
I'll highlight what I think is your most important point - compassion IS sorely needed for all folks in our society. I'm a firm believer that if we start there, the real work of a loving community can truly begin.
Yep. Easy to cherry pick scripture to serve your own ends. And you just did that.
I was shocked and disappointed to see this right-wing stuff coming from The Daily Chela, a publication that I've admired until now. :(
Absolutely correct, Robin. I considered ending my subscription to Daily Chela
because of this article. After some thought, I thought better of it. I will instead watch carefully for any such biased articles, in particular, those that may be against the best interests of Hispanics.
It is in the best interest of Latinos to get the truth. And the truth is that James Talarico voted against Senate Bill 14 (SB 14), which prohibits gender-affirming medical care for minors. Therefore he supports giving puberty blockers to minors.
You are mistaken. Puberty blockers are gender affirming care. Talarico is against giving puberty blockers to minors
Sonia, here’s another informative view from a Black theologian:
https://jemartisby.substack.com/p/why-white-christians-love-james-talarico?r=9q9fs&utm_medium=ios
Claro, Sonia.Yo tambien. Gracias!
Respectfully, this feels like a lazy argument against Talarico and mirrors a strategy often used to pivot away from substantive policy. Some people like to spend an exhausted amount of energy on an issue that has statistically little weight on the daily lives of most us Texans, distracting us from the critical needs of our state.
Do I personally support giving puberty blockers to kids? No. But a study published last year showed that across the entire United States, only 0.1% of adolescents use puberty blockers. That is a national figure, not just a Texas one. Talarico views bans on gender-affirming care not as a radical agenda, but as an overreach of government into private family matters. He has frequently stated that the focus on these bans is a "horrific" distraction from state priorities like our struggling education system and crumbling infrastructure. The narrative of this article makes it sound as if he is forcing these medical decisions on children, which is a fundamental mischaracterization of his position.
I don’t hold loyalty to any political party and I am not a supporter of the current administration’s leadership. However, I have supported Talarico for years because of his record on education and corporate responsibility. Furthermore, as a Christian who strives to follow the teachings of the Bible, I find that his message of protecting the vulnerable and holding the powerful accountable transcends partisan lines. I think we should be focusing on the "weightier matters" of justice and community rather than manufactured culture wars.
It's amusing to me that the first things Greg Abbott throws out there in X are about DEI and this. Currently, Corpus Christi and other South Texas cities are in a water emergency for no clean water, our education is currently experiencing a massive funding gap in public schools (we continue to dip in education), we have a power grid that ERCOT is warning that demand will exceed supply soon and we continue to have some of the highest maternal mortality rates in the country. Among many other things. I hope many Texans are getting fed up but I won't hold my breath that they are. It's a big ass state and there is only so much weight the bigger cities can do. If he wins with Latinos though, that could be the difference maker.
Thank you for sharing your opinion! Very reasonable and thought out. I can respect this position. Thanks also for reading.
This is always the plan, the prescription, posit the fight along 1% of the platform while ignoring the 99%. Cruz did the same to Allred, just hammered away on the “boys in girls sports” theme, but never going after more consequential policy bc he didn’t offer anything new. Instead it was fear tactics like “Democrats will make your kids gay” or “New genders for everyone” which is asinine.
.
Youve managed to write a whole article on Talarico on one of his stances but conveniently avoiding the underlying theme he says of LOVING EVERYONE… I don’t recall the post arguing how Christian Nationalism has distorted the Bible; when the head of this administration is a charlatan using religion as a cloak, Ken Paxton, or any number of bad faith actors, pun intended.
.
It’s also why people are tired of politics; it’s the same bullshht everywhere, repeated, washed, rinsed, and soiled. I expect American Cholo to write this, not you, but that’s ok. The culture war rages on with pieces like this while an actual war rages on.
.
Oh, more Epstain files dropped last week w/ Trvmp in it. Oh, look, a squirrel.
I would encourage every Democrat to vote for Talerico for the Senate in the November election. Is he perfect? No. Is he a better choice for Texans and especially Hispanics than either one of the two likely Republican opponents? Absolutely. He is a seminarian, and he supports separation of church and state. Does he use scripture at times in his arguments? Yes, occasionally and usually to refute a Republican statement or position based on a theological argument. Has an article on the corruption of Ken Paxton been posted on the DailyChela. If so, I haven't seen it. Have any articles been posted here on the spineless actions of Cornyn, who remained silent through the brutality aimed at Hispanics by Homeland Security under the now disgraced Kristi Noem? Has he spoken out over Trump increasing his wealth in excess of $1B, by leveraging the presidency? No? Have any articles been posted in DailyChela to point that out. If, not, then I wonder why you would take aim at Talarico. It is a disservice to your readers to be so blatantly biased. Talaricco is the best thing Texas has seen in 20 years.
It’s not a false doctrine. He is saying to love EVERYONE and Don’t judge anyone (Jesus also tells you that). Our most important commandment, according to Jesus, is to love your neighbor. That means everyone. We are ALL sinners. When we Judge others, we are judging ourselves.
Such bad reasoning hardly merits a response but I’ll be sending one.
Please, your assumptions about Talarico are just that, taking his words and creating fearful assumptions. I’ve been an atheist half my life but I have no quarrel with a Christian who is honest enough to say people have the right to do/be what they feel is right for themselves (biologically speaking). Your writing appears fear mongering, it’s unattractive and mean-spirited. If you are afraid of Talarico - okay, but let moral, intelligent people think for themselves. Who do you think you’re writing to…MAGA?