Intolerant? (not) me too

Cheryl Thomas’ article “Confused? Me Too” (IDS, April 8) decrying the Beaties’ decision for the transgender husband to carry a child reeks of intolerance, a “transphobia” and an antiquated view of the world. While she has the ability to claim that Beatie is somehow simply another selfish, “entitled” American who feels that he has the right to “Skew ... biblical mandates to justify sins,” the truth is that Beatie is yet another person in a modern, open society who has attempted to have a child, while being in the unusual situation of being a man but born with a woman’s reproductive organs. Apparently her issue is not so much with him having a child, but that he has apparently basically “scorned God’s will” in order to change his sex during childhood, yet still retain female body parts. Not even getting into the entire debate of whether God, being all-knowing, would realize that this may happen, or the problem of free will there is still a major problem with her argument. The biggest flaw lies in her idea that we are somehow tied to the most stringent conservative religious ideas in a modern society. In U.S. society today, we are blessed with a diversity of religious beliefs, ideals and the principle (for most of us) that we are free to do with our own body what we will, and love who we want. If Ms. Thomas is uncomfortable with the amount of personal freedom that offends her religious beliefs here in the U.S., I hear that Iran has a great mixture of religion and politics, where everything from dancing to singing may be punished. Meanwhile, here in the United States, the rest of us shall work to fulfill our dreams to our mutual maximum potential.