(CP) – The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, which was recently criticized for addressing God as “Mother” instead of Father, is distributing a handbook on sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression to its member churches.
Titled Lutheran Introduction To Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, & Gender Expression, the handbook, published by the Lutheran ministry ReconcilingWorks that is listed at the top of the ELCA website, details bisexuality, pansexuality and transgederism, and encourages the use of alternative pronouns.
The handbook defines gender identity as “a person’s innate, deeply felt psychological identification as a man, woman or another gender, which may or may not correspond to the sex assigned to them at birth. Gender identity is different from the term ‘gender,’ which is typically used with reference to social and cultural differences rather than biological ones.”
Gender expression, it says, is “the external characteristics and behaviors that are socially defined as either masculine or feminine, such as dress, grooming, mannerisms, speech patterns and social interactions. These norms vary culturally.”
Sexual orientation, it adds, is “the term used to describe what gender(s) someone is physically and/or emotionally attracted to. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, pansexual, queer, and straight are all examples of sexual orientations. A person’s sexual orientation is distinct from a person’s gender identity and expression.” FULL REPORT
