Translucence

The testimonies collected in the 44 pages of the book TRANSLUCENCE. Stories of Transgender Faith tell us about the spiritual and human journey of seven transgender believers who have managed to overcome despair with courage, facing abuse, prejudice, and painful marginalization.

This book, produced by the Italian association La Tenda di Gionata, is a collection of stories, an invitation to listen and to discover the stubborn and tenacious faith of those who, though despised and rejected, continue to safeguard their path of faith.

Alessandro, Cristina, Joy, Ethan, Alessandra, Bruna, and Florencia share precious fragments of their lives: difficult, sometimes dramatic journeys to rediscover their authentic identity and make peace with themselves. Their voices speak to us of a God who is close, a friend, who loves each person as they are and who welcomes without distinctions or reservations.

The book is enriched by the pastoral introduction of Father Andrea Conocchia, parish priest of Torvaianica (Rome), who has long been committed to welcoming transgender people. He writes: “I am quite sure,” upon reading these testimonies, “that you will be surprised by the tenacity in faith that lives in many transgender people. And after being surprised, you will reflect on things you otherwise would not have had the chance to encounter in your everyday routine.”

In the afterword, Letizia Tomassone, Waldensian pastor and theologian, invites us to let ourselves be guided by the stories of these people “who do not justify themselves, who do not base their righteousness on gender, orientation, or sexual identity,” and who help us dream “together of a Church capable of manifesting God’s blessing and fostering just relationships.”

Completing the publication are reflections by pedagogue Alessandra Bialetti, which help us understand these paths of identity exploration with greater awareness.

TRANSLUCENCE is a book that invites us to break down prejudices, to open our minds and hearts, and to let ourselves be moved by the human and spiritual experiences of those who have found in their diversity not a condemnation, but an extraordinary opportunity for encounter with God and with others.