DOCSLIB.ORG

The Pardoner's Homosexuality and How It Matters

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Pardoner's Homosexuality and How It Matters _I MONICA E. MCALPINE The Pardoner’s Homosexuality and How It Matters HE FAMOUS pronouncement of Chau- in favor of viewing the Pardoner as a possible cer’s narrator on Chaucer’s Pardoner-“I homosexual.2 In the second part, I consider the T trowehe were a geldyng or a mare"1 spiritual implications of the Pardoner’s sexuality (I.691 )-poses several questions for modern by redirecting attention to his bagful of pardons readers. What are the options that it offers for and relics. The initial references to these objects the interpretation of the Pardoner? Why is the occupy a significant place in the middle section narrator unable to decide between them? To of the Pardoner’s tripartite portrait in the Gen- what extent does Chaucer maintain this indeter- eral Prologue: he is not only a “geldyng or a minacy about the Pardoner and require the mare” (II. 669-91 ) but also both a “pardoner” reader, like the narrator, to remain forever un- peddling false relics (II. 692-706) and a “noble decided? Does Chaucer in any way lead the ecclesiaste” (Il. 707-14). Through an interpre- reader to a greater certitude? If so, what is the tation of the Pardoner as homosexual, I hope to sexual status of the Pardoner? Finally, what is confirm what this structure suggests: that his the moral significance of that status? These ques- pardons and relics constitute the essential link, tions arise partly from the complexity of Chau- the lifeline, -between this sexually anomalous cer’s poetry and partly from present-day Christian and his church. ignorance of medieval sexual concepts and terminology. I The term “mare,”in particular, has proved notoriously difficult for modern readers to in- For many of Chaucer’s readers, the narrator’s terpret, and even when the term is glossed, the pronouncement is intimately linked with certain possibility that the Pardoner may be a “mare” deservedly influential commentaries on the Par- is often ignored in favor of the belief that he is doner’s sexual status, and any reconsideration of certainly a “geldyng,” or eunuch. Psychological, the subject must acknowledge its debt to those moral, and spiritual interpretations of the Par- studies and carefully discriminate its conclusions doner’s eunuchry and of the sterility and, less from theirs. In his ground-breaking review of accurately, the impotence with which it is as- medieval texts on medicine and physiognomy, sociated permeate current critical treatments of Walter Clyde Curry opened discussion of the this pilgrim. A faithful reading of Chaucer’s line Pardoner’s physical nature.3 Although the point requires that the balance be restored. We need a is seldom noticed, Curry interprets the narrator’s gloss for “mare,” and we need interpretations of pronouncement as offering a choice between im- the Pardoner’s portrait and of his prologue and potence and effeminacy (p. 58). He treats the - tale that explore the implications of his possible mention of these two sexual phenomena as serv- status as “mare” just as fully as criticism has ing to define a third possibility, underlying and already explored the implications of his possible unnamed, and then shows that the Pardoner’s - status as "geldying.”" It is neither likely nor de- physical characteristics-long, fine hair; high sirable that such a reading will replace the view voice; glaring eyes; and beardlessness-fit the of the Pardoner as a eunuch; rather, it is to be descriptions of eunuchs offered by medieval doc- - hoped it will shed new light on familiar aspects tors and physiognomists. All but one of Curry’s of Chaucer’s rich characterization. sources, moreover, associate eunuchry with im- As a contribution to this work, I wish to offer. morality, and some also insist that the congeni- in the first and longer part of this essay, a more tal eunuch is more evil than the castrated eunuch. detailed argument than has so far been attempted The sins attributed to eunuchs include dissolute- 8 Monica E. McAlpine 9 ness, shamelessness, cunning, and viciousness. genital eunuchs, involuntary castrates, and In what has proved the least convincing part of “eunuchs who have made themselves such for his argument. Curry contends that the other pil- the Kingdom of heaven” (Matt. xix.12). Identi- grims. and Chaucer’s audience, would have been fying the last group, the voluntary celibates in able to go beyond the narrator’s speculations to the service of God, as the eunuchs of Isaiah who deduce that the Pardoner suffers from the (pre- will be accepted by God, the commentators go - sumably rare ) condition of congenital eunuchry. on to invent a second group of metaphorical Since in the view of the medieval experts the eunuchs who will be rejected, as in Deuteronomy: physical characteristics of all eunuchs are much those who, while capable of good works, de- the same, Curry’s labeling of the Pardoner as a liberately remain spiritually sterile. Miller argues - congenital eunuch is grounded not in unarguable that the Pardoner’s physical eunuchry is the sign physiognomical fact, as is sometimes believed, of his deliberate spiritual sterility. His chosen but in fallible literary interpretation. One argu- role as eunuchus non Dei is seen as bitterly ment appeals to the influence of source. Chaucer satiric, since he has a special responsibility as a may have based his Pardoner, in part, on the churchman to be a eunuchus Dei, fruitful in characterization of a eunuch by the physiog- good works. nomist Polemon (pp. 62-64), and Curry as- If, however, Chaucer did use the Pardoner’s L sumes that because Polemon‘s eunuch was a physical condition as a sign in this way, he ran congenital eunuch. Chaucer’s must be, too. A a considerable risk of undermining the very spiri- second argument rests on Curry’s own estimate tual values he was attempting to communicate. L of the Pardoner’s character: the depth of the Both Christ and the medieval commentators were Pardoner’s depravity is seen as justifying his reacting against the physical determinism of one classification with the more malicious congenital strain of Jewish tradition. For them, involuntary eunuchs rather than with the comparatively be- eunuchry had no necessary moral significance at nign castrated eunuchs (pp. 59-64). Moreover, all; they were attempting to free the career of the by concentrating on the moral distinction between soul from questions of genital competency.5 Mil- congenital eunuchs and castrated eunuchs. a ler’s Pardoner, in contrast, is a static figure. prominent distinction in his sources, Curry dis- While Miller rightly emphasizes the free action tracts his readers from what he himself under- by which the Pardoner would have become a stands to be the different distinction in the Gen- eunuchus non Dei, he does not recognize in eral Prologue: that between “geldyng” and Chaucer’s characterization a continuing human “mare.”While he reveals the accuracy with potential for change. Because the immutable which Chaucer uses the stereotype of the eunuch physical fact of eunuchry is taken as the sign of for some of the details of the Pardoner’s portrait, the Pardoner’s spiritual status, his soul cannot be Curry neither proves that the Pardoner is a con- allowed its own career independent of his sexual genital eunuch nor definitively exhausts the im- destiny. Despite this difficulty, Miller‘s study has plications of the narrator’s pronouncement. done more than any other to establish the level The relationship of the Pardoner’s eunuchry of seriousness on which the problem of the to his spiritual condition and to the larger themes Pardoner’s sexuality should be addressed. More- of Chaucer’s work was first addressed in a so- over, the biblical materials he has brought to our phisticated way by Robert Miller.4 Miller ex- attention can now be seen as documenting one amines medieval biblical glosses that attempt to kind of consideration that medieval people gave resolve a conflict in attitudes toward eunuchs in to a question central to Chaucer’s characteriza- the Old Testament. Deuteronomy xxiii. 1, reflect- tion of the Pardoner: What is the place of sex- ing a literal-minded racial and sexual perception ually different, or “deviant,” persons in the of holiness, excludes eunuchs from the temple, scheme of salvation? while Isaiah lvi.3-5, taking a more spiritual ap- Wide acceptance of the conclusions of Curry proach, gives assurances that righteous eunuchs and Miller has had the unintended side effect of are among God’s people. The medieval com- dulling readers’ responses to the Pardoner; this mentators found a solution to this conflict in a pilgrim, it seems, has been fully “explained.” As statement of Christ’s discriminating among con- Donald Howard puts it in The Idea of the Can- 1- 10 The Pardoner’s Homosexuality and How It Matters terbury Tales, the theory of the Pardoner’s con- from our disagreement about the Pardoner’s pos- genital and “scriptural” eunuchry has become an sible homosexuality but from my unwillingness excuse for not taking him seriously.6 In his daz- to accept, with Howard (p. 351 ), the Pardoner’s zling treatment of the Pardoner as a grotesque, as definition of himself as a “ful vicious man.” By a “feminoid” or "hermaphroditic" male, Howard turning our attention from the standard glosses succeeds in re-creating the strangeness of this on the Pardoner’s sexuality to the literary char- pilgrim-his power to mystify, frighten, and acterization itself, Howard has brought the Par- fascinate. Partly from motives of anger and re- doner alive again; but in his valuable explication venge, the Pardoner alienates himself from the of the Pardoner as a grotesque, he accepts too community of human and divine values; in fully the Pardoner’s own tortured and theatrical Howard’s view, he becomes-like evil itself as self-image.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Need of Third Gender Justice in Indian Society
    IJRESS Volume 2, Issue 12 (December 2012) ISSN: 2249-7382 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND AND LEGAL STATUS OF THIRD GENDER IN INDIAN SOCIETY Preeti Sharma* ABSTRACT The terms third gender and third sex describe individuals who are categorized as neither man or woman as well as the social category present in those societies who recognize three or more genders. To different cultures or individuals, a third gender or six may represent an intermediate state between men and women, a state of being both. The term has been used to describe hizras of India, Bangladesh and Pakistan who have gained legal identity, Fa'afafine of Polynesia, and Sworn virgins of the Balkans, among others, and is also used by many of such groups and individuals to describe themselves like the hizra, the third gender is in many cultures made up of biological males who takes on a feminine gender or sexual role. Disowned by their families in their childhood and ridiculed and abused by everyone as ''hijra'' or third sex, eunuchs earn their livelihood by dancing at the beat of drums and often resort to obscene postures but their pain and agony is not generally noticed and this demand is just a reminder of how helpless and neglected this section of society is. Thousands of welfare schemes have been launched by the government but these are only for men and women and third sex do not figure anywhere and this demand only showed mirror to society. The Constitution gives rights on the basis of citizenship and on the grounds of gender but the gross discrimination on the part of our legislature is evident.
    [Show full text]
  • Polyamory and Holy Union in Metropolitan Community Churches
    Polyamory and Holy Union In Metropolitan Community Churches Frances Luella Mayes May 5, 2003 Ecumenical Theological Seminary Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Doctor of Ministry Degree. Approved: Date: 5 May 2003 ___________________________________________ __________ The Rev. Dr. David Swink, D.Min., Committee Chair ___________________________________________ __________ Dr. Virginia Ramey Mollenkott, Phd., Content Specialist ___________________________________________ __________ Dr. Anneliese Sinnott, Phd., O.P., Faculty Reader ___________________________________________ __________ The Rev. Paul Jaramogi, D.Min., Peer Reader Rev. Frances Mayes, MCC Holy Union All rights reserved. Frances L. Mayes, 2003 ii Rev. Frances Mayes, MCC Holy Union Abstract Metropolitan Community Churches have performed Holy Union commitment ceremonies for same-sex couples since 1969. An ongoing internal dialogue concerns whether to expand the definition to include families with more than two adult partners. This paper summarizes historical definitions of marriage and family, development of sexual theology, and current descriptions of contemporary families of varying compositions. Fourteen interviews were conducted to elicit the stories of non- monogamous MCC families. Portions of the interviews are presented as input into the discussion. iii Rev. Frances Mayes, MCC Holy Union Acknowledgements The author would like to acknowledge the help and support given to her by the dissertation committee: Chairman Rev. Dr. David Swink, Content Specialist Dr. Virginia Ramey Mollenkott, Reader Dr. Anneliese Sinnot, OP, and Peer Reader Rev. Paul Jaramogi, who nurtured this paper’s evolution. Thanks also to the Emmaus Colleague Group who patiently stood with me as my theology and practice changed and developed, and who gestated with me the four mini- project papers that preceded the dissertation.
    [Show full text]
  • Marten Stol WOMEN in the ANCIENT NEAR EAST
    Marten Stol WOMEN IN THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST Marten Stol Women in the Ancient Near East Marten Stol Women in the Ancient Near East Translated by Helen and Mervyn Richardson ISBN 978-1-61451-323-0 e-ISBN (PDF) 978-1-61451-263-9 e-ISBN (EPUB) 978-1-5015-0021-3 This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial- NoDerivs 3.0 License. For details go to http://creativecommons.org/licenses/ by-nc-nd/3.0/ Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data A CIP catalog record for this book has been applied for at the Library of Congress. Bibliographic information published by the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek The Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche Nationalbibliografie; detailed bibliographic data are available on the Internet at http://dnb.dnb.de. Original edition: Vrouwen van Babylon. Prinsessen, priesteressen, prostituees in de bakermat van de cultuur. Uitgeverij Kok, Utrecht (2012). Translated by Helen and Mervyn Richardson © 2016 Walter de Gruyter Inc., Boston/Berlin Cover Image: Marten Stol Typesetting: Dörlemann Satz GmbH & Co. KG, Lemförde Printing and binding: cpi books GmbH, Leck ♾ Printed on acid-free paper Printed in Germany www.degruyter.com Table of Contents Introduction 1 Map 5 1 Her outward appearance 7 1.1 Phases of life 7 1.2 The girl 10 1.3 The virgin 13 1.4 Women’s clothing 17 1.5 Cosmetics and beauty 47 1.6 The language of women 56 1.7 Women’s names 58 2 Marriage 60 2.1 Preparations 62 2.2 Age for marrying 66 2.3 Regulations 67 2.4 The betrothal 72 2.5 The wedding 93 2.6
    [Show full text]
  • The Daoist Tradition Also Available from Bloomsbury
    The Daoist Tradition Also available from Bloomsbury Chinese Religion, Xinzhong Yao and Yanxia Zhao Confucius: A Guide for the Perplexed, Yong Huang The Daoist Tradition An Introduction LOUIS KOMJATHY Bloomsbury Academic An imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc 50 Bedford Square 175 Fifth Avenue London New York WC1B 3DP NY 10010 UK USA www.bloomsbury.com First published 2013 © Louis Komjathy, 2013 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publishers. Louis Komjathy has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as Author of this work. No responsibility for loss caused to any individual or organization acting on or refraining from action as a result of the material in this publication can be accepted by Bloomsbury Academic or the author. Permissions Cover: Kate Townsend Ch. 10: Chart 10: Livia Kohn Ch. 11: Chart 11: Harold Roth Ch. 13: Fig. 20: Michael Saso Ch. 15: Fig. 22: Wu’s Healing Art Ch. 16: Fig. 25: British Taoist Association British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. ISBN: 9781472508942 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Komjathy, Louis, 1971- The Daoist tradition : an introduction / Louis Komjathy. pages cm Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-4411-1669-7 (hardback) -- ISBN 978-1-4411-6873-3 (pbk.) -- ISBN 978-1-4411-9645-3 (epub) 1.
    [Show full text]
  • Eunuchs in the Bible 1. Introduction
    Acta Theologica Supplementum 7 2005 EUNUCHS IN THE BIBLE ABSTRACT In the original texts of the Bible a “eunuch” is termed saris (Hebrew, Old Testament) or eunouchos (Greek, New Testament). However, both these words could apart from meaning a castrate, also refer to an official or a commander. This study therefore exa- mines the 38 original biblical references to saris and the two references to eunouchos in order to determine their meaning in context. In addition two concepts related to eunuchdom, namely congenital eunuchs and those who voluntarily renounce marriage (celibates), are also discussed. 1. INTRODUCTION The concept of a “eunuch” (a castrate) is described in the Bible prima- rily by two words, namely saris (Hebrew, Old Testament) and eunouchos (Greek, New Testament) (Hug 1918:449-455; Horstmanshoff 2000: 101-114). In addition to “eunuch”, however, both words can also mean “official” or “commander”, while castration is sometimes indirectly referred to without using these terms. This study therefore set out to determine the true appearance of eunuchism in the Bible. The aim was to use textual context and, in particular, any circum- stantial evidence to determine which of the two meanings is applic- able in each case where the word saris (O.T.) or eunouchos (N.T.) occurs in the Bible. All instances of the words saris and eunouchos were thus identified in the original Hebrew and Greek texts of the Bible and compared with the later Septuagint and Vulgate texts, as well as with Afrikaans and English Bible translations. The meanings of the words were determined with due cognisance of textual context, relevant histo- rical customs and attitudes relating to eunuchs (Hug 1918:449-455; Grey 1974:579-85; Horstmanshoff 2000:101-14).
    [Show full text]
  • True and False Claims About Scripture and Homosexual Practice
    What the Evidence Really Says about Scripture and Homosexual Practice: Five Issues by Prof. Robert A. J. Gagnon, Ph.D. Author of The Bible and Homosexual Practice (Abingdon Press, 2001; 500 pgs.) and co‐author of Homosexuality and the Bible: Two Views (Fortress Press, 2003; 120 pgs.) March 14, 2009 1. Jesus Claim: Jesus had no interest in maintaining a male‐female requirement for sexual relations. What the evidence really shows: Jesus believed that a male‐female requirement for sexual relations was foundational, a core value of Scripture’s sexual ethics on which other sexual standards should be based, including the ‘twoness’ of a sexual union. Jesus predicated marital twoness—the restriction of the number of persons in a sexual union to two, whether concurrently (no polygamy) or serially (no cycle of divorce and remarriage) —on the fact that “from the beginning of creation, ‘male and female He made them’ [Gen 1:27] and ‘for this reason a man … will be joined to his wife and the two will become one flesh’ [Gen 2:24]” (Mark 10:2-12; Matt 19:3-9). In other words, the fact that God had designed two (and only two) primary sexes for complementary sexual pairing was Jesus’ basis for a rigorous monogamy position. He reasoned that, since the union of the two sexual halves creates an integrated, self-contained sexual whole, a third sexual partner was neither necessary nor desirable. We know that this was Jesus’ reasoning because the only other first-century Jews who shared Jesus’ opposition to more than two persons in a sexual bond were the Essenes, who likewise rejected “taking two wives in their lives” because “the foundation of creation is ‘male and female he created them’ [Gen 1:27]” and because “those who entered [Noah’s] ark went in two by two into the ark [Gen 7:9]” (Damascus Covenant 4.20-5.1).
    [Show full text]
  • Eunuchs and Concubines in the History of Islamic Southeast Asia
    EUNUCHS AND Moreover, they were always of servile CONCUBINES IN THE status, as the holy law demanded. In Southeast Asia, in contrast, concubines HISTORY OF ISLAMIC (gundik) were sometimes free, and SOUTHEAST ASIA eunuchs (sida-sida) mysteriously dis- appeared around 1700. William Gervase Clarence- 1 Unfortunately, the nature of these Smith practices in Islamic Southeast Asia is hard to unravel, as they are covered by a veil of silence. Servitude itself is seen as highly Abstract embarrassing (Salman 2001). 'Sexual aberrations' merely compound the In the early 17th century, male servant embarrassment, and outsiders writing eunuchs were common, notably at the about such matters easily attract Persianised Acehnese court of Iskandar accusations of 'Orientalism' and Muda. By mid-century, the castration of 'voyeurism.' This is unfortunate, because a male slaves mysteriously disappeared. study of these topics helps to illuminate Concubinage, however, lasted much historical specificities pertaining to both longer. While there were sporadic Islam and sexuality in the region. attempts to stamp out abuses, for example sexual relations with pre-pubescent slave Concubinage in Islam girls, and possibly, clitoridectomy, a reasoned rejection of the institution of Across Islamdom, the ulama accepted that concubinage on religious grounds failed a man could have an unlimited number of to emerge. This paper discusses the sexual servile concubines. Quranic references to treatment of slaves across Islamic 'those whom your right hand possesses' Southeast Asia, a subject which sheds seemed to justify the institution, and the important light on historical specificities Prophet himself was believed to have pertaining to both Islam and sexuality in owned two concubines in the latter stages the region, yet which continues to be of his life (Ruthven 2000: 57, 62-3, Awde treated with silence, embarrassment or 2000: 10, Zaidi 1935).
    [Show full text]
  • Feminist Reading List
    Feminist Book List! Compiled by the fantastic Katie Warf 1) The Purity Myth; Jessica Valenti (virginity, sexuality) 2) The Beauty Myth; Naomi Wolf (body image, eating disorders) 3) Full Frontal Feminism; Jessica Valenti (feminism) 4) Cunt: A Declaration of Independence; Inga Muscio (feminism, sexuality) 5) Female Chauvinist Pigs; Ariel Levy (sexuality, raunch culture) 6) Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women; Susan Faludi (feminism) 7) Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity; Judith Butler (queer theory) 8) Sexual Politics; Kate Millet (patriarchy, literary criticism) 9) The Second Sex; Simone de Beauvoir (feminist philosophy) 10) The Feminine Mystique; Betty Friedan (second wave feminism) 11) Undoing Gender; Judith Butler (gender identity) 12) He’s a Stud, She’s a Slut; Jessica Valenti (double standards) 13) Sister Outsider; Audre Lorde (racial issues, feminism) 14) Generation Roe; Sarah Erdreich (pro-choice, Roe v. Wade) 15) How the Pro-Choice Movement Saved America; Cristina Page (pro-choice) 16) Pornland; Gail Dines (pornography, sexuality) 17) How to be a Woman; Caitlin Moran (women’s issues) 18) BITCHfest: Ten Years of Cultural Criticism…; Lisa Jervis (feminism, cultural analysis) 19) Manhood in America; Michael Kimmel (masculinity, gender roles) 20) Guyland: The Perilous World Where Boys Become Men; Michael Kimmel (gender roles) 21) The Guy’s Guide to Feminism; Michael Kaufman (feminism) 22) Black Feminist Thought; Patricia Collins (feminism, racial issues) 23) The Creation of Patriarchy; Gerda Lerner
    [Show full text]
  • Sexual Citizenship on the Autism Spectrum
    University of Windsor Scholarship at UWindsor Electronic Theses and Dissertations Theses, Dissertations, and Major Papers 2014 Sexual Citizenship on the Autism Spectrum Jessica Penwell Barnett University of Windsor Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/etd Recommended Citation Barnett, Jessica Penwell, "Sexual Citizenship on the Autism Spectrum" (2014). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 5101. https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/etd/5101 This online database contains the full-text of PhD dissertations and Masters’ theses of University of Windsor students from 1954 forward. These documents are made available for personal study and research purposes only, in accordance with the Canadian Copyright Act and the Creative Commons license—CC BY-NC-ND (Attribution, Non-Commercial, No Derivative Works). Under this license, works must always be attributed to the copyright holder (original author), cannot be used for any commercial purposes, and may not be altered. Any other use would require the permission of the copyright holder. Students may inquire about withdrawing their dissertation and/or thesis from this database. For additional inquiries, please contact the repository administrator via email ([email protected]) or by telephone at 519-253-3000ext. 3208. Sexual Citizenship on the Autism Spectrum By Jessica Penwell Barnett A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies through the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, & Criminology in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctorate of Sociology at the University of Windsor Windsor, Ontario, Canada 2014 © 2014 Jessica Penwell Barnett Sexual Citizenship on the Autism Spectrum by Jessica Penwell Barnett APPROVED BY: __________________________________________________ E. Ignagni, External Examiner Ryerson University __________________________________________________ M.
    [Show full text]
  • 11.18.15 Homosexuality Practicing Safe Text, Pt. 3
    Delman Coates, Ph.D., Senior Pastor 9832 Piscataway Road Clinton, Maryland 20735 Phone: 301-856-2170 Fax: 301-856-3212 www.mtennon.org Bible Study – November 18, 2015 Practicing Safe Text: What’s It All About? Part 3 of 3 “The purpose of this Bible study is to show how critical the task of biblical interpretation is for those who believe that Scripture is our source of authority on matters of faith and practice. In order to faithfully relate www.mtennon.org God’s Word to the issues we face today, this Bible study series has attempted to show that we must attend to language, culture, history, and social context of the scriptures. Failure to do so, takes the scriptures out of context and results in furthering harmful ideas that are not a part of the life changing witness of Scripture.” Delman Coates, Pastor www.mtennon.org Does Jesus Address Homosexuality? Perhaps the most glossed over passage of scripture when it comes to the discussion of homosexuality is found in Matthew 19: 1-12. After discussing marriage and the conditions under which a man could discard (not “divorce” as we think of it today) his wife in verses 1-10, Jesus proceeds in verses 11-12 to discuss a category of individuals who were exempt from his teaching on marriage. Eunuchs were “trusted men” who were employed to keep watch over the wives or concubines of kings and wealthy men. The Greek word ‘eunouchos’ literally means “a keeper of the bed,” and this official position was given to someone who was a superintended of the bedchamber of the wives and/or concubines of an elite male.
    [Show full text]
  • Sex and Sexuality As Civil Rights
    a LEXFORTI LEGAL JOURNAL | [ISSN: 2582 2942] VOLUME II -ISSUE III ________________________________________________________________ Sex and Sexuality as Civil Rights ANEESHA SAHOO & MUSKAAN KHURANA ABSTRACT All over the world including India, people are stuck with the question of gender and the rights for those people who believe that they to belong to a gender which does not fall within the conventional gender norms of the society. This Article deals with the perception related to the genders other than society created gender spectrum of just ‘male’ and ‘female’, which thereby lead to various social and legal problems in today’s society. The Article is introduced with some basic ideas of the topic along with various related terms that are attached to it. Using the resources at disposal for an appropriate research on the article, it discusses about sex, the taboo attached to it, the profession involved with the concept of sex and the unconventionality revolving around the same. This article puts forward the taboos related to ‘polyamory’ and also the idea of the third gender. The authors have put out a detailed study of the third gender rights and its absolute association with the landmark judgement of NALSA v. UOI. Before the concluding wrap- up of the article, the article leans to the idea of free minds within India which care only about humanity and so in consequence, about the rights of the queer individuals to adopt. Keywords: Opposite sex, society, sex, taboo, polyamory, gender rights. 1 a LEXFORTI LEGAL JOURNAL | [ISSN: 2582 2942] VOLUME II -ISSUE III ________________________________________________________________ INTRODUCTION The freedom of a man to decide on his consensual relationships coupled with the gender, without interference of the state is a basic human right which at any cost should not be violated.
    [Show full text]
  • Toward Self-Identification and Recognition of a Third Gender: Approaches in the United States and India
    Michigan Journal of Gender & Law Volume 14 Issue 2 2008 "Please Write 'E' in This Box" Toward Self-Identification and Recognition of a Third Gender: Approaches in the United States and India Jennifer Rellis Dechert, LLP Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.law.umich.edu/mjgl Part of the Comparative and Foreign Law Commons, Law and Gender Commons, Law and Society Commons, and the Legislation Commons Recommended Citation Jennifer Rellis, "Please Write 'E' in This Box" Toward Self-Identification and Recognition of a Third Gender: Approaches in the United States and India, 14 MICH. J. GENDER & L. 223 (2008). Available at: https://repository.law.umich.edu/mjgl/vol14/iss2/3 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at University of Michigan Law School Scholarship Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Michigan Journal of Gender & Law by an authorized editor of University of Michigan Law School Scholarship Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. "PLEASE WRITE 'E' IN THIS BOX" TOWARD SELF-IDENTIFICATION AND RECOGNITION OF A THIRD GENDER: APPROACHES IN THE UNITED STATES AND INDIA Jennifer 'Rllis* INTRODUCTION • 223 1. NOT MALE, NOT FEMALE: DEFINING INTERSEXUALITY AND ITS COLLISION WITH LAW, MEDICINE, AND SOCIETAL CONSTRUCTS 225 II. INDIA: ACCEPTANCE OF A THIRD GENDER • 227 A. Hijras:India's Third GenderedPeople • 227 B. English Colonization Began an Era of State-SanctionedDiscrimination • 229 C. An End to Discrimination?Allowing Self-Identification and Recognition ofa Third Gender • 232 Ill. UNITED STATES: OBSTACLES TO THE LEGAL RECOGNITION OF A THIRD GENDER • 234 A.
    [Show full text]