Interviews

New Ways Ministry - April 10, 2024

What Transgender Catholics and Their Allies Are Saying About “Dignitas Infinita”

“Maxwell Kuzma is a transgender man living on a farm in rural Ohio who writes and speaks about affirming the dignity of LGBTQ+ people in all areas of life, but particularly within the Catholic church:

My greatest concern with this document is its dangerous implication that medical experts contest the importance of recognizing the transgender people’s lived reality and the evidence-based benefits of social and medical transition. Many of the  largely self-appointed “experts” who contest trans-positive perspectives  have only conducted biased studies that generate false data. I am also deeply concerned about the way intersex conditions were considered to be “resolved,” an expression that reveals a lack of engagement by the Vatican with actual intersex people.

My hope lies with the lived example of Pope Francis, who has demonstrated a welcoming care and support of transgender people. My hope is that the whole church will learn by his example how to extend that same respect, love, and support to the transgender people in our individual communities.

I am a transgender man and lifelong Catholic, and I know that my identity is a beautiful gift from God. The natural world reveals how much God loves diversity, and human diversity in particular is a uniquely precious gift that goes beyond any gender binary to reveal the beautiful wholeness of creation through Divine Love.”

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The Associated Press - April 4, 2024

Transgender Catholics say new Vatican document shows no understanding of their lives

“A document like this is very hurtful to the larger LGBTQ+ community but especially to the trans community,” said Maxwell Kuzma, 32, a lifelong Catholic transgender man working as a film editor and writer in rural Ohio.

“We have seen the care and love Pope Francis has personally extended to the trans community in his personal interactions, yet this document fails to extend that same respect, love, and support,” Kuzma said via email.

(…)

Kuzma, the Ohio-based film editor and writer, said his dismay over the Vatican document was coupled with continued optimism.

“Currently we have a spotlight on us, yet we have existed throughout human history and have often been given special roles in cultures that recognized our unique gifts,” he said.

“The Catholic Church moves slowly, but my hope is that one day, the Vatican will truly recognize the beautiful and important gifts transgender people have to share with the church and the world.”

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The New York Times - November 9, 2023

Vatican Says Transgender People Can Be Baptized and Become Godparents

Maxwell Kuzma, a Catholic who runs a farm outside Columbus, Ohio, said the document was "a very good sign of, yes, we want transgender people to be involved in the life of the church."

He said he was especially touched by the section that said transgender people could be witnesses at weddings. In 2019, he was asked to be the maid of honor at his younger sister's wedding, which coincided with his decision to come out and began transitioning, he said. But the wedding organizers told him, he said, they wanted only a female maid of honor and disinvited him from the wedding party.

Mr. Kuzma said many transgender Catholics hid their identities to participate in their church communities, "and that's just not a very good way to live."

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The National Catholic Reporter - October 7, 2023

New Iowa guidelines praised as a 'milestone' by LGBTQ Catholics and advocates

Maxwell Kuzma, a transgender Catholic from Ohio who has criticized Favale's writings on gender identity, said the Davenport guidelines were "amazing to see coming from a Catholic bishop in 2023." 

"So often in Catholic spaces there’s an asterisk after the words 'all are welcome.' "

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The National Catholic Reporter - October 2, 2023

LGBTQ+ Catholics express cautious hope for change as Synod of Bishops starts

"The way that question is worded shows you that what's really needed in a lot of ways is a big perspective shift," where church leaders model welcoming attitudes, said Maxwell Kuzma, a transgender Catholic from Ohio. To address the judgment that makes LGBTQ+ Catholics feel judged "you can't just create a program to make that go away," he said.

While Kuzma said changing doctrine would show "care and concern" for LGBTQ+ issues, he said the core issue is that, even with present doctrine, many Catholic leaders and employers appear to crack down more harshly on LGBTQ+ people in relationships than heterosexual people living in situations contrary to official church teaching, such as cohabiting together before marriage.

Kuzma said he hopes the synod will lead to "increased familiarity and comfort" with LGBTQ+ people that leads to more "unity." Kuzma would like to see people willing to engage in conversations about LGBTQ+ issues instead of being "outright disrespectful" or "dismissive."

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