HARARE, Zimbabwe — On March 28, 2026, members of the United Theological College’s (UTC) highest governing board (the Board of Governors) and representatives from their offices gathered at the Monomotapa Hotel in Harare to discuss how churches can better respond to the experiences of intersex individuals.
The engagement brought together presiding bishops and representatives from their offices for a day of dialogue, reflection and strategic planning focused on inclusion, justice and pastoral care.
The programme opened with a presentation by Betha Tsitsi Ndabambi, founder of the Intersex Community Trust Zimbabwe (ICTZ). Drawing on her lived experience, Ndabambi urged churches to engage directly with issues affecting intersex people and to move beyond silence and stigma towards acceptance and pastoral support.
Intersex people are born with sex characteristics—including chromosomes, hormones, gonads or genitalia—that do not fit typical definitions of male or female bodies.
Participants also heard firsthand accounts of rejection by family members, ostracism within churches and communities, and the challenges of being misunderstood or mislabelled. They discussed difficulties accessing identity documents that accurately reflect people’s circumstances, which can create further barriers to education, healthcare, employment and other rights.
The conversation considered the broader challenges intersex people face in Zimbabwe, Southern Africa and globally, including discrimination, social exclusion and inconsistent legal recognition. It also invited reflection on how faith communities can address questions of gender, embodiment and human dignity.
Among the proposed actions were creating safe spaces for dialogue in congregations, training clergy and lay leaders in pastoral care for intersex people, advocating for improved access to appropriate legal documentation, and partnering with organisations such as ICTZ to support advocacy and practical assistance.
The engagement marked a step towards equipping church representatives to respond with dignity, compassion and justice. By centring intersex people’s experiences in theological discussions, participants considered how churches can better affirm their worth and promote their inclusion in faith communities.
