On The Church’s website, in the article titled “What is the Church’s position on transitioning?”, it reads:

“The Church does not take a position on the causes of people identifying themselves as transgender” (General Handbook,38.6.21).

And this is after the article lists transgender related behavior that it specifically opposes, such as:

• “Elective medical or surgical intervention for the purpose of attempting to transtion to the opposite gender of a person’s birth sex (‘sex reassignment’).”
• “Social transitioning,” such as “changing dress or grooming, or changing a name or pronouns to present oneself as other than his or her birth sex.”

Andf then it lists some consequences (“Church membership restrictions”) of engaging in those kinds of behaviors, such as “restrictions” on:

• “receiving or exercising the priesthood”
• “receiving or using a temple recommend”
• “receiving some church callings”

And then it hit me, and I thought:

How can The Church impose restrictions on transgender behavior if it does not take a position on why people are transgender?

Doesn’t The Church oppose and penalize transgender behavior because it believes it is sinful, and doesn’t The Church believe that Satan is the ultimate source of all sin? If so, why not just say so?

By saying that it “does not take a position on the causes of people identifying themselves as transgender,” isn’t The Church implying that there is some cause other than Satan and sin?

And if there is some cause other than Satan and sin, why penalize transgender people for behaving like transgender people?