Imagine yourself, sir, entering a hospital for a minor surgical procedure, say, a tonsillectomy. While you are under the anesthesia the doctor takes a peek under your hospital gown. The chilly surgical theatre, along with your slower heart rate, has caused your male external parts to reduce in size. The physician is aghast to see what he perceives are 'parts' disproportionately sized for a fellow of your stature. As you are sleeping, the surgeon steps out to your waiting family members and announces, "There is no way that this fellow could function in society as a male with his 'parts' so small. It would be so hard for him emotionally, so here's what we're going to do. With just a few snips he can be transformed into a functional female. True, 'she' will have to take hormones for the rest of her life, undergo many more surgeries, and 'she' will never be able to bear children." If this scenario sounds absurd, even heinous, realize that the very process is repeated every day in the United States of America. I am not addressing the collective medical reassignment of sexual identity of adults known as transsexualism. That is another topic. Rather, I refer to the arbitrary manipulation of a person's 'gender self' in response to a category of birth anomalies labeled "intersex"(See FAQ, Intersex Defined). One form or another of these conditions appear in approximately 1 in 2,000 live births. For many babies the standard practice has been neonatal surgery, sex assignment performed on involuntarily patients, BABIES, who are in the hospital for a minor medical procedure, BIRTH! Hundreds of children who are born XX genetic females are also subjected to unspeakable mutilation at early ages when medical professionals, using the same yardstick that forever changed little "Charlie" into "Charlotte". Cosmetic surgery is performed on infant girls to reduce or remove their clitoris, because a doctor decided that here's was too large, that she would be better off with none, rather than extra. Females subjected to this mutilation can lose all pleasurable response enjoyed in adult marital relations. Many are subjected to repeated procedures as surgeons attempt to 'fix' a problem that hasn't become a problem to the patient, irreparably carving up a real person who, if given a voice in the matter, may have preferred that her whole body to remain intact. What were we thinking? When I was first confronted with the Church's response to intersexuality, I was a member of a growing, Bible teaching Baptist church. One day, out of the blue, our naiveté' was shattered as the rumor mills churned out stories that the teacher of the women's Bible study had not always been a woman.
	What the gossips neglected to include was that this gal had been born an intersexual,(See Intersex Defined). In fact, when she presented documentation, our pastor told her to leave, that He did not want to deal with the situation at "his church". Not once in my life had I ever heard anything other than coarse talk regarding birth anomalies of a persons 'private parts'. Then BANG, 'private parts' were the public discussion of every unlearned yahoo in the entire town. Not even during my grad school days at Wheaton had we pondered intersexuals, though we had debated the hot topics of contemporary Christian thought: euthanasia, abortion, situational ethics, morality, and the effects of evangelism on indigenous cultures.
As an evangelical Christian, I was appalled as I discovered both the existence and frequency of these conditions. Across the board, 1 in 2,000 babies are diagnosed as intersexual. Downs Syndrome occurs twice as often in live births, approximately 1 in 1,000, but everyone has had contact a Downs person. I have empathy for this situation and recognize that Downs has not always been treated with Christ-like compassion. As I plunged deeper into research on the variety of conditions which have been lumped under the heading "Intersexual" or "Hermaphrodite", I discovered not the circus freak with a beard on the right and a breast on the left. Instead, I discovered an entire subculture of individuals who are trying to fit a mold that someone else imposed on them, people who really aren't genetically complete males or females, or who have been mutilated by a society, Christians included, which utterly rejects all who demanded perfect bodies ONLY. I've owned a 'Barbie' doll, and not even that cultural icon is anatomically correct. Perhaps 'Barbie' is an intersexual. My belief in a sovereign God who created Male and Female has been taken for a spin as I discovered that Genetic Intersexuals are discussed in the Bible. The term 'eunuch' appears in both Old and New Testament alike. In Biblical accounts there are two meanings for 'eunuch'. The position of 'eunuch' was an elevated office of authority, often involving guarding of wives and concubines as in the Old Testament book of Esther. These 'eunuchs' were emasculated men who received a title for their sacrifice. Being "made a eunuch by men" is predicated on their already being a standard criteria of persons born non-gendered, establishing in scripture the natural existence of a 'eunuch' as a real person. The first clear reference to God's blessings toward a 'eunuch' first appears when Isaiah wrote (Isaiah 56:3-5) of the 'eunuch' as a 'dry tree', and declared an honor for eunuchs which was 'better than sons and daughters'. In addition to recognizing those who were 'made eunuchs by men', in Jesus' discourse on marriage, (Matthew19:11-12), He spoke of those who were born eunuchs. This clear distinction by our Lord which identified the condition was both unnerving to me, and enlightening. When Jesus was approached as to why a man was born blind (John 9:1-3), He was queried as to whose sins caused the condition. Jesus' response was that the birth 'defect' happened so that the work of God might be displayed in the man's life. This is not the time or forum to expound on all the 'why questions' regarding the widespread damage caused by sin in this fallen world, and God's sovereign plan to allow the consequences to inflict pain. I am convinced that (Romans 8:28) "All things work together for good to them that love God." With the advent of many miraculous medical procedures, the social perception of birth anomalies has been radically reduced in western society. 'Well-intentioned' plastic surgeons are now restructuring the cherub faces of Downs children in order 'normalize' their distinctive appearance. This surgery is not initiated from the compelling or consent of the patient, this is surgery for the sake of conformity. When I see someone with Downs, I know what to expect and enjoy from their life. If that distinction is taken away, that special person with very special needs could become lost in the masses of society. Who made the mandate that our faces must all conform to the same shape and proportions as the 'poster child' on the plastic surgeon's wall? In the same manor intersexuals are subjected to surgery based on an arbitrary criteria, procedures typically thrust on anxious parents who want the best for their child. Mistreatment ultimately throws a real person - their emotions - their body - their sexual identity - even their family's perception of their identity EVERYTHING, into a blender set on puree'. As time marches on, these real people find it impossible to un-puree' their lives. Unimaginable as it seems, many intersexed persons were never told of the procedures imposed upon them as children. Because of the 'shame', 'disgrace', and 'humiliation' that our society places on sexuality, intersexed kids are often even not told of their own condition. Many are even lied to by parents about what is done or not done in treatment. Imagine, if you can, discovering as an adult that your sexual identity had been altered when you were a baby. The flood of emotional trauma and self-doubt this imposes is a weight too heavy for some to bear. No wonder that many intersexuals are just plain MAD. The lies and deceit that families have harbored over what our society has deemed 'mutant' and unacceptable, all have served to bury intersexuals deeper in false guilt. The weight felt by parents is often just as great. Did we make the right decision? or did we blindly follow a physician's direction, never questioning the outcome? Should a child diagnosed as intersexual remain unaltered by surgery, and then be brought into the decision process regarding the prognosis and treatment of his/her body? There are quite fundamental, yet radical treatment responses to having malformed parts, spare chromosomes, neonatal surgery, etc., which could ultimately affect not only the person's self image, but society's response. Do we cry out "shame" or do we with eternal perspective look past the 'husk and into the heart'? Diagnostics can now adequately identify chromosome make-up and are becoming more widely available. However, in the case of multiple chromosome pairs, even this distinction may not clearly identify the 'me' a child has been created to be. It is unfortunate that rural and smaller communities may not have ready access to even these basic tests. I have interviewed parents who declare, "We didn't know what to do", so they did nothing. What is even more tragic is the tunnel vision lack of social acceptance in those very communities for individual so dynamically 'abnormal'. Conceivably, that intersexual could never have appropriate access to treatment. I have met several intersexed persons who went undiagnosed or mistreated as children, but sought medical help in adulthood. Even that effort, attempting to be 'conformed to one gender', doesn't seem appease society, or the Church at large demands. Subsequent to receiving surgical treatment as an adult, (the same treatment which would have been forcibly imposed on a clinically diagnosed intersexual baby), these 'healed' people have been totally rejected by their guilt-ridden families. Where, then, is the balance between immediate surgical treatment and non-treatment? Are we as a society, or as the Church, capable of biding our time as the young intersexed child grows, develops, and exhibits their own gender choice? Is it possible to love and care for a child who is born without even a clear chromosomal map? Must we incarcerate real people in bodies and roles manipulated for our own peace of mind, or can we live in a world with unique individuals? Prison Fellowship's Chuck Colson oversimplified intersex birth conditions and inferred that genetic intersexuals are homosexuals, as written is his commentary titled: "Blurred Biology, How Many Sexes Are There?" (click here to read the Colson article) In the commentary Colson decries intersexuals as a "bizarre fantasy". Mr. Colson responds, as did the folks in my little Baptist church, with a 'knee jerk' that is more concerned about who an intersexual may become, than who they are. Even Mr. Colson acknowledges that, "Hermaphrodites are people born with both male and female sexual characteristics. In a matter of-fact manor he admits that babies afflicted with this deformity usually undergo plastic surgery and hormone therapy, which enables them to function as either a male or a female." What Colson absolutely overlooks is that, this same dogma which mandates a child to be assigned a 'male' or 'female' socially or through surgery, very frequently assigns a role that is NOT the God-given identity of the child. Chuck complains that "The difference today is that the unfortunate victims of sexual deformities are being dragged in as biological proof of Kinsey's theory--ultimately for ideological purposes." It appears Colson also has an agenda in the mix. Because of Colson's high-profile ministry many may follow his ignorance about intersexuals. Please, Mr. Colson, make your stand for godliness! Just don't manipulate the circumstances of other's lives to try and prove your point about another issue! While the rhetoric goes on, my fellow evangelical Christians are forcefully 'screwing little babies heads on backwards' to match a body born outside of 'acceptable' appearance with an unachievable ideal. Not all treatment of intersexed children involves sex role assignment. Though the United Nations has condemned the procedure of female circumcision in Africa, for the sake of conformity to standards based in centimeters American baby girls are daily suffering the consequences of FGM, Female Genital Mutilation. One of my dearest friends was born with ambiguous genitalia. At the age of two, when it was clearly determined that she was female, her 'oversized' clitoris was carved and cut for the sake of appearances. I know of no social forum where it would become anyone's business to have known of her birth condition or to benefit from the mutilating surgeries she endure. Shouldn't such individuals have been given a voice? Is neonatal genital surgery necessary to appease our genteel senses? The real consequence of such botched procedures os only intense physical and emotional pain for my friend. What I now state may appear enigmatic to some. I actually stand on the same foundation from which Chuck Colson has leaped, God's Word. Colson wrote in his article, "The Bible teaches that the Fall into sin affected biology itself--that nature is now marred and distorted from its original perfection. This truth gives us a basis for fighting evil, for working to alleviate disease and deformity--including helping those unfortunate children born with genital deformities....Scripture tells us how God created us before the Fall, and how He intended us to live: as males and females, reflecting His own image. We take our standards and identity from His revelation of our original nature." Holding to the Bible as ultimate truth containing the revealed will of God, I am convinced that ultimately an intersexed individual will gravitate to one gender role. However, I have found in my research whole other struggles brought on by early mistreatment or lack in understanding the concept of 'self identity' by the intersexual themselves. If the child, raised as a girl, who is genetic XY or other chromosome mix, perhaps developmentally affected in the womb by Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome, is never given the opportunity to voice who the person inside them develops to be, we may be sentencing another genetic male to 'life as a female with no hope for parole'. Others with the same birth condition are able to cope in society as females, occasionally surfacing in the news as genetically disqualified female olympians. Regardless of the genetic puree', adapted intersexuals can indeed findpeace from Christ no matter which protocol has been assigned them. I personally know intersexuals whose gender identity is clearly contrary to fundamental physical analysis, whether genitalia or chromosomal. Their adjustment, resolve, submission, whatever you may call it, is a testimony of God's grace and mercy, not of good science. Conversely, when any child's sexual self has been surgically altered, without self consent, the most unconscionable act has been imposed. Rush to early treatment with surgical procedures is wrongly declared as thebest option, declaring it "easier to make a hole than to build a pole." In the name of conformity, or to give parents a 'simpler' alternative, real people's lives are being slashed. All thewhile the Church pushes away these very different people. Instead of living out Christ's love, the people of His Church are condemning the ruined lives of children and adults alike, real people trying to cope with 'who I am' the best they can. Somehow the people who are God's Church must set aside their 'queasiness' and honestly approach intersexed people as REAL PEOPLE. Statistics prove 1 in 2,000 are intersexed. That formula means that nearly a quarter million real people in North America are intersexed, by birth, and like me, you probably didn't even know all of these conditions existed. It is ironic and condemning for me now, but for years I, like most evangelical Christians, refused all contact with what I saw as a strange and often warped world of the intersexed. They have pain and turmoil others could never understand, many seeking solace from sources that were waaaay outside of my comfort zone. The safe harbor of hope which God's Church was called to become, has for the most part been replaced in the lives of intersexuals by people who, though they don't know God personally, live God's love better than the Church. For the sake of my own social comfort, I aggressively avoided people that had no say in their make-up of their bodies, bodies made by my sovereign Lord. That is what condemns my actions. The irony in my avoiding contact is that, I too am intersexual. I lived in anonymity for years, sincerely committed to a scripturally conforming role, while denying my own existence. You see, I was the leader of the Baptist Women's Bible study who experienced the utter hate and repulsion shown me by those who should have drawn nearest me. God's grace alone has compelled me to step into the light, in accountability, and declare who I was, who I am, and who I am in Christ. The genetic puree' of my life is simply the way God has formed the 'clay pot'(Isaiah 64:8), only now with the 'broken handle' removed. My heart's desire as a woman of God, a spiritual being, (not merely physical), is that the work of God might be displayed in my life. By eternal perspectives the whole jumbled genetic stew just doesn't matter. God created the eunuch (intersexual) unique. Join me to stop destroying unique lives while demanding conformity to a standard that is genetically impossible. We must conform only to Christ's Image. God created us unique. Deus Unicus Creatus Copyright ©1999-2002 by Intersex Support Group International ALL RIGHTS RESERVED