'These are great men who fully should be in religious communities. The only reason that they're not admitted is because of their medical history, their trans status,' said 'transgender man' Nicole Matson.
WASHINGTON D.C. (LifeSiteNews) — The controversial transgender-identified “diocesan hermit” known as “Brother Christian Cole Matson” joined Father James Martin’s LGBT conference to promote the admission of transgenders into religious communities.
According to the dissident National Catholic Reporter (NCR), a prominent guest and speaker at the recent pro-LGBT Outreach conference was “Br. Christian” Matson, the woman born as Nicole Matson, who now presents herself as a man.
NCR reported that Matson, who has previously attended Martin’s Outreach conferences, was joined at the event by “five young transgender men,” who joined “him”in a “private retreat” in addition to partaking in the weekend program.
“Matson attended the conference with the intent to support these men [sic], help them connect with the broader community, and learn how to better serve the community himself [sic],” the outlet reported.
As LifeSite has documented, Matson revealedherself as transgender on Pentecost Sunday this year. Having undergone sex-change surgery, Matson has been accepted by Bishop John Stowe into the Diocese of Lexington as a diocesan hermit.
Raised Presbyterian, Matson explained to Religion News Service (RNS) that she converted to Catholicism four years after her “sex change” in college, which she referred to as part of her “medical history,” rather than a “central part” of her “personal identity.”
According to Matson’s own testimony, she subsequently “felt called to minister to those involved in the arts,” and received approval from Stowe to establish herself as a diocesan hermit. Stowe readily accepted, fully aware of Matson’s identity as a “transgender man.”
NCR’s report noted that Matson felt her transgender lifestyle corroborated and supported by the Outreach conference – on which LifeSite has reported – “as it underscored the urgency of completing his upcoming book, which presents a theological argument for the inclusion of trans people in consecrated life.”
Speaking to NCR during the conference, Matson protested that women living as transgender men were being refused admission to religious life. “They just want to serve the church. They just want to be recognized for their love,” he said.
“These are great men who fully should be in religious communities. They’re excellent candidates. The only reason that they’re not admitted is because of their medical history, their trans status.”