So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. (Genesis 1:27, NIV)

Somehow, at some point in the history of Christianity, this verse came to mean that there are only two sexes - male and female - and that everyone's gender matches their biological sex in God's design.

Let me ask you one simple question: Why? As far as I see it, it says that human beings were created in God's (one being) image as male and female. Not each one distinctly male or female, but everybody some combination of both.

This idea of being both male and female becomes even clearer if Genesis is read as literal history. It really isn't - it's a creation myth -, but fundamentalists tend to see it as such. Genesis 1 states that "the man" (ha'adam) - also meaning "mankind" - was created male and female, whereas Genesis 2 makes it clear that only one human being (ha'adam again) is created in the beginning. The only logical conclusion is that "Adam" was both male and female. 

This is not some new "woke" ideology either. Jewish scholars trying to resolve the conflict between the literal interpretations of Genesis 1 and 2 proposed at least 1500 years ago that the first man was androgynos - both male and female. "Adam" is not actually a gendered word, but one encompassing all humankind, and the original part taken out of "adam" was not a rib. It was a "side".

So first we have "adam" (a generic human being). One side of him is taken away and made into the "ishah" (woman / wife). The other becomes "ish" (man / husband). Note that this is the first time clearly masculine "ish" is used of the first human.

Still not believing me? Take a look at the beginning of Genesis 5.

This is the written account of Adam's (adam) family line. When God created mankind (adam), he made them in the likeness of God.  He created them male and female and blessed them. And he named them "Mankind" (adam) when they were created.  When Adam (adam) had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness, in his own image; and he named him Seth. (Genesis 5:1-3, NIV)

I'm not an expert in Hebrew, but that does look a bit arbitrary which "adam" is a given name and which means "mankind".

God hates cross-dressing?

A woman must not wear men's clothing, nor a man wear women's clothing, for the Lord your God detests anyone who does this. (Deuteronomy 22:5, NIV)

I have no idea why fundamentalists always refer to this verse when speaking of transgender people. A transgender man is a man and a transgender woman is a woman, so it is a man wearing men's clothing and a woman wearing women's clothing. Not that the distinction between men's and women's clothing is very clear nowadays.

Anyway, according to classical scholars of Judaism, cross-dressing is prohibited only when the intent is to conceal one's identity for the purpose of adultery or it's part of practicing idol worship [1].

Gender diversity in Judaism

After reading some temper tantrums in Wattpad how God has always only recognized two genders which match the two biological sexes, I ended up looking into how historical Judaism sees the matter. And surprise, surprise (not), that "always" is a pretty short time.

As a context, in Judaism religious gender roles are very important. Your gender determines which commandments you should observe and which not. So they had to take reality into account in figuring who should follow male rules and who female rules.

In addition to male and female, Mishna and Talmud recognize [2]
- androgynos: a person who has both "male" and "female" sexual characteristics.
- tumtum: a person whose sexual characteristics are indeterminate or obscured.
- ay'lonit: a person who is identified as "female" at birth but develops "male" characteristics at puberty and is infertile.
- saris: a person who is identified as "male" at birth but develops "female" characteristics at puberty or later. This also includes castrated men (and is generally translated as "eunuch" in the Bible).

If we wander to Jewish mysticism, we can find even more affirming concepts. The most famous example would be Jacob, the son of Isaac and twin brother of Esau.

Like I said earlier, gender roles are very important in Judaism, and they were even more so in the ancient times. Esau is a hunter and likes to spend his time outdoors (male activity). Jacob stays in the tent and cooks (female activity). Esau is hairy, Jacob smooth-skinned. So the story goes that Jacob actually had a female soul but was born male, so that he could become the father of a nation like God had planned.

Yes, it is an interpretation of the Bible. But let's face it: everything is an interpretation. Human beings just aren't all-knowing.

God does not make mistakes

This seems to be the most common argument fundamentalists make. Since according to the Bible, God knits us all together in the womb, and God does not make mistakes, any conflict between biological sex and gender identity is simply confusion caused by Satan or some traumatic event in childhood (and someone being intersex an unfortunate effect of the Fall).

But who decided that being transgender would be a "mistake"? Science has already shown us that the development of gender in the brains and of genitals take place at different times in the womb and do not always align with each other [3]. Also, according to research, the brains of trans men resemble those of cis men more than of cis women. Likewise with trans women. [4]

To quote Kai Shappley, a 4th grader who testified in front of the Texas Senate State Affairs Committee about proposed anti-trans legislation (and got harassment and death threats for it from so-called Christians with biblical worldview): "God made me. God loves me for who I am, and God does not make mistakes."

God is not limited by human narrow-mindedness. His followers should not decide by themselves who fits His image and who does not. Transgender people choosing to transition are not "denying God's image in themselves" - they are being true to it.

I can understand that hormones and surgeries may not be what He would have primarily wanted. They would not even be needed in most cases, if only the society could accept everyone as they are, without passing judgment based on appearance. Unfortunately, in that aspect...we do live in a fallen world. And fundamentalists are leading the charge not to accept trans people as they are.

Would it be such an impossible thought that God really meant for the world to be such a diverse place as it is? That He wanted there to be more than any one of us can even imagine?

Sources

[1] TransTexts: Cross-Dressing and Drag. https://www.keshetonline.org/resources/transtexts-cross-dressing-and-drag/

[2] Gender Diversity in Jewish Sacred Texts. https://www.keshetonline.org/resources/gender-diversity-in-jewish-sacred-texts/

[3] Swaab DF. Sexual differentiation of the brain and behavior. Best Pract Res Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2007 Sep;21(3):431-44. doi: 10.1016/j.beem.2007.04.003. PMID: 17875490.

[4] European Society of Endocrinology. "Transgender brains are more like their desired gender from an early age." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 24 May 2018. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/05/180524112351.htm.

[5] 4th grader shames GOP Texas senators who have been "attacking me since Pre-K". https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2021/04/4th-grader-shames-gop-texas-senators-attacking-since-pre-k/