‘God Is Nonbinary’: Is Saying So Political Suicide?
(ANALYSIS) Is it political suicide to declare that God is nonbinary?
Mark Leibovich, author of The Atlantic’s “Why Do Democrats Hate Winning,” is among those who think it is. He expresses his concern to James Talarico, who is now running to represent Texas in the U.S. Senate. In 2021, Talarico made such a declaration. Leibovich posits that this could cause trouble for him as a candidate.
Talarico, a former Presbyterian seminarian, is, “running on faith,” the faith of a progressive Chrisitan who follows Jesus’ teachings. He is highly critical of Christian nationalism. As a Texas legislator, he has spoken out against putting the 10 Commandments in public schools and the public funding of private religious schools.
READ: James Talarico And The Struggle Over Christianity In US Politics
Talarico declared that “God is nonbinary” when supporting the rights of transgendered youth to play on sports teams. He supported his position by saying that God created masculine and feminine and everything in between and that God transcends gender. Republicans and some conservative Christians condemned him, calling him “woke” and a heretic.
One wonders if these Christians believe in a binary rather than a nonbinary God, a two-faced divided and dividing God who shares their dualistic world view.
Of course there was a dualistic element in some really old-time religions that honored both a father sky god and mother Earth, and also other natural/supernatural deities. “Give me that old-time binary religion,” some devotees might sing.
In Judaism and Islam, monotheism triumphed over these older views and prevails today. One could argue that monotheism is nonbinary, in that it asserts there is just one whole and holy God.
In Christianity, a triune God evolved. Though the Father, Son and Holy Spirit of the Trinity are considered indivisible by the faithful, many outside this faith have trouble understanding such a tripart deity.
Within Christianity itself from the start to the emergence of Unitarianism there have been those who are more comfortable with worshiping just one central God.
Most likely those who are attacking Talarico for affirming a nonbinary God have little interest in exploring or debating the nature of God.
What they are really attacking is his support of the transgendered community and more generally his refusal to spread the hatred and fear of those who are on the margins of the dominant society because of their gender, race, ethnicity or official status. He has been a strong supporter of the immigrant and refugee communities of Texas.
In the article cited at the outset of this column, Talarico states that culture war issues such as the rights of transgendered people will not be to the fore of his senate campaign. He thinks that “the dominant issues of 2026 will be the economy and the cost of living.”
The focus on affordability in current political discourse supports this view. However, during the last part of the primary campaign and since his victory, Talarico’s past comments have been resurrected to call into question his fitness to represent Texas in the U.S. Senate. To his credit, he has refused to back down and continues to affirm the rights of transgendered people.
He also continues to offer Christian testimony: “Christ is the immigrant deported without due process. Christ is the senior citizen deprived of their Social Security benefits. Christ is the protester kidnapped in an unmarked vehicle …”
Probably more people have heard Talarico’s testimony via a Feb.16 interview with Stephen Colbert than anywhere else. This interview was banned by CBS and put on YouTube where it is still available.
In his witty and cogent comments, Talarico says that he doesn’t ask what people believe. By their actions he can deduce their beliefs.
He strives to be a “Matthew 25” Christian, one who believes that God considers those who feed the hungry, care for the poor and love all their neighbors to be the real followers of Jesus.
This is a God who knows no boundaries, no divisions. This is a nonbinary God.
This piece was originally published at FaVS News.
Walter Hesford, born and educated in New England, gradually made his way West. For many years he was a professor of English at the University of Idaho, save for stints teaching in China and France. At Idaho, he taught American Literature, World Literature and the Bible as Literature. He currently coordinates an interfaith discussion group and is a member of the Latah County Human Rights Task Force and Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Moscow. He and his wife Elinor enjoy visiting with family and friends and hunting for wild flowers.