Transgender Persons, Their Families and the Church is a compilation of five personal accounts from Catholics who are trans, have trans children or who minister to trans people.

The existence of transgender persons is not new, but awareness of their presence is. Their increased visibility and their willingness to identify themselves publicly has raised a range of issues: clinical, theological, pastoral, and political. Trans persons want their voices to be heard as these issues are discussed.

We recently assembled a group of five Catholics – two transgender persons, two parents of transgender children, and a spiritual director who has had more than 20 years of experience ministering among members of the transgender community. We invited each of them to share their experience, their struggles and their hopes with a group of Catholic bishops. We then compiled their comments into five essays.

This book is not a moral analysis. It is a collection of very personal accounts shared to deepen understanding and respect. Its purpose is to help us see the Church, the Church’s teaching and Catholic health care through their eyes. It is an exceptional glimpse into the lives of faith-filled people who experience the trauma and marginalization of transgender people.