360 Vision - Born In The Wrong Body

"Why would God make me this way?"

360 Vision examines the struggles of transgender individuals - and visits a church that embraces them

It is a secret they kept from their families for years.

Lisa and Marissa are transgender men - born in male bodies, yet possessing a female identity. They don't want to hide their true selves anymore. But finding acceptance can be heartrendingly difficult.

On its next edition, VisionTV's Gemini Award-nominated current affairs series 360 Vision examines the struggles that transgender individuals experience in their daily lives, and visits a church in Ontario that has opened its doors - and its heart - to this community.

The program airs on Wednesday, May 23 at 10 p.m. ET, and repeats on Monday, May 28 at 8:30 p.m. ET.

Lisa, now 54, spent most of her life struggling with her sense of self: born a boy named Larry, but feeling like a girl. Larry was married for 10 years and had a son, but never shed the feeling that he should have been a woman. "I was actually very angry at God," Lisa tells 360 Vision's Janet Aronoff. "Why did you do this to me? Why me?"

Marissa was Paul, a police officer in England. Paul guarded his secret from fellow officers, from his wife of more than 20 years, and from his three children. When the truth finally came out, it cost him his marriage and his family.

The price of coming out as transgender can be almost unbearably high: rejection and ridicule, the loss of families, friends and jobs, and severe depression. Help is not always easy to find.

Some churches, however, have sought to reach out. Centenary United Church (www.centenaryunited.com) in Hamilton, Ont., for one, provides a place where members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community can pray together and be their true selves.

"God's love is without condition," says Rev. Wayne Irwin of Centenary United. "It's not dependent on behaviour, it's not dependent on how good we are. God's love is dependent on how good God is."

360 Vision is the only weekly Canadian television program that probes the intersection of spirituality and daily events. Its mandate is to give viewers a compass to help them to navigate the diverse and complex world of belief.

For more news and information on 360 Vision, please visit www.visiontv.ca.

Executive Producer: Sadia Zaman
Senior Producer: John Scully

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• 360
• Vision
• spirituality
• transgendered
• gay
• lesbian
• bisexual
• identity
• struggle
• Centenary
• United
• Church

[gaymilitaryman]

She said transgendered "men", but the correct term is transgendered "women". As she said it, it would mean they were born female and became male.

[cucucachu21]

thats so sad they have to hide it from the people who are supposed to love them. i dont care if my sons end up gay, TG, or just looney...ill still love them like crazy!!!

[kerry53able]

everything begins in the mind and our minds are changable

[kerry53able]

everything begins in the mind and our minds are changable

[shadowbreaker777]

She fucked up! She said Transgender male. That would mean they were born female and transitioned to men.

[willowest]

PRAISE LORD!!!!

but actually the men in this video were not tg they were just crossdressers - straight men who dress for the thrill... duh!

[xenite51]

thankyou gaymilitaryman I caught that too.

[angeltopbitch]

You are what's wrong with people today

[TheRasta25]

Fucked up !! Both of u god have mercy in u !! Fucked up

[lusciousloosh]

props for them for being who they want to be.

[ranedrops86]

nothing is wrong with the people today