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We read at Gen 5:1-2:

""... When God created humankind, he made them in the likeness of God. Male and female he created them, and he blessed them and named them “Humankind” when they were created. "

That implies that each human being continues to belong to his/her gender in the life-after-life. Now, there are some who opt to change their gender for various reasons, former wrestler Gabbi Tuft being the latest edition to the list. To what gender do such individuals belong to, in the life to come is a matter of curiosity for all. Will they retain the gender in which they had been born , or will they change over to the newly assumed gender , in the life to come ? My question therefore, is: What are the teachings of Catholic Church on the implications of gender-change by individuals, in their life-after-life ?

curiousdannii
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Kadalikatt Joseph Sibichan
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  • "That implies that each human being continues to belong to his/her gender in the life-after-life." Perhaps you can expand on what you mean by 'gender'. Genesis 5 suggests to me God created them biologically male and female. It is not at all clear if this can change due to surgery, exogenous hormones, or simply a decision on how to identify. Some people hold that when born someone isn't any gender, because 'gender' isn't determined by biological sex. – Only True God Feb 10 '21 at 05:31
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    It is important to note that not everyone is born biologically male or female. There are many cases where a person is born with a mix of genitalia and hormones. – Lio Elbammalf Feb 11 '21 at 08:02
  • Matthew 22:30 30 For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven., Galatians 3:28 28 There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. –  Feb 14 '21 at 02:46

2 Answers2

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  1. "Sex-change operations" are mutilations of the body, changes in the accidents (not substance) of a human.
    (The soul doesn't have a sex; St. Ambrose On Virginity ch. 15: "anima enim sexum non habet", "for the soul doesn't have a sex".)

  2. Only scars of wounds, not lost limbs or major mutilations, can remain in resurrected bodies, as St. Thomas writes in Summa Theologica suppl. q. 82 a. 1 ad 5:

    The scars of wounds will not be in the saints, nor were they in Christ, in so far as they imply a defect, but as signs of the most steadfast virtue whereby the saints suffered for the sake of justice and faith: so that this will increase their own and others' joy (cf. q. 54 a. 4 ad 3). Hence Augustine says (De Civ. Dei xxii, 19):
    We feel an undescribable love for the blessed martyrs so as to desire to see in that kingdom the scars of the wounds in their bodies, which they bore for Christ's name. Perchance indeed we shall see them for this will not make them less comely but more glorious. A certain beauty will shine in them, a beauty though in the body, yet not of the body but of virtue.
    Nevertheless those martyrs who have been maimed and deprived of their limbs will not be without those limbs in the resurrection of the dead, for to them it is said (Lk. 21:18): "A hair of your head shall not perish."

  3. ∴, the sex of humans with their resurrected bodies will be that in which God created them.

Geremia
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  • That which God created for them mentally or physically? Gender dysmorphia is detectable on brain scans - suggesting a genitals-only view is one with a very simplistic view of God's creations. – Lio Elbammalf Feb 14 '21 at 07:39
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There are verses in the Bible that allow a reading of God as androgynous (i.e. both male and female). Since Genesis 5:12 claims humans are made in the image of God, such a reading renders human gender change void of implications.

Such a reading is not accepted by most denominations, including Catholic authorities, who insist gender change does not change anything in the eyes of the Church. See:

Male and Female He Created Them: Towards a Path of Dialogue on the Question of Gender Theory in Education

Isaiah 42:14 enter image description here

I have kept silent from ages past; I have been quiet and restrained Myself. But now, I will groan like a woman in labor, gasping breathlessly.

Isaiah 49:15 enter image description here

Can a woman forget her nursing child, or lack compassion for the child of her womb ? Even if these forget, yet I will not forget you.

Hosea 13:8 enter image description here

I will attack them like a bear robbed of her cubs and tear open the rib cage over their hearts. I will devour them there like a lioness, like a wild beast that would rip them open.

Numbers 11:12 enter image description here

Did I conceive all these people ? Did I give them birth so You should tell me, ‘ Carry them at your breast, as a nursing woman carries a baby,’ to the land that You swore to give their fathers?

Deuteronomy 32:18 enter image description here

You ignored the Rock who gave you birth; you forgot the God who gave birth to you.

Furthermore, God is described as breastfeeding new believers in several verses:

1 Peter 2-3:

Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.

1 Thess 2:7-8

Instead, we were like young children[a] among you. Just as a nursing mother cares for her children, so we cared for you. Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.

1 Cor 3:1-3

Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ. 2 I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. 3 You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans?

Heb 5:12–13

In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! 13 Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness.

Codosaur
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    Answers to this question do need to stick to what the Catholic Church teaches, not our personal interpretation of passages. The androgyny of God is not all that relevant either. – curiousdannii Feb 10 '21 at 14:04
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    I clearly added the Catholic position with the official document in the answer. That doesn't prohibit elaborating on interpretation, as every individual (including in Catholicism) is free to do. And I never stated this was my personal interpretation. I merely detailed how such a reading is possible based on the original verses. – Codosaur Feb 10 '21 at 14:22
  • If you're going to link to a document, you should quote relevant parts - to make it easier to follow your thoughts, and to have a backup in case the page ever disappears. – Matt Gutting Feb 11 '21 at 01:41
  • If the official document disappears, that would mean the Vatican has retracted or changed its opinion on the subject matter. Also, it's interesting this remark is not given on answers such as this one, which also just includes a summary, just like I did: "Such a reading is not accepted by most denominations, including Catholic authorities, who insist gender change does not change anything in the eyes of the Church" – Codosaur Feb 11 '21 at 10:06