Fr. James Martin Is Dead Wrong: Sexual Attraction and Gender Confusion Don’t Have to Last a Lifetime
Many voices in the public square insist identity is set in stone and that anyone who disagrees is cruel or ignorant. That claim runs into a simple fact: countless men and women report real change, healing, and freedom from patterns of attraction and gender confusion. Those stories matter and they deserve the same respect and attention as opposing narratives.
The debate is not abstract. It affects families, churches, and the rising generation. Parents watch their children struggle and they want honest answers, not slogans. They deserve pastors and professionals who offer both compassion and clarity.
Calling personal testimony anecdotal is a dodge when the anecdotes number in the thousands. People who speak of transformation are not villains or liabilities; they are evidence that change is possible for many. To dismiss them is to make social policy on the basis of a single, fashionable story.
Faith communities have a unique role here. They can be places of refuge where people wrestle with identity, temptation, and purpose. Pastoral care that combines truth with mercy helps people find dignity without endorsing a one-size-fits-all cultural script.
Therapy and faith-based counseling are tools, not weapons. When done ethically, counseling provides frameworks for people to understand themselves and pursue healthy, rooted lives. That work should be state-licensed and subject to professional standards, but it should not be outlawed because some politicians or activists disagree with outcomes.
There is a political angle that cannot be ignored. When public institutions adopt the narrative that attraction or gender identity cannot change, religious liberty and parental rights are at risk. Schools and governments should not erase the plurality of human experience or coerce churches and families into a single orthodoxy.
The left often labels any disagreement as hateful, but holding that people can and do change is not hatred. It is a different moral anthropology. It affirms personal responsibility and the possibility of growth, two ideas central to a healthy society and to conservative thought.
Science is complicated, and it does not support simplistic claims that identity is entirely fixed by biology. Researchers continue to study the interplay of biology, environment, and personal history. Policymakers should be humble in the face of ongoing inquiry, not arrogant in declaring a final verdict.
Church leaders who reject either compassion or truth betray their flocks. Pastors must be able to speak honestly about human experience without being shouted down. That requires theological conviction paired with a refusal to condone harm.
Many who left same-sex behavior or gender transitions did not do so because they were shamed into it. They did it because they sought coherence, meaning, and sacramental life. Their choices reflect complex interior journeys, not compliance with external pressure.
There are also complex cases that demand sensitivity. Some people live with persistent same-sex attraction while fully embracing chastity and religious commitment. Others find peace after counseling. A mature public conversation recognizes the difference and resists lumping everyone into one category.
Media narratives often reduce people to identities, as if a single label explains a whole life. That cheapens human beings and robs them of agency. Conservatives should push back by insisting on the dignity and complexity of every person.
Policy responses should protect freedom of conscience while ensuring vulnerable people get ethical care. That balance supports both religious institutions and professional oversight. It also safeguards parents who want involvement in their children’s formative years.
We need honest pastoral practices that do not treat suffering as a political tool. Churches should offer listening, prayer, and disciplined accompaniment. They should also teach moral norms and provide pathways for those seeking change.
Change is rarely instant and never guaranteed, but hope is a reasonable stance. When institutions tell people they are permanently defined by their feelings, they risk trapping souls in despair. Hope, rooted in truth and community, opens doors others would rather lock.
The conversation about sexuality and gender will continue to shape politics, culture, and faith for years to come. Conservatives must speak plainly and persuasively, defending both truth and mercy. That is the surest way to protect freedom, nurture families, and honor the dignity of real people everywhere.
