Daring to stand alone

I never thought I had a problem with it, standing alone that is, but the other day on the internet it hit me in the face.  You see, ever since this Bruce Jenner/Caitlyn Jenner became the hot topic these past months I've been wondering how I would address it.  I've been wondering what I would say when the opportunity arose with a non-member and how I would stand by my beliefs.  What are my beliefs?  Well, they are in align with the family proclamation which states, "Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose."  Funny, if you would have asked me even two years ago why this line was important to have in the family proclamation I would have had no idea what to respond.  I felt that most people would say, of course that is a given.  But now it is opposite, isn't it?  They are saying we cannot even proclaim gender at birth...just in case?  Certainly in today's world, stating that gender is an essential characteristic is something that needs to be proclaimed.  And it definitely is unpopular to take this stance.  Let's be honest, people will say I am bigoted.

So I was on facebook the other day (yes I occasionally glance at facebook) and my friend posted a link to this article which as I read, resonated within me as something true.  I read it and after reading it, thought how grateful I was to my friend for posting it.  Usually, when I am grateful for reading something like this I will share it on my own facebook page.  As I thought of sharing this article, I shrunk back and worried about what my friends would think of me if I posted it.  So I didn't.  My initial reaction was to turn away from worldly ridicule and say nothing.  After thinking on it for a while I wondered what I was so concerned about.  I wondered why if everyone else is able to share their opinion and beliefs openly on the internet, why couldn't I?  I wondered why would we ever want to change our gender.  Why would any parent decide at a young age that their child should be something different from their god-given gender?  Why would any man or woman want to mutilate themselves to become something other than what they are?  How will the future generation know what's true when they are taught it doesn't matter if you have a father...or a mother.  How does pornography play into all of this?  And finally I wondered, if I didn't stand up for what I knew to be correct, who would?  And so I clicked that small button and shared.   

I think back to me at age 8, 9, 10...11.  I was most certainly a Tom Boy.  I most certainly thought it would be better to be a boy than a woman.  Does that mean that I should have changed?  No!  With time I came to love and accept my own gender and I, now as a mother of five and wife, embrace fully who and what I am.  What if this thought of, "you can change your gender" was a popular thought back then and my parents weren't religious?  Would I have chosen that path?

So I'm standing alone now and I'm saying that these operations, these thoughts that one can be something other than the gender they have been given is wrong.  Call me a bigot if you will but I, along with the prophets, believe and will teach that  "Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose."