Theology of Whose Body? Sexual Complementarity, Intersex Conditions, and La Virgen de Guadalupe

Abstract

This article argues that, in addition to dismissing scientific and experiential challenges, John Paul II’s theory of sexual complementarity ends up contradicting itself and therefore fails even on its own terms. In particular, Grimes contends, the Virgin Mary herself does not fulfill John Paul II’s criteria of femininity. Both during the annunciation and afterward, she acts quite queerly. Drawing upon a critical appropriation of Virgilio Elizondo’s theology of La Virgen de Guadalupe, this article argues that the interruptive of in-breaking of La Virgen into human history also serves to overturn the gender dynamics expressed during the annunciation.