Eunuchs, as theologian Austen Hartke describes, were “the gender-diverse people of the ancient world” who “lived outside the boundaries of sex and gender.” Basically, queer people. Many people today don’t realize that there are queer people in the Bible.
But Jesus knew this, and to him, the presence of queer people was extremely no big deal. In Matthew, Jesus tells his disciples, “For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let anyone accept this who can” (Matthew 19:12). It really doesn’t get clearer than that.
Later, in Acts, an angel instructs Philip to join the chariot of the Ethiopian eunuch. Philip does, and after the two read Scripture on their journey, the eunuch asks Philip to baptize him into Christ. Philip does not say, “Sorry, I cannot bring into Christ a person who doesn’t fit contemporary gender structures.” Rather, Philip baptizes the eunuch immediately, making them one of the very first Christians (Acts 8:26-40).
From “Welcoming and Affirming: A Guide to Supporting and Working with LGBTQ+ Christian Youth” by Leigh Finke – Broadleaf Books