"The biggest barriers come, in my experience, from the insidious drip feed of transphobia in society, and the challenge of keeping going when I, like so many other trans people, am feeling exhausted. It can be hard not to give into despair at times."
Karl Rutlidge is a trans man and a Methodist Presbyter in the London District, in this blog for LGBT+ History Month, Karl explains why the fight for respect is relentless but vital for the trans community.
My passion for activism came alive as a teenager, when I started getting interested in politics and wanting to understand why nothing much seemed to get better for the deprived community in which I grew up. Through the mix of people I encountered in those early years, I was involved in anti-war protests and antiracist actions, but I did not get involved in LGBTQ+ activism until much later on, when I came out as trans in my late twenties.
Since then, I have been heavily engaged in helping to set up a staff LGBTQ+ network before training for presbyteral ministry. More recently I have been campaigning for trans rights, which has included raising awareness about the issues facing us at a time when political attitudes and media coverage are so relentlessly negative, making a nuisance of myself where I can educate others such as at the Methodist Conference, and advocacy for individuals.
Trans people make up around 0.5% of the population, but we are regularly on the receiving end of hostile news stories and attempts to use the courts to take away our rights, with some newspapers printing multiple hit pieces on the same day. Most imply we are a menace to society, especially women and children. I have therefore worked to break down stereotypes and barriers, and have tried to use my voice to speak out about often ignored struggles. My ministry has involved working with a number of trans kids who are feeling the brunt of regressive government policies following the problematic and arguably deeply flawed Cass Review; it is wanting to be able to look them in the eye and tell them ‘it will get better’ that inspires me to keep going.
The biggest barriers come in my experience from the insidious drip feed of transphobia in society, and the challenge of keeping going when I, like so many other trans people, am feeling exhausted. It can be hard not to give into despair at times, if I am honest. Having found myself on the end of almost constant social media abuse for speaking out, I have left some platforms and sought to concentrate more on face-to-face relationships, which has been helpful. What encourages me is seeing others flourish despite everything, and knowing from what friends have said that my speaking out has helped young people in particular to feel less alone, showing them that fullness of life is possible.
There is a lot more to be done, because I think trans people in the 2020s find ourselves in a similar situation to the one that cisgender gay men and lesbians were back in the 1980s and 1990s. My faith sustains me in part because of the assurance that I am a beloved child of God and nothing anyone else says or does can take that away, and partly because the calling to seek justice and be prophetic is so central to Christianity.
God is not interested in empty worship, but in the value of all people being reflected in how the world actually works, reflecting the life of the Kingdom of God. I was drawn to Jesus in my early twenties because the Gospels show he refused to stop loving with the freedom of God even when he drew hostile reactions from those who thought they had it all sorted; he inspires me to do the same, with the help of the Holy Spirit.