Gender and Religion
Religious traditions have shaped a large part of the human experience of being male and female over the past several millennia. In contemporary debate, religion is often portrayed as backward or hostile to gender diversity. That portrayal is too simplistic: many religious positions are more carefully considered than is often acknowledged, and the modern view of gender is itself a belief system that makes its own assumptions about human nature.
Traditional views: more than prejudice
The world's major religions — Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism — are based on a fundamental distinction between men and women. This distinction is seen not only as socially useful, but as rooted in creation or nature. This view aligns with what biology shows: the human body is organized around two gamete systems. On this point, religious traditions are not "outdated" but express an anthropology that is confirmed rather than disproved by modern biology.
Diversity within traditions
Every religious tradition contains different schools of thought. Some progressive communities have adapted their position and fully welcome transgender people. Others — Orthodox currents within Judaism, Christianity and Islam, and officially the Roman Catholic Church — continue to uphold a binary understanding of sex. Both positions deserve respect as internal theological choices; it is not for governments or activist groups to dictate which position communities should adopt. That religion also plays a role among young people is shown by research by the University of Amsterdam among more than 31,000 school students. Examples of organizations with a pronounced religious background in the Netherlands include the Catholic campaign Gezin in Gevaar and, in the United States, the newspaper Deseret News, which is owned by the Mormon Church.
The Holy See and the concept of "gender ideology"
The Roman Catholic Church has used the term "gender ideology" since John Paul II and Benedict XVI to refer to the movement that completely separates identity from the body. The Vatican document Dignitas Infinita (2024) affirmed that the Church recognizes the human dignity of everyone, while at the same time maintaining its commitment to sexual binarity. This is not backwardness but a coherent anthropological position increasingly shared by secular scholars.
An extensive analysis of the concept — its core claims, origins and timeline — can be found at genderideologie.nl.
Non-Western traditions and third categories
Some non-Western traditions contain categories that are not strictly binary, such as the hijra in South Asia. In Western debate, these are sometimes cited as evidence that "every culture has always recognized non-binary people." That portrayal is misleading: in these traditions, they generally referred to specific, often marginalized social roles, not to a spectrum of self-chosen identities as assumed by modern Western gender discourse. Explaining historical roles retroactively as "non-binary" or "transgender" is a form of anachronism. More on this can be found under trans people in history.
Consequences for believers with gender dysphoria
People with gender dysphoria who live in a religious community may experience genuine tension between faith and feelings. Good pastoral guidance requires care and prudence: taking the believer's pain seriously without immediately moving to affirming a medical transition. It is a misconception that the only loving approach is to agree to every proposed step. Love is compatible with theological and physical realism.
Freedom of religion
In a free society, religious communities have the right to determine their own teachings and practices, even when these differ from the dominant secular discourse. Attempts to force churches, mosques or synagogues to adapt through legislation or cuts to subsidies infringe on religious freedom and are problematic. How a biblical passage is brought to bear on today's gender debate can be read in Edward Jansen's essay Isaiah 5:20 as a mirror.