Thinking Out Loud with Alan Shlemon - Humans Come in Only Two Sexes

Episode Date: September 18, 2022

Many biologists, doctors, and scientists tell us today that sex is on a spectrum or that there are more than two sexes. Alan addresses this claim by looking at the evidence from both Scripture and general principles of science.

Many biologists, scientists, and doctors tell us today that sex is on a spectrum, or that there are more than two sexes. Is that true? Well, that's what I want to discuss on the latest episode of my podcast, Thinking was collectively accepted that sex is binary. In other words, people are born either male or female. Now that's no longer the case today, right? Many biologists and psychologists tell us that sex is on a spectrum or that there are more than two sexes. And so as a result, you have popular level publications push this new narrative. For example, USA Today recently tweeted that there are, quote, three different types of sexes, end quote. And there's this Canadian LGBT advocacy group.

I think it's pronounced EGALI, E-G-A-L-E. And what they recently did was they were teaching kids in this sort of clever rhyme that when it comes to men and women, quote, you can be both or a mix of the two, or you can be neither if that's what suits you, end quote. And so to most people, these claims are at odds with common sense. Still, a lot of people are wondering, well, maybe we're just missing something, you know? Maybe there's been some sort of new discovery that tosses out what we know about human sexuality. Well, I don't know how to put it to you, but the answer is no, there hasn't been.

Though it seems that pockets of our culture are confused about what we are, there's no excuse for Christians to be kind of bewildered by this. And the reason is because our maker tells us through scripture, we call that special revelation, and through creation, we call that general revelation, how he made humanity. and through creation, we call that general revelation, how he made humanity. So, for example, scripture tells us that our maker made humans male or female.

And we learn this, by the way, through the defining creative work of humanity, right? This is Genesis. The Bible says, God created man in his own image. In the image of God, he created him. Male and female, he created them. This is Genesis 127. So notice that when God begins the human race, he creates only two sexes.

And by the way, Jesus also attests to this truth when he cites this Genesis account of creation. Notice what Jesus says in Matthew 19.4. He says, Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female? So you have even Jesus in the New Testament affirming this Old Testament idea. Now, Scripture also teaches that our Maker made only males and females

and then never acknowledges the existence of any other sex. And this has been theologically univocal for thousands of years. Now, that's not the only way we know about, you know, how we were made. God tells us also how he made us through another source. And this other source is through the created world. In other words, when we study science and look at what's been created in this world, this approach also tells us that humans are only male and female. Now, I remember when I was studying physical therapy back in the 1990s, my professor taught me that human sexuality is binary. Now, these professors often weren't

even Christians. In fact, one of them was an outspoken atheist. And what he did was he taught that basically what he observed. And that is that from nature, we know it to be true that males have one X and one Y chromosome. So there are XY. While females have two X chromosomes, which means that there are XX. And so the Y chromosome contains what they call a male determining gene called an SRY gene. And this gene, whenever you have a Y in your chromosomal makeup,

this gene basically signals to the developing human embryo to create a penis and testicles. And so without an SRY gene, the embryo develops a vagina and ovaries. And by the way, this has been understood since its discovery by biologist Nettie Stevens in 1905. Now I realize that gender ideology advocates will interrupt me at this point. They'll say, oh, come on, Alan. I mean, not all males are XY and not all females are XX, right? Some people are born intersex, which, by the way, is a term that covers a broad range of chromosomal and anatomical variations that often affects a person's sex characteristics. So some people, for example, are born XXY or XXYY or XYY. Sometimes the SRY gene that we were talking about,

that male determining gene, sometimes that gene isn't even on the Y chromosome, right? Sometimes physical differences in a person's sexual anatomy preclude us from fitting somebody neatly in either a male or female category. And so there's an endless list of examples of all these sort of variations, but here's the key point, all right? Well, I should say here's their point. The many chromosomal and anatomical variations are evidence that sex is not binary. It's not as simple as male or female. Now, though there's a lot of mistakes with this kind of claim or this sort of argument, I just want to offer sort of four reasons why we know that sex is binary. And despite the fact that some people are actually born intersex, we still can understand

and know that humanity is either male or female. So let's take a look at reason number one. So first of all, while it's true that intersex people are born with a chromosomal or anatomical variation, the vast majority of people who are born intersex are obviously male or female. And this is actually interesting because according to the Intersex Society of North America, the ISNA, only around 0.05% of people are born with ambiguous genitalia, which means when they're born, it's not immediately obvious whether they're male or female, and it requires a specialist to intervene in order to figure out are they male or female, okay? So in other words, most intersex people appear and function as either

male or female. There's no ambiguity. Furthermore, just because a person is intersex, that does not mean that they identify as transgender. Okay, these are two very different things. Even the Intersex Society of North America admits that the vast majority of people with intersex conditions identify as male or female rather than as transgender. By the way, it's a direct quote from their position statement. So that's the first reason, okay? Second, variations in sex characteristics do not nullify the norm. While it's true that there are many possible chromosomal and anatomical differences, it does not follow that sex is not binary. In other words, intersex people do not represent a third sex or prove that sex is on a spectrum.

So let me give you an illustration. A nickel, for example, only has two sides. But according to some research, though, it will land on its edge one out of 6,000 times when it's tossed. Now, does that mean a nickel doesn't have only two sides? No, because obviously exceptions don't invalidate the rule. Humans, for example, also have two arms, though some are born without one or both. That, however, does not negate the fact

that humans are two-armed beings. Some people are born with three copies, instead of two, of chromosome number 21. They call this trisomy 21, or many people know this condition as Down syndrome. But that doesn't negate the fact that humans should only have two copies of chromosome 21. And so in the same way, humans can be born with different anatomical or chromosomal variations. You know, like we said, XXY or XXXY or whatever. So people can be born with these different chromosomal variations that affect their sexual anatomy and physiology.

But these represent natural variations within the male and female sexes. Okay, third. We know that there are only two sexes because there are only two possible sex cells, sperm and egg, all right? So human males are those whose sexual anatomy is organized around the production and delivery of sperm. Human females, by contrast, are those whose sexual anatomy is organized around the production of eggs. That's it. There are no other possible sex cells in existence.

And that's why we know there are only two sexes. There is no person on earth who can produce a sex cell that isn't either sperm or egg. And furthermore, no one can produce both. either sperm or egg. And furthermore, no one can produce both. Though some may be incapable of producing one or the other, for example, due to prematurity or advanced age or some sort of developmental anomaly, okay, so though some people might be incapable of producing either sperm or egg, that doesn't disqualify the norm that human beings are made to produce either one of those two sex cells, sperm or egg. By the way, I'll say it's worth noting that every person who exists today, whether they are identifying as gay or they identify as straight or cis or trans or intersex or whatever,

every single person today was created by the union of two sex cells, sperm and egg. OK, there's no other possible cell that can be involved in the production of a new human being. So there are only two sexes because there are only two types of sex cells. And the fourth reason is that we know there are only two sexes because human bodies are made for two sex intercourse. You see, everything we know about the male and female sex organs tell us that these two body systems are complementary. In other words, they not only fit together, but they function together. function together. And it's obvious that the parts fit because when brought together in a male-female sex act, everything is suitably sized and perfectly shaped for one another. But that's only actually half the story, right? These parts also function together. In other words,

the male and female reproductive organs are part of the only body system that requires a separate body of the opposite sex in order to fulfill its ultimate function. Notice sperm and egg left within the testicles or left within the ovaries will never meet their full potential until they're first brought together in a male-female sexual intercourse act. And so this process requires exactly two, not one, not three, or any other combination. This process requires exactly two different human sexes in order to complete it. Now, does this evidence mean we can immediately classify every human being as male or female immediately when they're born? No, of course not. It's true that in rare circumstances, it might be difficult to know because their chromosomes or their anatomy might make it unclear. That, however, does not mean

that the person might be both, neither, or some sort of third sex. Difficulty in classifying someone as male or female does not render our biological knowledge of the sexual binary suddenly invalid. Right. Now, does this also mean that we don't value or care for a person with a chromosomal or anatomical variation? Well, no, of course not. Right. Children born with Down syndrome or any kind of chromosomal anomaly are still made in God's image. They're still intrinsically valuable. And they still deserve to be loved and cared for and treated with compassion. And the same would be true for every intersex person as well.

They too are made in God's image. They too are intrinsically valuable and deserving of our love and our care and our compassion. So just because we don't adopt a radical redefinition of sex classification, that doesn't mean that we don't care about men and women, many of whom, by the way, who might be our friends and family, who have intersex conditions. That's how, however, the culture likes to paint Christians, though. But in reality, we deeply care for them.

We're not denying that people with intersex conditions exist, nor are we denying that transgender people identify something other than their biological sex. So we can affirm the reality of these people and their experience while simultaneously affirming that there are only two sexes. These two ideas are not mutually exclusive. Now what we can't do, however, is deny what appears to be the reality regarding human sexuality. There are only two sexes, male and female. We know this from scripture and we know this from creation and god has spoken clearly through both revelations so let's hold fast to this truth but make sure we also uphold the value and dignity of people who are born intersex or who identify

as transgender well that's all i have for you today. If you enjoy these short podcast topics, well, be sure to rate or review my podcast on iTunes or wherever you listen to this podcast on. And thank you for listening. I look forward to thinking out loud next time. Thank you.