Gender
Gender of the soul[edit]
The spirit is sanctified above the exigencies of male and female[edit]
"Know thou that the distinction between male and female is an exigency of the physical world and hath no connection with the spirit; for the spirit and the world of the spirit are sanctified above such exigencies, and wholly beyond the reach of such changes as befall the physical body in the contingent world. In former ages, men enjoyed ascendancy over women because bodily might reigned supreme and the spirit was subject to its dominion. In this radiant age, however, since the power of the spirit hath transcended that of the body and assumed its ascendancy, authority and dominion over the human world, this physical distinction hath ceased to be of consequence; and, as the sway and influence of the spirit have become apparent, women have come to be the full equals of men. Today, therefore, there is no respect or circumstance in which a person’s sex provideth grounds for the exercise of either discrimination or favour."
Rational soul has no gender[edit]
"...the rational soul has no gender..."
There is no gender in the estimation of God[edit]
"In the estimation of God there is no gender."
The Bahá’í writings affirm the generally held perspective that there are two sexes, male and female, and not that gender is in multiple types[edit]
"While there are many complexities surrounding the biological issues pertaining to sex and the social issues pertaining to gender, the Bahá’í writings affirm the generally held perspective that there are two sexes, male and female. This, of course, is not in conformity with some recent social theories that divide gender into multiple types. The House of Justice has acknowledged that there may be instances—involving largely biological rather than essentially social factors—where procedures to change sex, or to establish a single sex, would be warranted and that such a matter is a medical question on which advice from experts can be sought. This perspective is based on the specific findings of natural science that in some unusual instances there are challenges associated with the biological basis of sex that can be ameliorated by recourse to medical methods."
- (From a letter dated 30 March 2017 written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to a National Spiritual Assembly, Extracts from Letters Written on Behalf of the Universal House of Justice on Transsexuality)
