“Every time you laugh at the idea of a man dressed as a woman, a trans girl gets more scared to come out.”
As a certified professional comedian, I will tell you that statement is absolutely true. Mockery is a gift that God gave us to soften harsh criticism. Ridicule is a kinder, gentler way to tell someone they are wrong.
Human beings don’t decide what is funny. God decides what is funny. He gave us a ‘sense of humor’ so that we can detect the comedy He created. Our God given sense of humor tells us when to laugh. It’s just like when our God given sense of smell tells us to check for gas leaks, or our sense of hearing tells us the dog is barking.
You trust what your five senses tell you. Your sense of touch, sight, and hearing all agree when there is a cat purring in your lap. Your sense of humor confirms that it is funny when that cat chases a flashlight beam across the floor. You didn’t DECIDE to laugh at the cat. Laughter is the unavoidable result of a triggered sense of humor. Laughter is truth.
Laughing at a man dressed as a woman is also the result of a triggered sense of humor. You don’t DECIDE to laugh at a man in a dress any more than you DECIDE to squint in the bright sunshine. It isn’t cruel, or hateful, or abusive to giggle at a cat chasing a light beam. It isn’t wrong to laugh at a boy dressed as a girl.
Laughing at boys in dresses is an expression of truth. Your sense of humor detects the absurdity of a man dressed as a woman and responds with laughter. Stifling your laughter is NOT actually a gesture of respect. It’s a comfortable form of lying.
It is GOOD to laugh at the silliness of children. Laughter is a gentle way to let a child know he’s made a mistake. When you laugh at a man dressed as a woman, and a trans girl gets more scared to come out, you’ve taught that child a priceless lesson. Boys are not girls. When boys dress like girls, they become punchlines. That’s not because people are cruel. It’s because God determines what is funny. Denying reality will always trigger your sense of humor.
The wicked plot against the righteous and gnash their teeth at them; but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he knows their day is coming.
(Psalm 37:12)
One Response
I find myself more often responding with sorrow when I see trans folks. They’re broken and damaged and demanding that the world accept their mess as “normal”. If we (God’s people) would instead come to them with the same compassion one would for any other mental illness and encourage them towards truth, while rejecting the lies, we may see better results than to only laugh at them. I have a hard time picturing God laughing at our brokenness… I don’t think ridicule is a characteristic of His. I mean, I’m certain He’s laughed at our behaviors the way any parent laughs when their child does something stupid and wins the resulting prize, but to laugh at brokenness? No. I can’t agree there. There’s comedy in a man dressed as a woman, or vice versa, yes. It looks ridiculous because it is; I agree there. But, what’s really going on in the hearts and minds of those who do it without the intent of amusing those around them? That’s not funny. It’s sad.
Compassion isn’t accepting lies, but to care enough to tell the truth and to do so with respect, honesty and gentleness.
That’s my take, anyhow.