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Intersexuality - Dealing with Intersexuality
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Socio-cultural Attitudes - Religious Traditions
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In the great monotheistic, patriarchal religions - Judaism, Christianity, Islam - there is a tradition of having the three basic aspects of human sexuality clearly defined as absolute and unchangeable:
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- Sex:
Maleness and femaleness are distinct natural human attributes (Genesis 1:27: “God created them as male and female”). There is no third option.
- Gender:
Masculinity and femininity are also quite distinct and clearly assigned to one or the other sex. Neither must go beyond the natural boundaries of their traditional gender roles. Males have certain privileges, but must not display feminine traits in dress or behavior; females must not display masculine traits and must not perform tasks reserved for males.
- Sexual orientation:
Heterosexuality is the natural norm, bisexuality and homosexuality must be suppressed.
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The word “natural”, in the monotheistic sense, means “in accordance with God’s design” or “in accordance with God’s natural law”. It is not a scientific, neutral, descriptive term, but a positive religious value judgment. In the final analysis, therefore, “natural” here simply means “good”. Conversely, deviations from God’s design are bad.
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