What Do Sex and Gender Have to Do with Religion?: Crash Course Religions #20

South Asia has long recognized a third gender, Hijra, who transcend the binary categories of men and women. Historically, Hijra held respected positions under Hindu and Muslim rulers, endowed with the powers to bestow blessings and curse those who disrespected them. Over the past two centuries, however, they have suffered discrimination, violence, and exclusion from essential services like education, employment, and healthcare. This evolution reveals how entrenched religious and cultural beliefs continue to shape perceptions of gender and influence the treatment of Hijra.

Sex is recognized as a spectrum of hormonal, anatomical, and genetic traits that defies the simple binary division of male or female, noting that one in every hundred people is intersex with a unique combination of these traits. Gender is seen as the cultural framework of roles, expectations, and power dynamics that shapes how societies perceive women, men, trans, and non-binary individuals, evolving over time and across cultures. The discussion highlights that both sex and gender are intricately complex, emphasizing a move away from reductive labels towards more inclusive and dynamic understandings.

Gender is a social construct, much like language, that evolves over time as society arbitrarily assigns meanings and roles. Gender roles such as the division of labor or color associations are not inherent truths but recent inventions subject to historical change. Religious traditions further solidify these constructs by prescribing specific rituals and roles that reinforce societal norms. Despite being human-made, these ideas profoundly shape personal identities and cultural orders.

European colonial expansion spread Christian doctrines that reshaped gender roles and sexual behavior. Indigenous communities such as the Hijra, with long-standing traditions of fluid sexuality and gender, were suppressed by stringent Christian norms. Colonial laws criminalized non-heteronormative practices, establishing a legacy that continues to influence post-colonial societies.

Religious texts have historically shaped and justified binary gender roles, positioning ancient norms as timeless even as social contexts evolve. Ancient writings, like those from Jewish tradition, portrayed masculinity as linked to self-restraint while diminishing women’s virtues. Segregated prayer practices in various religions reinforce these gender binaries by assuming that mixed settings distract men from spiritual focus. These interpretations, though often viewed as unchangeable, are continually redefined by communities responding to modern experiences of gender identity and prejudice.

In Manhattan on March 18, 2005, nearly 100 Muslims gathered for a prayer service that defied conventional practices by seating men and women together and having a woman lead worship. The service, held at an Episcopal church with security measures in place, occurred because local mosques refused to host a mixed-gender gathering. Critics decried the arrangement as a breach of Islamic law, while its supporters argued that the Quran does not prohibit inclusive prayer practices. The event encapsulated a broader debate within the Muslim community over evolving interpretations of sacred texts and gender roles in worship.

Hajar, once a slave given to Ibrahim during a time of Sarah’s infertility, is abandoned in the desert with her newborn son on divine command. With her limited provisions and even less hope as her milk runs out, she frantically searches between two hills for water. In a miraculous moment, an angel strikes the ground, unleashing a torrent of water that saves her and sustains her child. This story of desperate struggle, unwavering faith, and maternal resilience underscores the universal dependence on both earthly sustenance and divine intervention, and it lays the foundation for the Islamic community through her son Ishmael.

Religious beliefs and gender identity are deeply intertwined, as seen in communities like the Hijra, where external cultural forces shape personal identity. The idea of religion as a separate, unchanging realm is an illusion; every religious community constantly negotiates and redefines gender and sexuality. Traditions that seem eternal are instead actively reconstructed through ongoing societal influences. Each generation plays a role in shaping the future understanding of identity and bodily expression.