#i reiterate that I am not academically read on these topics im just speaking from the personal perspective

[patron-saint-of-lesbeans]

Heyyyy RJ. I'm working on a huge comprehensive post about the theology of the Sides, biblical hermeneutics, hamartiology, anthropology, and etc. An area that I originally wasn't going to touch on at all, was the areas of intersex people and trans theology, because on the one hand I don't experience this for the most part and on the other I am just sorrowfully lacking in any knowledge about it.

Long story short: since you seem to know a lot about these things could you inform me of your approach towards gender, sex, intersex people, and trans theology?? Thank you, very much appreciated <333

Of course! For reference, though, I am not well-read (academically) on the topics, but they are something I think of, pray about, and encounter fairly often, so if any other intersex or trans people have any further theological sources or reading to suggest, I would appreciate it. I am speaking from the perspective of a USAmerican cradle (Roman) Catholic with very poor catechesis. I hope this is informative or at least inspires your own research on the topic; I’m happy to answer any more specific questions to the best of my ability.

(Funny enough I had a post in the queue on this topic, so I've transplanted a lot of it to this post).

Firstly, I came to interact with the intersex community, and by extension gender's intersection with theology, because I am disabled. I was born with a debilitating congenital birth defect, and went through the combined medical pressure to 'be fixed' and the spiritual frustration of being made 'imperfect' by a perfect God. The generally accepted answer from the Church is that the fall corrupted nature, and therefore disability and birth defects exist - not as a punishment or transferred guilt from Adam, but simply as a part of our fallen world, just like death. That is not a very satisfying answer when you're 9 years old and can't walk or run or play with the other kids.

Personally, my parents shielded me from medical professionals who wanted me to submit to some pretty drastic procedures for a child to go through. When a doctor suggested a surgery, my parents would explain to me what would happen and how it might help or hurt me. I denied almost every optional 'quality of life' surgery offered, and that decision - even as a child - was respected. Intersex people, especially children, do not have that kind of informed consent or support. (A lot of disabled people also lack in this support and understanding, I just happened to be one of the lucky ones.)

I should also note that my birth defect is very rare - literally rarer than 1 in a million - making it much rarer than intersex conditions, including ambiguous genitalia observable at birth. The argument that intersex conditions* are 'rare' and therefore 'intrinsically either male or female' is a gross simplification and erasure of their physical and social reality. As far as the statistics, just how many intersex people are born are inherently skewed toward rarity. Many countries and cultures still permit or encourage the killing of intersex infants at birth, and there is a documented history in the US of intersex infants having their genitals cosmetically altered at or soon after birth (sometimes without the parents' knowledge or consent). Furthermore, some intersex conditions aren't apparent until puberty, and many young intersex people are lied to by their family and doctors about their condition. Therefore, the justification that intersex people are 'rare' and therefore don't need theological accommodation is inherently flawed. Even if intersex people are exceptionally rare, like my condition, the Church doesn't teach that I needed to submit to medical 'correction' to live a 'normal' life. My naturally disabled life is of individual and intrinsic value. The Church failed to extend this understanding and compassion to the intersex community.

Currently the Church's teaching on intersex people is murky at best - from my personal research. The 'intrinsic' nature of gender is dogmatically limited to either male or female, reflecting man-made social constructs and tradition, not nature and God-given identity. Is it the 'intrinsic' nature of humanity to be abled-bodied? Should disabled people therefore make every possible effort to present as abled-bodied? Of course not - so, why do we demand intersex people pick an 'intrinsic' gender to present with? (Hint: intersexism.) The idea that intersex people with ambiguous genitalia - and remember, not all intersex people have ambiguous genitalia - need 'corrective' surgeries for their genitalia is fearmongering medicalization. Very rarely does ambiguous genitalia impede necessary bodily functions, and when it does, surgery to correct the urethral opening does not necessitate the extent of cosmetic changes these medically necessary surgeries supposedly require - as though the addition of prosthetic testicles is at all tied to a person's ability to urinate.

Until the Church meaningfully convenes with, recognizes, and celebrates the God-given intrinsic nature of the intersex community, there can be no settled theological value assigned to gender.

This doesn't mean that I dismiss the theological importance and value of the perisex* cisgender male and female genders. The Word Incarnate came in the form and likeness of a 'man,' and I respect that the priesthood reflects that. The (potentially) procreative nature of sex being limited to a married 'man' and 'woman' also falls within my understanding and respect for Church teachings on intimacy. However, I think theological values need to be extended to and evolved to include intersex people who don't transition to present as a perisex man or woman.

Which therefore also extends to trans theology. If we cannot accept and understand diversity given by God at conception and birth, we cannot have an informed and theologically solid interpretation of transition later in life. Hence its even murkier status - and by social and cultural hang ups, its negative bias - in Church teachings. The Church permits abortions for ectopic pregnancies as a medical necessity as determined from years of medical study as the best and most life saving option, but the transition of a severely dysphoric* person is not seen as medically necessary in spite of years of similar research and support?

I guess that's the crux of my approach to gender with reference to intersex and transgender issues. If it is natural - and it is - then regardless of rarity it is God-given individuality that should be theologically affirmed and celebrated. If it is medically necessary - and for trans people, transition is the best modern treatment - then it should be permitted by the Church. The merger of these two concepts, natural diversity and medical necessity, cannot be theologically dissected and discussed until they are individually accepted by the Church.

I was born disabled - not in a disabled body, not with the wrong skeletal structure - I am disabled. It's not a dirty or bad word, and it doesn't mean I'm intrinsically broken or need to be fixed. The intersex community has fought long and hard for recognition of their individual value, and the Church must respect and celebrate that if it wants a cohesive theology on gender.

The soul and the body are not mirrors but complements. If they were mirrors, then does my physical disability present in a spiritual limitation or flaw? No; they complement each other and any dissonance between the two is created by the fall of man - like Death, which separates body and soul, and is therefore abhorrent to God and human nature alike. Is it wrong to administer medical attention to the terminally ill or dying? No; we administer medical attention with the knowledge that we cannot cure death but that we can offer bodily comfort. And we shouldn't try to 'cure' death - only God can do that, and will do that, at the second coming. It's a bit dire of an analogy, but similarly, we should administer the same compassion and care to our transgender siblings. You cannot 'cure' them, but you can make their bodily life easier, more comfortable, and more joyful.

intersex* - Intersex conditions can vary from alternative hormonal expression to chromosomal differences to mixed sex characteristics. The intersex community includes a variety of presentations, including those invisible to external medical observation. (You do not know who is intersex just from looking at or speaking to them.) Focusing on and defining these conditions by the potential medical complications of intersex development is intersexist and leads to extensive medical abuse. It would be ridiculous and exclusionary to defined perisex cisgendered women as those who have required a cesarean section. It is just as ridiculous and narrow-minded to define intersex individuals as those with ambiguous genitalia that required medical intervention at birth to allow for normal bodily function. Here's some Intersex 101 resources for those who want to learn more.

gender dysphoria* - Some transgender individuals do not experience gender dysphoria and the medicalization of the trans community, like the intersex community, is rife with disagreements and the high potential to withhold treatment and medically abuse individuals that do not perfectly meet strict conditions. With the Church's failure to acknowledge and include intersex people, this nuance cannot be addressed with our current limited dogmatic and theological understanding of gender.

perisex* - This term simply means the opposite of intersex, synonyms include dyadic or endosex. A perisex person has sex characteristics that 'match' their 'sex chromosomes.' Eg. a woman with XX chromosomes and a normally developed uterus, ovaries, vagina, etc. and an estrogen dominated endocrine system or a man with XY chromosomes with normally developed phallus and testes and a testosterone dominated endocrine system.

** Not mentioned above, but for reference the word h*rmaphrodite and variations thereof is a derogatory slur for intersex individuals. Just because a word is medically used, like r*tard, doesn't mean it should be used either medically or colloquially. More accurate scientific descriptors appear in any specialized biological field (monoeicious for trees, cogenital for some invertebrates, etc.) making the use of the h slur not only offensive but often inaccurate in scientific contexts. Just use intersex or if you’re specifically talking about ambiguous genitalia, just say ambiguous genitalia. If you didn't know, now you do - one of today's lucky 10,000!