God F….d Up!
At least according to the current administration
During the Supreme Court confirmation hearings for Ketanji Brown Jackson, Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) asked her to define “woman.” Appropriately, she responded that she was not a biologist. Of course, as one would expect, she was chided by the conservatives on the committee. I’m curious - how would Senator Blackburn define man, woman, male, or female? Which of the following would be the standard of a woman - genitals, chromosomes, presence or absence of gonads, internal reproductive structures, hormone ratios, or secondary sex characteristics? All are potential options, and all could result in a non-binary answer. Rather than a biological response, perhaps Senator Blackburn would have preferred a more sociological explanation of woman – a “homemaker,” mother, caretaker, or nurturer. But again, that fails to provide a clearly delineated answer. My guess is that she was looking for a religious pontification, but even that can be complicated.
The concept that sex is a simple check box is a cornerstone of the current right-wing political movement. As with many of this political group's ideas, it also overlaps with the evangelical Christian movement. It is simple enough to verify that most evangelical Christian groups are invested in the binary choice of man and woman, male and female. A review of the articles of faith for most “bible” churches or a mainline group such as the Southern Baptist Convention will quickly answer the question. The Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 was also replete with references to the binary option of male and female. And, of course, on the first day of the current administration, an executive order was signed, “DEFENDING WOMEN FROM GENDER IDEOLOGY EXTREMISM AND RESTORING BIOLOGICAL TRUTH TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.” The Executive Order states, “It is the policy of the United States to recognize two sexes, male and female. These sexes are not changeable and are grounded in fundamental and incontrovertible reality.” Clearly, if we declare that only two options exist, it must be the truth. Executive orders are the truth - correct?
Herein lies the problem. Regardless of what evangelical Christians, conservative political action groups, and the current administration believe, that doesn’t make it accurate. They can declare that only two sexes exist. They can even think that only two sexes exist. Their faith can dictate that only two sexes exist. That doesn’t change the fact that 1-2% of the population does not biologically fit into those tidy categories -intersex individuals are as ordinary as people with red hair or green eyes.
Over forty terms describe the differences in the development of sex anatomy. The advocates for intersex youth provide the following definition and explanation: “Intersex is an umbrella term for differences in sex traits or reproductive anatomy. Intersex people are born with these differences or develop them in childhood. There are many possible differences in genitalia, hormones, internal anatomy, or chromosomes, compared to the usual two ways that human bodies develop”
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Secretary of Health and Human Services, can continue to claim, "This administration is bringing back common sense and restoring biological truth to the federal government,” but that does not make it the truth any more than his claiming castor oil can heal measles is the truth. The New York Times reports that the definition that HHS has given of male/female is as follows: “A male is defined under the guidance as a person of the sex characterized by a reproductive system with the biological function of producing sperm. A female is a person of the sex characterized by a reproductive system with the biological function of producing eggs (ova).”
I hate to be the one to tell RFK Jr., but many of the individuals with the following conditions would not meet those definitions. Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome, 5-alpha reductase deficiency (5-ARD), 17-beta Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase 3 Deficiency (17 beta or 17-beta HSD), Anorchia, Chimerism, Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH), De la Chapelle Syndrome, Epispadias, Gonadal dysgenesis, Isolated 17,20-lyase deficiency (ILD), Jacobs Syndrome, Kallmann Syndrome, Klinefelter Syndrome, Leydig Cell Hypoplasia, Luteinizing Hormone Insensitivity, Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser Syndrome (MRKH), Mosaicism, Müllerian Duct Anomalies, Ovotesticular DSD (Ovotestes), Swyer Syndrome (Complete Gonadal Dysgenesis), Turner Syndrome (XO Syndrome), and XXYY Syndrome are a sampling of medical conditions that make up the population of intersex individuals. We are not all born male or female. The spectrum of differences is a beautiful flower arrangement. Unfortunately, we find ourselves in a moment when the government and some Christian churches have determined that those not meeting their definition of “perfect specimen” should be plucked from the arrangement.
Evangelical churches deal with these differences in multiple ways, but with few exceptions, they do not view the non-binary sexual configuration to be “God’s design.” In writing this piece, I read many articles by Christian writers twisting themselves into pretzels to avoid the conclusion that perhaps non-binary was the intended design. From ignoring that these individuals exist to insisting that they repent their sin, the most common reaction labels these conditions “disorders.” One Christian blogger wrote, “intersex conditions are not evidence that the gender binary is merely a social construct, for the simple reason that they are disorders. People with intersex conditions do not have fully functioning reproductive systems. The terrible trouble that comes with these disorders powerfully confirms the biological normalcy of the male-female binary.” There are several factual problems with this blogger’s statement, but what was the most disturbing is that this person uses the existence of intersex conditions to justify what they claim to be “biological normalcy” or a binary system.
Omnibenevolence, omnificence, omnipotence, omnipresence, and omniscience – words that I heard frequently in my Southern Baptist upbringing. God is all-good, all-creating, all-powerful, all-present, and all-knowing. Each time I consider this topic, it is here that I cannot bridge the belief that God is all the things above, but they made an error when creating those that do not fit the binary sexual world. It is impossible to believe the above but also believe that those not clearly male or female are mistakes or have disorders. You can do backbends, body twists, or play word games, but reconciling it is impossible. Perhaps, seeking the truth was never the aim, but looking for new scapegoats was always the plan. LGBTQIA individuals, including intersex persons, have become the latest punching bags. They are the new “other.”
For over 2,000 years, the Christian religion has been used as a bludgeon against groups that are considered the “other” and to justify horrific actions. Christianity has been used to justify slavery, the burning of women as witches, and the slaughter of those who are not “Christians.” In fact, the Southern Baptist Convention (where I spent many years) was started to provide religious cover for those in the South wanting to continue slavery. Or consider that after the invention of the printing press, as you have been told many times, the most common book to be printed was the Gutenberg Bible. Still, another highly sought-after and printed book was The Hammer of Witches by Heinrich Kramer – the “how to” manual for witch hunts.
And the enemy this time – Wokeness - Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity (DEI). The broad brush has been applied to allow discrimination against many, but particularly at risk are those that claim the space of non-binary. LGBTQIA individuals are demonized as unnatural or sinful. As with the historical examples above, religion is used to paint a canvas that justifies policies and positions that are unfair and often deadly.
As Kara Swisher wrote this week in The Atlantic, “the opposite of woke is asleep; the opposite of DEI is homogeneity, inequity, and exclusion.”
The binary choice of male-female has no scientific basis. And I vaguely remember a Sunday School lesson that taught we are all created in God’s image. If that simple statement is true, then a religious justification is equally challenging to maintain. Maybe I am oversimplifying this issue, but an entire group of people is being chastised because some don’t want to believe that God created complex creatures. Creatures that cannot be defined by checkboxes. Creatures that are unique individuals. You can’t have it both ways. If your version of God is perfect, then you must accept that their creation is perfect. Or God fucked up by creating non-binary people and thus, cannot be perfect. In these crazy times, I am choosing to believe that however we came to be, no person is a mistake. I choose to be awake rather than asleep.
As always, our work is not complete until there are nine…
LeAnn
Dear readers,
I apologize for the lengthy delay in posting a new article. As some of you know, I am working again and have been overwhelmed with the beginning of this administration. I hope to return to a more regular schedule, but thanks for sticking with me in my time of darkness.
References:
Chretien, Spencer. “Project 2025.” The Heritage Foundation, https://www.heritage.org/conservatism/commentary/project-2025.
Dastagir, Alia E. “Marsha Blackburn Asked Ketanji Brown Jackson to Define ‘woman.’ Science Says There’s No Simple Answer.” USA TODAY, https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/health-wellness/2022/03/24/marsha-blackburn-asked-ketanji-jackson-define-woman-science/7152439001/.
Intersex and the Kingdom of God. https://www.reformation21.org/blog/intersex-and-the-kingdom-of-god.
“Research on Intersex Experience Highlights Overlooked Population in Religious Communities.” Vanderbilt University, https://divinity.vanderbilt.edu/intersexandreligion/.
Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) | History, Beliefs, IVF, Membership, & Facts | Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Southern-Baptist-Convention.
Swisher, Kara. “Move Fast and Destroy Democracy.” The Atlantic, 9 Mar. 2025, https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2025/03/the-elon-musk-way-move-fast-and-destroy-democracy/681937/.
“What Is Intersex? Frequently Asked Questions.” interACT: Advocates for Intersex Youth, https://interactadvocates.org/faq/.
MRKH folks are XX with ovaries/produce eggs, so we do actually fit under their dumb criteria for female. Only commenting because i dont like misinformation about MRKH, especially within the Intersex community.
Thank you for yet another well researched and well written piece about an essential topic, LeAnn.