“I just don’t see you as masculine,” were the words a Catholic man said to me in the very early days of my transition, before hormone replacement therapy deepened my voice and caused a beard to fill in across my cheeks. He was looking at my physical body, as yet unchanged by the weekly testosterone shots that needed time to affect me externally. Because he knew that my birth sex was female, he was applying gender essentialist views to me–arguing that I had an innate quality of “femaleness” that would always define me. But is gender a fixed quality that stays with you from cradle to grave? Or is there more variety and diversity within the world of gender than some would like to admit?

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In a world that often defines strength through power and dominance, a toxic and immature version of masculinity equates vulnerability, kindness, and compassion with weakness. Yet, history is full of men whose strength was revealed through love, compassion, and the ability to forgive—even in the face of harm. Jesus himself shattered the old paradigm by turning the other cheek and offering a radically new kind of love—one that transcended boundaries of race, religion, and creed. But today, a growing group of young men, radicalized by fundamentalist voices, have twisted this message.

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A signature move of the new right wing movement popularized by Donald Trump is attacking fact checkers. From developing the catch phrase “fake news” over ten years ago when he was first running for President, to siloing his present day White House administrators by stripping access for reporters and news outlets who don’t wholesale embrace the terms and agenda he sets, Trump has pioneered an era of open hostility towards journalistic integrity and even towards evidence and transparency.

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On the afternoon of December 7th, U.S. Catholic magazine posted an article that I wrote last June on X. The article—a reflection on how gender diversity has always been part of the Catholic Church in light of the release of Dignitas Infinita—exploded online, receiving over 1 million views. Elon Musk even responded to a tweet calling the article “heresy.” At about 10 pm a day after the magazine posted, Musk shared a five-word response: “the world is going mad.”

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Catholicism is a religion that understands high liturgy. With rich fabrics and vestments, vaulted ceilings, and pungent incense rising in the still air, ritual and ceremony are infused into every moment, making it feel set apart, holy, and sacred. There's the fire of the Easter candle, the water in the baptismal font, the oil of confirmation, and the ashes that mark the beginning of Lent. This is God's house after all. A little pomp and circumstance feels appropriate for human beings wanting to connect more deeply with the divine. A sacramental life is tactile, a feast for the senses.

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This week, the Vatican appears to have added some additional context to “exceptional” situations regarding gender dysphoria.

At a theology conference in Germany, Vatican Doctrine Chief Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández said “there are cases outside the norm, such as strong dysphorias that can lead to an unbearable existence or even suicide. These exceptional situations must be evaluated with great care.” He even noted that “in some cases” [...] ‘dysphoria’ [...] manifests itself even from childhood.”

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When I was a young Catholic professional, freshly graduated from Franciscan University and sporting a resume with places like “Dynamic Catholic” on it, I took my vocation as an “artist in the world” seriously. For myself and a growing group of young conservatives in the mid 2010’s, beautiful, theologically-rich art was to be the focal point of our new evangelization (a term originally made popular in 1975 by reformer Pope Paul VI). “Beauty will save the world” was our motto, a phrase that came from a 1869 Dostoevsky novel. Not social action, mutual aid, or works of mercy, but beauty: lofty, pristine, effervescent. Always present–yet somehow always out of reach.

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It's morning again in America.

When the results of the 2024 presidential election were announced, I did what many other trans people did. I rushed to make sure my federal paperwork was in order. After Trump and practically the entire Republican Party ran campaigns that centered “eradicating” transgender people from public life, myself and many others saw the writing on the wall.

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An examination of the harmful effects of rigid, fundamentalist Catholic teachings, particularly within Opus Dei and Franciscan University, on personal identity and LGBTQ individuals. This piece is a critique of controlling practices, such as manipulating information and enforcing strict gender roles, and draws from Gareth Gore’s 2024 book Opus. Such environments suppress individuality, ultimately leading to the possibility of abuse. Rigid dogma must be avoided in order to protect personal freedom.

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I live in small town Ohio. Houses are spread out amongst large plots of beautiful, rolling farmland. There’s frequent “deer crossing” and “carriage traffic” yellow signs dotting the country highways, and plenty of tall flagpoles topped with the unmistakable red, white, and blue flags that signal, “you are in the heart of America.” 

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If you are a member of the LGBTQ community, chances are you know what it’s like to perform emotional labor for the straight, cis-gender community.

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A link to my account of meeting the Pope, available to read at NCROnline.org

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Transition is fundamentally a spiritual journey. For transgender people, questions about who we are that we contemplate in the mind actually originate in and lead us back to the body: we possess the spiritual gift of embodiment.

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Video post with full written transcript

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New Ways Ministry hosted a panel conversation about the declaration, its impact now, and how LGBTQ+ Catholics and allies proceed from here, including in view of the Synod on Synodality. The conversation featured theologians M. Therese Lysaught and Craig A. Ford, and transgender Catholic writer Maxwell Kuzma. The panel was moderated by Brian Flanagan, Senior Fellow at New Ways Ministry.

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An affirming conversation about lived experiences of transgender people, their spiritual gifts, and the blessings to be found in ministry. Featuring moderator, Teresa Thompson and guest speakers, Maxwell Kuzma and Sr. Luisa Derouen, O.P.

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Max is now on substack! https://maxwellkuzma.substack.com/

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Short prose reflection for Ash Wednesday/Valentine’s Day 2024

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Recent interviews Max has given about being a transgender Catholic as it relates to current events in the church

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For Catholics who are LGBTQ, there are issues of access and support, yet there is still a rich, deep, spiritual tradition… with parts of it a bit hidden at times. 

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