The Presbyterian Church: More Light on Intersex
Posted on Friday, November 3
More Light on Intersex
More Light Presbyterians
Intersex is a medical condition of birth where the individual is born with mixed or indeterminate biological sex. It has traditionally been called hermaphroditism or pseudohermaphroditism and may occur in approximately two in every 100 births.
It is likely that you have never heard a minister preach on Matthew 19:11a-12:
For people in the church who are born with conditions that make their genetic or anatomical sex unclear, these words of jesus are filled with grace. Intersex is defined as a condition of birth where the individual is born with mixed or indeterminate biological sex. Few people have heard of it, and yet it is more prevalent than Muscular Dystophy. There are dozens of specific medical reasons why babies are born without clarity about their anatomical sex, and there are numerous different ways that this lack of clarity manifests itself.
The lack of church attention to the words of Jesus recorded in Matthew 19 reflect the church's intense ambivalence about sex and gender. Eunuchs are described in both the Hebrew and Greek Testaements. Early in history they were men who had been emasculated either as the result of conquest, or to create slaves who could safely guard the ruler's harem. Later the term eunuch became associated with those entrusted with the royal household and treasure. While some of these people may not have been physically marked like their forebears, they continued to carry the stigma of being sexually marginalized. Jewish law, with its emphasis on purity and freedom from blemish, forbade access to the holy places to the clearly 'imperfect' eunuchs. In Matthew, Jesus not only recognized the presence of infants born with unclear genitalia, he claimed them for the kingdom of heaven. Clearly the church has a responsibility to recognize and welcome such as these!
Causes of Intersex Condition
There are many causes of intersex conditions in infants. They can be roughly divided into prenatal (before birth) and postnatal (following birth). Perhaps the most frequent and disturbing of postnatal are circumcision accidents that result in the permanent loss of an infant boys penis.
Prenatal causes of intersex conditions include many genetic and chromosomal conditions. The results of these conditions range from individuals who have both male and female gonads to individuals who appear to have normal sexual development until later in life when it is discovered that they are gonadally and chromosomally opposite to their apparent sex. Some of the medical terms associated with prenatal intersex conditions include
Whatever the cause, at some point in life the discovery of intersex condition can be very disturbing. It is clear that all faith communities bear a responsibility to care for these individuals and their families.
Ministries with Families and Infants
The tendency of hospitals and physicians has been to treat the birth on an intersex infant as a medical and social emergency. This creates an atmosphere that is not conducive to caring and informed decision making on the part of the family, and tends to place primary decision-making responsibility on medical professionals. Unnecesary, unwanted, and sexually damaging surgery may result.
There are several important things that pastors and congregations can do to help:
Ministry with Adults Whose Lives are Impacted by Intersex Condition
Pastors and congregations should become aware of the potential presence of this silent/hidden group within their churches, and provide resources and care where appropriate. Sexuality is a major issue for adults with intersex conditions, and personal relationships are fraught with fear and shame. While some intersex folks identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or heterosexual, others describe themselves as asexual, eschewing sexual relationships altogether. Occasionally intersex adults become dissatisfied with the gender of their rearing and elect to transition to the opposite gender. These people may or may not want to describe themselves as transgender.
Find more information on Intersex conditions, visit the: Temenos Intersex Page
Find more information on LGBTI Faith Communities, visit the: Temenos Faith Communities Page
More Light Presbyterians
Intersex is a medical condition of birth where the individual is born with mixed or indeterminate biological sex. It has traditionally been called hermaphroditism or pseudohermaphroditism and may occur in approximately two in every 100 births.
It is likely that you have never heard a minister preach on Matthew 19:11a-12:
Jesus said unto them...For there are some Eunuchs, which were so born from their mother's womb; and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. [emphasis added.]
For people in the church who are born with conditions that make their genetic or anatomical sex unclear, these words of jesus are filled with grace. Intersex is defined as a condition of birth where the individual is born with mixed or indeterminate biological sex. Few people have heard of it, and yet it is more prevalent than Muscular Dystophy. There are dozens of specific medical reasons why babies are born without clarity about their anatomical sex, and there are numerous different ways that this lack of clarity manifests itself.
The lack of church attention to the words of Jesus recorded in Matthew 19 reflect the church's intense ambivalence about sex and gender. Eunuchs are described in both the Hebrew and Greek Testaements. Early in history they were men who had been emasculated either as the result of conquest, or to create slaves who could safely guard the ruler's harem. Later the term eunuch became associated with those entrusted with the royal household and treasure. While some of these people may not have been physically marked like their forebears, they continued to carry the stigma of being sexually marginalized. Jewish law, with its emphasis on purity and freedom from blemish, forbade access to the holy places to the clearly 'imperfect' eunuchs. In Matthew, Jesus not only recognized the presence of infants born with unclear genitalia, he claimed them for the kingdom of heaven. Clearly the church has a responsibility to recognize and welcome such as these!Causes of Intersex Condition
There are many causes of intersex conditions in infants. They can be roughly divided into prenatal (before birth) and postnatal (following birth). Perhaps the most frequent and disturbing of postnatal are circumcision accidents that result in the permanent loss of an infant boys penis.
Prenatal causes of intersex conditions include many genetic and chromosomal conditions. The results of these conditions range from individuals who have both male and female gonads to individuals who appear to have normal sexual development until later in life when it is discovered that they are gonadally and chromosomally opposite to their apparent sex. Some of the medical terms associated with prenatal intersex conditions include
- Hypospadias
- Chromosomal mosaicism
- Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome (AIS) or testicular feminization.
- Klinefelter Syndrome
- Turner Syndrome
- Winged labia
- And many others
Whatever the cause, at some point in life the discovery of intersex condition can be very disturbing. It is clear that all faith communities bear a responsibility to care for these individuals and their families.
Ministries with Families and Infants
The tendency of hospitals and physicians has been to treat the birth on an intersex infant as a medical and social emergency. This creates an atmosphere that is not conducive to caring and informed decision making on the part of the family, and tends to place primary decision-making responsibility on medical professionals. Unnecesary, unwanted, and sexually damaging surgery may result.
There are several important things that pastors and congregations can do to help:
- Prepare by educating their communities ahead of time about prenatal sexual development. The pastor can easily use Matthew 19 as the basis of a sermon addressing these issues. Most communities have individuals capable of providing a class or lecture on prenatal sexual development and intersex.
- Providing education for pastors and other caring members on issues faced by families when an intersex birth occurs.
- Making educational material and other resources on intersex available to members and the larger community.
- Creating an atmosphere of openness and acceptance to a wide diversity of gender expressions in their communities. This will help discourage fear-based decisions and premature surgery.
Ministry with Adults Whose Lives are Impacted by Intersex Condition
Pastors and congregations should become aware of the potential presence of this silent/hidden group within their churches, and provide resources and care where appropriate. Sexuality is a major issue for adults with intersex conditions, and personal relationships are fraught with fear and shame. While some intersex folks identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or heterosexual, others describe themselves as asexual, eschewing sexual relationships altogether. Occasionally intersex adults become dissatisfied with the gender of their rearing and elect to transition to the opposite gender. These people may or may not want to describe themselves as transgender.
Understanding Sexual Differentiation
American Academy of Pediatrics
Intersex conditions arise because of an abnormality along the male pathway that interferes with complete masculinization or, in the case of a genetic female, some virilizing influence that acts on the developing embryo. Before about 6 weeks' gestation, male and female embryos develop undifferentiated gonadal tissue and have primordial structures with the potential to produce either male or female genitalia. The genital apperance of the newborn is largely determined by the presence or abscence of genetic and hormonal influences responsible for the active process of male differentiation. The fetus tends to develop as female in the abscence of these male influences.
The SRY gene on the short arm of the Y chromosome initiates male sexual differentiation. In the absence of SRY, female sexual differentiation occurs. Under the influence of SRY, the undifferentiated gonad forms a testis, which produces the hormonal milieu that results in male sexual differentiation: testosterone stimulates the solffian structures (epididymis, vas deferens, and seminal vesicles), and anti-Mullerian hormone suppresses the development of Mullerian structures (fallopian tubes, uterus, and upper vagina). The conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone occurs in the skin of the external genitalia and masculinizes the external genital structures. Most of this male differentiation takes place by about 12 weeks, after which the penis grows and the testes descend into the scrotum. An error in genital formation may occur at any step in this developmental pathway.
Resources
- Intersex Society of North America (ISNA). www.isna.org
- Bodies Like Ours. www.bodieslikeours.org
- Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome Support Group (AISSG). www.medhelp.org/www/ais
- Fausto-Sterling, Anne. Myths of Gender: Biological Theories About Women and Men.
buy it now - More Light Liaison for Intersex Concerns (open) Contact Erin Swenson, _erin@erinswen.com_
Labels: Faith
posted by David Mariner -
11:21 AM -
1 Comments:
You know, Mathew verses 4 to 12 are the most profound writings in the New Testament. Recently, main line churches have reluctantly admitted that Jesus was a eunuch on the basis of these writings.
Let’s try to put it all in perspective.
4: And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,
5: And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?
Here Jesus establishes the obligation for all men to marry and be faithful to one wife. Hopefully we are all in agreement on this. This is important as you will see later because marriage is not optional for a man. This is also stated in The Old Testament.
It is also important to take note of verse 5 as it is key to understanding this part of the Bible.
9: And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.
This reaffirms the requirement of monogamy, and monogamy is as difficult for man to accept today as it was then.
10: His disciples say unto him, If the case of the man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry.
The disciples find this rule a little hard to swallow. It is time for Jesus to lay out the alternative to marriage.
11: But he said unto them, All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given.
Jesus gives them an option. In this option he says that there are those that cannot accept this rule (to marry a woman and be monogamous). It is important to note here that he does not say “will not”, “would rather not”, “don’t have to”, but he said “cannot”. This would imply that he was referring to people incapable (mentally, physically, or both) of living by the rules of men. This is a very important distinction. These people are exempted from the rules of marriage, indeed from the rules of men, because in the eyes of God they are not men. There are rules in Leviticus and Deuteronomy that do not allow men to “be together” sexually, and prohibit men from being effeminate, and these rules are correct. However, these rules only apply to “men”, and eunuchs were not considered to be men in those days. Therefore if we want to refer to the bible for moral direction, we must be careful how we apply these rules.
12: For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother's womb:
The important thing to remember at this point is that Jesus is only allowing two possible states for a grown male. He is either married, or he is a Eunuch. More importantly, he can only be a Eunuch if he is incapable of being married to a woman. “so born from their mother's womb” has to refer to anyone who from the day he was born would never be able to consummate a relationship with a woman, for whatever reason. A truly gay man is incapable of consistently performing his male duties with a woman any more than the average heterosexual man could have sex with another man. The equipment only works when the brain is in synch, and the brain controls the equipment. The equipment does not work when the individual is disgusted with the act. Therefore, by default, a gay man falls into this category. The church interprets this (verse 12) to mean hermaphrodites (people who have indeterminate physical sexual gender).To some extent they may be correct. One would not truly know that he was gay until he reached puberty (at least he could not be 100 per cent sure). Therefore we could not declare a homosexual a eunuch at birth, even though technically they will never be attracted to women. Nevertheless they are born to not be in a relationship with a woman, and so you say this phrase applies to them as well.
and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men:
This category I think everyone agrees upon. These are males that were physically castrated by other men, and are obviously incapable of consummating a relationship with a woman.
and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake.
The church interprets this as celibacy. Although being a physical eunuch made celibacy a likely state, a man who is attracted to women and remains celibate can not claim to be a eunuch. Jesus rule was explicit---if you are physically and mentally capable of consummating a relationship with a woman, you were required to do so(remember verse 5 that I said was the key to understanding these words of Jesus). It is much more likely that this rule applies to a man who when he reaches puberty, realizes that he is not attracted to women, and declares himself a eunuch so as not to be in violation of verse 5 which requires him to marry a woman. Without this declaration he would be in violation of verse 5, so he does this “ for the kingdom of heaven's sake”.
Repeat-----5: And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?
Voluntary celibacy was not an option for a man with a normal sex drive and working equipment. The only way a heterosexual man (with a normal sexual drive) could achieve this category would be to actually have him self castrated. The only way for a homosexual man to achieve the status of eunuch was to at least declare him self to be incapable of being with a woman. A man with no interest in sexual relations with a woman could do without castration. This is consistent with Jewish Law which required a man to be married by the age of eighteen.
This was the great mistake made by the Church---they misinterpreted this as a simple requirement of celibacy. They did this for a good reason. Eunuchs were at the bottom of the social hierarchy. They appeared to be either slaves, (quite often the slaves of women), or ministers of the church. Jesus routinely made himself less than he could have been. Pride and ego were not a part of what he believed in. He was the opposite. Is it any wonder the church tried desperately to paint a different picture of Jesus, one that was more in line with mans own nature?
He that is able to receive it, let him receive it.
Most people think that this sentence refers back to the rules concerning eunuchs. It actually refers back to that key verse 5 that requires a man to be married. It is once again saying that anyone able to be married must be married, and also includes a reference to the alternative (eunuch). These words of Christ are not ambiguous at all. They answer so many questions and do so in a literally perfect and complete way. This is what we should expect from a divinely inspired source. It is all there, but we can not see it because it is not the picture we want of Jesus or his Apostles (John the Baptist definitely was a eunuch as well).
This is a literal translation that makes sense in every way and even satisfies Jewish Law. It also satisfies the laws about “not lying” in that it is not asking homosexuals to pretend to be what they aren’t (to live a lie). It takes away the need to hate. It confirms that gay men are born this way (Jesus just told us this, and science has recently proven it). It also addresses all references in the bible to homosexuality--- eunuchs were not considered men, so rules applying to two men would not apply to eunuchs. The Aramaic translation (the language of Jesus) of eunuch is: ---Castrated Male, faithful believer. Faithful believers they were indeed, because in relinquishing their manhood they moved from the top to the bottom of the social hierarchy. There was no great lineup to become a eunuch. Think about it----the real sin was not to come out of the closet---the real sin was to stay in the closet and live a lie.
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