In April 2024, Dignitas Infinita asserted that any “sex-change intervention” risks threatening “the unique dignity” of a person. In October 2024, a group of transgender and intersex people, along with medical professionals, met with Pope Francis and discussed the importance of transgender healthcare. In March 2025, Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández said: “there are cases outside the norm, such as strong dysphorias that can lead to an unbearable existence or even suicide. These exceptional situations must be evaluated with great care,” leaving open possibility for transgender healthcare within Catholic contexts.
Meanwhile, in the wake of the 2024 election, the USCCB has seemed to double down on anti-trans policies and legislation, endangering the lives of trans Catholics and forsaking them.
This paper examines the experience of trans Catholics through interviews, testimonies, and writings to demonstrate how trans affirming care is life affirming , and often a matter of life and death. Drawing both on Catholic ethics and incarnational theology, this paper argues that the need for Catholic institutions to support trans individuals and gender affirming care is not merely harm reduction and suicide prevention, but also contributes to the flourishing of trans Catholics. To paraphrase Iraneus, “The glory of God is a human being fully alive.” Rather than relegate trans Catholics to the closet or to suffering, Catholicism calls us to create a situation where they are not only tolerated but can thrive.
In April 2024, Dignitas Infinita asserted that any “sex-change intervention” risks threatening “the unique dignity” of persons. In October 2024, a group of transgender and intersex people, met with Pope Francis and discussed the importance of transgender healthcare. In March 2025, Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández suggested that in some "exceptional circumstances" there may be room for gender affirming care. eanwhile, in the wake of the 2024 election, the USCCB has seemed to double down on anti-trans policies and legislation, endangering the lives of trans Catholics and forsaking them. This paper examines the experience of trans Catholics through interviews, testimonies, and writings to demonstrate how trans affirming care is life affirming. Drawing on Catholic ethics and incarnational theology, this paper argues that the need for Catholic institutions to support trans individuals and gender affirming care is not merely harm reduction and suicide prevention, but contributes to the flourishing of trans Catholics.