Gender assignment (#3): A sex-change I would approve

My friend Sandra gave birth in her early twenties to one of the .05% of babies born as hermaphrodites (now called "intersex"). The baby had horrifying birth defects. Some of the organs, or parts of them, were on the outside, including reproductive organs. The nurse didn't even know what to tell Sandra when she announced, "It's a ---"

Everyone present in delivery was in shock--and Sandra stayed in shock for most of her life.

But the baby was alive, and it was her baby, so Sandra chose a name which could go either way: Dana.

The doctor insisted it was Sandra's responsibility to decide which sex to "make" the baby. The baby's father didn't stay to help. He couldn't face the decision, the situation, or fatherhood of such a baby, so he split. Sandra never saw him again.

With no one to consult and her mind locked in fear and confusion, she couldn't think. Her heart cried out, How can I make a decision like this? That's God's responsibility!  But she couldn't hear anything from God.

The doctor explained that it was easier to form female genitals than male. So Sandra authorized surgery, signing papers to have Dana be female. Within a year or so she adopted Dana out to a couple who received her lovingly. They kept her on the pills supplied by the hospital to provide or supplement Dana's female hormones.


Dana grew up never feeling like a girl. Kids at school taunted her mercilessly. As she entered puberty, through no fault of her own, her voice deepened. She developed facial hair and musculature that led kids to label her "butch" and worse. She was miserable. Suicidal.

Sandra would go see Dana sometimes but Dana was no longer her responsibility. And Dana's parents doggedly contined to give Dana the female hormones and refused surgery.

Then Sandra passed away and I have had no way to hear how Dana is doing. I want to tell "her" parents, "Dana's gender assignment at birth was male! No matter how you dress or doctor Dana, he is male. He identified as a male all along and puberty revealed it!  It's coded in his DNA. Let him become who he is!"

I can't speak for every sex change applicant--the vast majority of cases cannot be Biblically valid. I think the man we saw outside a theater the other day wearing a fluffy pink dress and pigtails had to have been programmed that way either by expectations or sexual abuse, by nurture not nature.

But in this case, in the face of all opposition I would stand by Dana's right to an operation to gain congruence with his gender assignment at birth

Gender assignment at birth (#2)

Last Sunday, our senior pastor Dr. Jerry Rueb, spoke out against the so-called "Bathroom Bill." At the end of his message, Praying with a Thankful Heart, from Paul's letter to the Philippians, chapter 1:3-11, he said, 

"Love that lasts is love that actually has some boundaries to it. Love that has all discernment. This is love that gets it, love that tells the truth and thinks about consequences to (actions).

"It is not loving to enable someone to continue in a harmful direction when you have the power to stop them. It is not loving to sit and be quiet and shut up when people believe something that is totally false. It's not loving to give in to evil just because standing up might be considered to be politically incorrect.

"And yet I meet Christians who (say), "I don't judge anyone!" That's not biblical. I hope you have more discernment than that. You'd better know the difference between good and evil because we have stuff happening around us that's flat-out evil.

"I'm talking specifically about a bathroom bill that came from the White House to the Justice Department to the Department of Education and threatens our school districts through Executive Order--to lose funds. Title 9. I read the document. It's disturbing to me.

"I'm going to go on record because I know I'm on live stream. This goes--anyone can watch this. I want you to know this is not a political statement and I am not a political hack nor do I get involved with the political side of things. But I can tell you this--I'll make myself very clear. Whenever anyone, I don't care if it's the president or the Congress--if anyone steps over the moral line, they're in MY territory. And I will speak out on it." 

And then he does. 

Listen to his reasoning and his plea at http://livestream.com/CCLB/Sundaylivestream/videos/124517005 (May 29, 2016) starting at 54:00.

"Gender assignment at birth"

North Carolina passed a law requiring public restrooms or changing facilities "be designated for and only used by individuals based on their biological sex." The Justice Department, in turn, sued North Carolina, saying the law violates parts of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and amounts to sex discrimination. "Denying such access to transgender individuals, whose gender identity is different from their gender assignment at birth. . . violates federal law."   
               Vanita Gupta, Civil Rights Division, U.S. Department of Justice


Ms Gupta uses an interesting and delicate choice of words: "gender assignment at birth." 

I thought about that. Who would have made that original gender assignment?  

Well, God did.

"God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him, male and female He created them." Genesis 1: 27  It wasn't arbitrary. It wasn't open to negotiation. And there were and are only two options.

You think you can improve on the design of the Lord of the Universe? Doesn't He know us better than we know ourselves? You mess with your "gender assignment," you're messing with the Infinite Intelligence who knows you best--and loves you most.