Intersex

In most discussions these days on the topic of "transgender" or "gender dysphoria" and the like, one side will generally tend toward, "But science is quite clear on the subject" and the other will often go to "Oh, yeah? What about intersex?" So ... what is "intersex"?

According to the Intersex Society of North America, "'Intersex' is a general term used for a variety of conditions in which a person is born with a reproductive or sexual anatomy that doesn't seem to fit the typical definitions of female or male." The term is specifically about biological anomalies in the X and Y chromosomes that are the first definition of gender. The nuclei of human cells contain 2 sex chromosomes. The sex chromosomes in females are 2 X chromosomes while males have one X chromosome and one Y chromosome. In the intersex, there are ... variations. In total, these variations amount to something like 1% of births. As it turns out, however, the majority of these variations are not gender redefining -- a large number of these variations cause no sexual ambiguity. For example, if the normal female is XX and a variation is XXX or XXXX or XXXXX (yes, those occur), these variations would be classified as "super female", not "ambiguous." The most common anomaly is called Klinefelter syndrome and is defined as a male who is XXY. The Mayo Clinic states that this is a "genetic condition that results when a boy is born with an extra copy of the X chromosome." (Notice, "a boy".) The XXY anomaly occurs in roughly 1 in 1,000 live births (0.1%). The Mayo Clinic article goes on to say,

Klinefelter syndrome may adversely affect testicular growth, resulting in smaller than normal testicles, which can lead to lower production of testosterone. The syndrome may also cause reduced muscle mass, reduced body and facial hair, and enlarged breast tissue. The effects of Klinefelter syndrome vary, and not everyone has the same signs and symptoms.

Note, then, that there are effects and variations, but in no case is this boy not a biological boy. He has testicles and penis and no ovaries or vagina, the most obvious differentiating points between male and female. In all cases, this is a birth condition, not a "feeling" or "personal identity".

Given the science of intersex, then, you should be able to see that there is a fundamental difference between intersex and the concept of the "LGB" part of "LGBT" as well as the "T" part. Intersex is not the same as transsexual (or transgender -- same thing). According to the medical dictionary, "transsexual" refers to "A person with the external genitalia and secondary sexual characteristics of one gender, but whose personal identification and psychosocial configuration are that of the opposite gender." One -- intersex -- refers to a genuine biological condition and the other -- transsexual -- refers to a personal identification apart from the actual biological condition. Which is why some use the acronym "LGBTI", recognizing that the "I" is not "T". Not the same thing. The test for Intersex is biological -- X and Y chromosomes. The test for transgender is "How do you feel?" Not the same thing.

How, then, are we Christians supposed to think about these things? On the surface, we know that two genders, "male and female", is God's invention (Gen 1:27) and we know that denying it would deny Scripture and make God out to be a liar. (Science concurs that "male and female" is genuine biology, not a "social construct".) So "transgender" is not in line with Scripture or science. But that's not the complete story when considering intersex. And at the outset, let's acknowledge that it's not as cut and dried as you might think. As it turns out, not one single concordance or search engine for any version of the Bible refers to "transgender" or "intersex". You won't find a direct reference. That, in itself, should urge caution in your stance. We must stand, for instance, on "Jesus is the only way" because Jesus said it (John 14:6). To not stand there is to stand against God and His Word. We must agree that those who make a practice of homosexual behavior are sinning and those who don't repent of it are in danger of eternal damnation (1 Cor 6:9-10) and those who disagree are not standing on God's Word. This topic -- intersex -- however is not listed in the pages of Scripture and we'll have to look elsewhere on this. We'll have to glean principles from God's Word to come to a conclusion.

So, what principles? Well, we know that when Man fell into sin, creation itself was "subjected to futility" (Rom 8:20). The principle, then, would be that "bad things" happen in nature. A child, for instance, might be born blind (John 9:1-3) not through choice or, as many have thought, as judgment, but through anomalies in nature. We know from that particular example that it was not outside of God's control and we know that it was intended for good, and we also know that this man blind from birth was not evil by virtue of his lack of eyesight. It would seem rational to view the intersex in the same way -- not evil by virtue of their biological birth condition nor incapable of being used by God to demonstrate His works. We also know that, as human beings, the intersex (as all of us) are sinners from birth and need Jesus. They are part of "the world" into which we are sent to preach the Gospel (Mark 16:15) and make disciples. It would seem, then, that we have our marching orders.

In the transgender debates people love to use the word "assigned" to designate where gender comes from. It simply is not the case. Only in the case of intersex can that word be used, where doctors make choices based on the "most likely". In the case of transgender, there is no question. Biology is clear. It is a "personal identification", not a biological one. These things are not the same. They barely hold any similarity. What is the same is that intersex and transgender ... and homosexual and heterosexual and cisgender and each and every one of us needs Jesus. For Christians to reject people on the basis of biology or even genuine sin when what they really need is Christ would be the wrong approach. It's the another version of what Paul said not to do. Paul said not to remove ourselves from sinners (1 Cor 5:9-10); we tend to remove certain sinners from ourselves. Brothers and sisters, these things ought not be. The command is "make disciples" (Matt 28:18-20) and that would include, well, everyone. The command is to love our neighbors (Matt 22:39) and that specifically (Luke 10:30-37) includes everyone. The world, whether tainted by sin physically or spiritually (or all of the above), needs Jesus, and we are commanded to love them enough to connect them to Him. Let's not allow some false sense of "moral superiority" get in the way of that important task.