Intersex, Women Bishops, and the Body of Christ
March 3, 2012 — Terence Weldon
http://queeringthechurch.com/2012/03/03/intersex-women-bishops-and-the-body-of-christ/ (http://queeringthechurch.com/2012/03/03/intersex-women-bishops-and-the-body-of-christ/)
The story of Rev. Sally / Selwyn Gross neatly encapsulates the challenges of intersex people to Roman Catholic rules on the ordination of women. Male-identified at birth, Selwyn was raised as male, and became a Catholic priest. When medical tests revealed that internal biology was primarily female, Sally transitioned – and was forced out of the priesthood.
In the Anglican church, there is no problem with the ordination of intersex people, as there is no bar to women's ordination in the first place, nor are there barriers to promotion – up to the rank of bishop. Then the stained – glass ceiling is struck, for intersex people and for women. We know from science that the intersex phenomenon is entirely natural and complex, including a small but significant proportion of the human population. The absolute division of us into a neat two-part binary, is simplistic and a dangerous ground on which to base rules for ordination (or for marriage, for that matter).
The theologian Dr Susannah Cornwall has specialised in the intersex challenge to theology, notably in her book "Sex and Uncertainty in the Body of Christ" . In a new paper, reported on in the Church Times, she applies these considerations to the debate raging in the English Church over women bishops. The trigger for her intervention came in a paper by those opposed to women bishops,"The Church, Women Bishops and Provision"which argued "When we stop receiving Christ in his essential maleness, his humanity becomes obscured".
I'm inclined to thionk that on the run-up to Armageddon it's more important to be a nice person than show mean spirit by clinging to old ideas of bishops/priests/ministers only being male - however those homosexual and lesbian ministers may ponder on whether their Armageddons will be good or bad.
Reading the hyperlinked biography in the article tells a sad story of discrimination by the Catholic Church.
Selwyn/Sally's intersexed condition should in no way prevent her from religious service and membership. It is the Church's loss.
From what I habe read, about 1 out of every 1500 to 2000 people have one sort of intersex condition or another. By way of comparison,1 out of every 300 to 350 people consider themselves transgendered. I would not be surprised if ->-bleeped-<- is one day considered to be an intersex condition.
Only one comment about "the stained glass ceiling is struck" puzzles me a bit for accuracy, in fact the Presiding Bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church Of The United States, is a woman. Granted its only a NATIONAL position, but its still a bit better than the comment implied.