The Church’s teachings are based on the premise that there are only two distinct genders, and that one’s gender is synonymous with one’s biological sex assigned at birth- does this teaching comport with present day psychological and medical science?

The Church’s moral and ethical doctrine clings to an outdated anthropological position that there are only two mutually exclusive genders and that biological sex is the sole determinant of gender. However, present day science has challenged this precept. Specifically, the American Medical Association’s current definition of gender, recognizing its increased complexity compared to previous assumptions, states that “It is essential to acknowledge that an individual’s gender identity may not align with the sex assigned at birth – a narrow limit on the definition of sex (i.e. gender) would have public health consequences in the transgender population”¹. The American Psychological Association, in its current Dictionary of Psychology, concludes that “Sex usually refers to the biological aspects of maleness or femaleness, whereas gender implies the psychological, behavioral, social and cultural aspects of being male or female”².

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¹Press Release – AMA Adopts New Policies at 2018 Interim Meeting – November 13, 2018

²APA Dictionary of Psychology – Second Edition – February 2015