Implicit Transphobia or sheer ignorance .......

both perhaps

So Dr Glenville Ashby had a piece he penned published in the Sunday Gleaner dated September 25, 2016 entitled “Transgender: denying reality” where he insidiously went off on Transgenderism and so near effortless displayed sheer ignorance on the subject(s). He was quite prepared to conflate transgender with intersex and committed the ultimate infraction when it comes to the latter that of using a now well accepted stigmatizing term as ‘hermaphrodite’ and the faux pas of transgender(ed) as if to suggest someone can be a past participle of who one is, the ‘ed’ at the end is still a problematic issue in terms of designation prior to or after re-assignment surgery or feels.

‘Hermaphrodite’ has been removed from the LGBTQI toolkit in as far discourse surrounding such physiological issues attends since 2005. The word is seen as a stigmatizing terms as it conjures up mental images of someone with merely two sex organs when the issues attendant to such matters are not ones of sexual orientation and or gender identity in as far as psychological considerations are concerned. While Dr Ashby has used the correct term ‘Intersex’ he has misdirected it to mean something else and ends up concluding some sort of abnormality or as the article is subtitled ‘denying reality’

For example he wrote:

“Transgender should not be confused with transvestite

Then he both Transgenerism and intersex as one, he wrote:

“Transgender is invariably referred to as intersex (a person that has non standard genitalia), or transsexual (a person who expresses a gender identity that is different to his or her gender at birth).”

He could have simply done some basic research on this just as how he was able to site opinions of the likes of neuroscientist Tad Pacholcyzk or Dr Paul McHugh. We have been subjected to a series of very deceptive writings and outward transphobic pronouncements by some persons pointing to Transgenderism as madness of some kind; the leader in the wave of the intellectually driven hatred is Dr Wayne West of Jamaica Coalition for a Healthy Society, JCHS fame. He has been given support by sociologist and radio show host of Everywoman on the sometimes progressive Nationwide News Network, NNN Radio one Miss Georgette Crawford.

Here is the Gleaner article in question:

The highly publicised sexual transformation of United States Olympian Bruce Jenner (now Caitlyn Jenner) has ignited a bruising political and cultural debate on gender dysphoria and 'transgenderism'.

Academicians, scientists, theologians and laypersons have weighed in on a phenomenon that is as old as civilisation.

With a shift in the cultural paradigm, transgender rights are slowly being accommodated. Federal laws prohibit discrimination against transgender individuals, and bathrooms at most public places in the United States are required to accommodate new 'gender realities'.

Not surprisingly, political, academic, and judicial activism has advanced a new confrontational liberal zeitgeist that has made it difficult to have a dissenting opinion for fear of being maliciously labelled. The same held true when conservatism was universally dominant.

There are key questions surrounding this debate. For example, is surgery appropriate in dealing with somatic dysphoria? Also, is being transgender a psychopathology? What is needed is a sober discussion based on measurable arguments and not malleable evidence fashioned by individual and social leanings.

Transgender should not be confused with transvestite (a man having pleasure in dressing like a woman), homosexuality (having sexual feelings for the same sex), bisexuality (having sexual feelings for both sexes), or hermaphrodites (a person having male and female genitalia).

Transgender is invariably referred to as intersex (a person that has non-standard genitalia), or transsexual (a person who expresses a gender identity that is different to his or her gender at birth).

In many of these cases, gender transition is made possible through surgery.

Orthodox religions have long expressed paradoxical views regarding abnormal sexual identity, not unlike its position on homosexuality. The actions of the so-called sinner are vehemently condemned, although love is professed for the perpetrator.

Russell D. Moore, president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the southern Baptist Convention, said: "The transgender question means that conservative Christian congregation must teach what's being handed down to us, that our maleness and femaleness points us to an even deeper reality, to the unity ... of Christ and the Church.

"A rejection of the goodness of those creational realities, then, is a revolt against God's lordship, and against the picture of the gospel that God is embedded in His creation."

In marginal cases, pastors have been accused of fomenting a climate of hatred and violence towards transgender people who are deemed morally bankrupt and evil.

James Dobson, president of Focus on the Family, declared: "If you are a dad, I pray that you will protect your little girls from men who walk in unannounced, unzip their pants and urinate in front of them ... . If this happened 100 years ago, someone might have been shot."

WORSHIPPING IN CHURCHES

 

Sensing and experiencing slight from mainstream Christianity, many in the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community have begun worshipping in churches and temples where sexual orientation is inconsequential.

Secular society, though, has pushed back forcibly against what they call intolerance and bigotry. Prominent businesses are boycotting states, such as Georgia, Indiana, and North Carolina that uphold the Religious Freedom Restoration Act that is arguably discriminatory and unconstitutional.

While battlelines are drawn, some are critically measured, preferring to understand the sexual dynamics and overall psychological profile of the transgender community.

Among those is priest and neuroscientist Tad Pacholczyk, a Yale and Harvard graduate and education director at the National Catholic Bioethics Center in Philadelphia. His scientific and theological background offered a unique insight into this highly charged subject.

In the article, 'Seeing through the intersex confusion,' he acknowledged that confounding physiological (hormonal) triggers and cultural forces lead to psychological discordance.

Comparing somatic disorders to other developmental disorders that should never "be subjected to bias or mistreatment", he argued that "while a newborn's 'intrinsic maleness' or 'intrinsic femaleness' may be difficult to access in certain more complicated intersex cases, the point remains that there is an 'underlying' sexual constitution that we must do our best to recognise and respect and act in accord with".

Equally important is his far-reaching assertion that "wilfully (denying this reality) is a prescription for disillusionment and dishonesty".

Pacholczyk has oftentimes referred to the work of the eminent Dr Paul McHugh, the former psychiatrist-in-chief at Johns Hopkins Hospital, who has been in the cross hairs of liberal professionals.

His detailed study of transgenderism and sex-reassignment surgery has produced some explosive assertions.

McHugh observed that after transitioning, individuals are still plagued by psycho-emotional and identity problems; that there is an absence of maternal characteristics and desires in transgendered individuals; and that despite haute couture over compensation there remains definitive, irreversible indicators of their maleness or femaleness.

Writing for the Wall Street Journal, McHugh likened the transgendered to "anorexia nervosa patients who believe that a drastic physical change will banish their psychosocial problems".

"At the heart of the problem," he argued, "is confusion over the nature of the transgendered."

McHugh continued: "Sex change is biologically impossible (and) people who undergo sex-reassignment surgery do not change from men to women or vice versa. Rather, they become feminised men or masculinised women."

He concluded that the transgender issue "is not a civil rights matter and encouraging surgical intervention is in reality to collaborate with and promote a mental disorder".

VERY REAL PROBLEM

 

McHugh has always emphasised that a diagnosis of mental illness should be met with the most appropriate means to address a very real problem.

Lending support to McHugh is the conservative American Association of Paediatricians.

Featured on its website is the article, 'Gender Ideology Harms Children', in which we read that "gender (an awareness and sense of oneself as male or female) is a sociological and psychological concept (and) not an objective biological one".

It also highlighted the disproportionately high rates of suicides among those who use cross-sex hormones and undergo sex realignment surgery, "even in Sweden which is among the most LGBT- affirming countries".

As both sides of the debate harden their position, the words of Pacholczyk invite reflection: " ... allowing people to 'define their identity' ignores the crucially important truth that numerous aspects of our identity, especially those related to our bodily and sexual identity, are predetermined, objective goods that we are called upon to recognise and respect in the choices we make".

I am sure as we wade through the sea of ignorance and the bliss that accompanies it we are going to see more nonsense such as this article so worded to give support but the true reasons becomes clear.

Peace & tolerance

H

also see:

Jamaican human rights advocate uses the "H" word in submissions on intersex/lgbt issues a ..... 2014

Five Myths that Hurt Intersex People 2010

Intersexuality, Ambiguous Genetalia & Psycho-social issues Discussion on Nationwide Radio 2009

Jamaican Intersex (ambiguous genitalia) baby case a cause for concern part 2 #learning moment

See part one HERE

A reminder - What is the difference between a TRANS, transsexual or transgender person & an intersex person? INTERSEX is not a part of transgender because intersex is not about gender. Intersex is about anatomical differences in sex. Also the word ‘hermaphrodite’ is no longer an acceptable term in discussing such issues since 2005. Sadly a sociologist who hosts a show on Nationwide had fun using the term disparagingly. She is the same sociologist who featured in this previous post: Aphrodite’s P.R.I.D.E Jamaica, APJ tackles gender identity, transgender misconceptions & an ignorant sociologist ......

now to pressing matters:

So part two of the series regarding little baby ‘Angel’ and the associated ambiguous genitalia issue garnered several comments on social media where it was shared on CVM TV’s Inspire Jamaica Facebook page. The feature has been growing on the minds of Jamaicans as the stories carried therein as very positive and host Kerlene Brown has certainly grown since her appearance on television several years ago; Miss Brown obviously did some research on the matter as she also raised the issue of the timing of the surgery whether it should occur at puberty or not; my beef is not with the show itself but the decision by the goodly consulting gynaecologist & endocrinologist Dr Gabay to rush to surgery as he suggests when baby ‘Angel’ get to 18 months after the birth. Bear in mind the mother though while seemingly obedient to the suggestion has not said a full yes based on the interview. This entry is in no way questioning the competencies of persons such as Dr Gabay but the principle if not ethics regarding addressing sex and gender specific to ambiguous genitalia.

There seems to be mixed positions on whether to take the early surgery route versus waiting until after puberty. Some experts suggest it maybe too late in some cases as developmental trends may preclude such reassignment surgery or post hormonal treatment courses.

also see: Chilean officials oppose “normalization” surgery for intersex children! 2016 (OII)

The push by intersex activists worldwide but especially in the United States, Australia and Canada have all pushed that early surgery is not the way to go and that issues to do with chromosomal changes can occur even after initial tests may shoe XX as in this case and a uterus but no undescended testicles suggesting male features or the lack thereof. I still suggest that no surgery be done to little ‘Angel’ and allow the baby to develop to puberty (age 18 as our age of majority) and then allow the adult person to make a decision based on more test now that they have matured.

Intersex Issues and the International Classification Of Diseases

The ICD revision and reform process has a key relevance for the intersex movement. Diagnostic categories play a central role in expressing scientific understandings, establishing medical approaches, informing clinical protocols, defining surgical, hormonal and other treatments. Diagnostic categories defining intersex bodies reify differences between stereotypical female and male bodies on the one hand, considered to be healthy, and bodies that vary from female and male standards on the other hand, considered to be “disordered”, Or “abnormal”. Current Classifications therefore contribute to stigma and discrimination against intersex people; they endow appropriateness to medical attempts to “fix” Or “normalize”

Intersex bodies through surgical and hormonal means. They play a direct role in determining how intersex bodies are treated in society at large.

Everywhere in the world, people born with intersex traits are subjected to “normalizing” procedures, including clitoridectomies, labioplasties, vaginoplasties, gonadectomies, hypospadias “repair”, and treatment with steroids or sex hormones.

Many of these procedures are performed during infancy and early childhood when intersex individuals cannot provide their informed consent. Intersex babies, infants, children and adolescents are also subjected to related practices in medical settings, such as continued exposure. In different parts of the world, treatments also include socio--‐legal measures, including a lack of birth certificates; at least in this case according to part 1 of the video the mother explained the process she was told that she could get the changes made at the Registrar General Department, RGD. Most of these treatments have lifelong consequences: they produce sterility, genital insensitivity and impaired sexual function, chronic pain, chronic bleeding, and chronic infections, post--‐surgical depression, and trauma (in many cases associated with the experience of rape), massive internal and external scarring, metabolic imbalances.

These procedures have been internationally denounced as institutionalized forms of genital mutilation.

They reproduce and reinforce the cultural sense of intersex bodies as disordered and shameful; they produce coercive social environments. Such a hint came through loudly when the goodly doctor spoke to the possible embarrassment by the parent(s) and inquisitive family members where lies are told to cover up or deflect the scrutiny. Given what we now know I believe persons can be allowed to mature with the right psycho-social interventions and some medical monitoring but not medicalizations as seen before.

Vaginoplasties are another common feminizing treatment, performed on girls affected by CAH, by complete or partial Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome, or by Mayer Rokitansky Kuster Hauser Syndrome.

Vaginoplasties, as well as other associated genitoplasties, seems to be the recommended course in this specific case and which are also performed to feminize intersex bodies when an infant has been assigned female at birth –for example, in cases of penile agenesis. Early surgical interventions are known to have significant negative consequences:

In children with ambiguous genitalia assigned female, vaginoplasty is commonly performed during the first year of life even though the child will not menstruate for a further 10 or so years and is unlikely to be sexually active until after puberty.

High rates of introital stenosis of up to 100% have been demonstrated as well as frequent requirements for repeated reconstructive surgery in adolescence before tampon use or intercourse. Given that there is no available data to suggest early infant vaginoplasty has a better long-term outcome than a later delayed surgery, vaginoplasty in infancy is, then, chiefly to create a reassuring appearance for parents and clinicians’.

Vaginoplasties usually require regular follow--‐up treatment through dilation, a procedure that has been repeatedly identified as an experience comparable with rape by intersex people forced to undergo it after non--‐consensual interventions, or following interventions where consent was not fully informed. The latter cases are characterized by inadequate or incomplete access to proper information regarding follow up treatment and long--‐lasting consequences.

Dense scarring and the closing of the vagina opening are common complications [in addition to] chronic pain during intercourse, excessive vaginal secretion and total closure of the vagina”, complicated by other factors “including poor communication, inadequate follow--‐up, humiliating encounters with health professionals including medical photography, poor treatment outcome, and inadequate psychological support.

Given the occurrence of long term failures, long--‐term follow up is rare, for example, because pediatric urologists do not follow patients into adulthood, and because patients “have been shown to be reluctant to seek further medical advice despite significant distress”; clinicians acknowledge that such data are necessary “to provide an honest and meaningful account” of results.

Given the limitations of such data, a “common weakness of the existing literature is that most studies have been based on surgeon impressions of outcome, as opposed to patient satisfaction”

Other concerns
Prenatal Treatment

Dexamethasone, a steroid, is used to prevent homosexuality and physical “virilization”in infants with CAH assigned female. This is defended as a means of preventing post--‐natal elective surgical treatments, and is considered to be of greater benefit than established cognitive and physical risks to the children exposed to such treatment. Dexamethasone treatment does not address the more critical issue of salt wasting associated with CAH, an issue which may necessitate urgent medical attention to ensure the health of an infant. Genital variation is seen as a social emergency.

Sterilization

Sterilization is a consequence of treatment rationales related to tumor risk. The fertility of persons with intersex variations is not valued in the same way as that of other persons – and sterilizations may not be viewed as such if a child’s capacity for fertility does not match a gender assignment or reassignment removing a person’s only route to biological parenthood.

I hope some gentile persuasion can be brought to bear on this and a rushed decision is not enter into on the part of the mother for this baby; Dr Gabay did say in the video that the department which he is a part sees on average five to six cases per year.

What isn’t intersex ?

A point from OII Australia with whom I totally support:

INTERSEX is not a sexual orientation. Although nearly all intersex have a sexual orientation, we are no different to other people in this. It is unknown if our intersex influences our sexual orientation and intersex resist efforts by researchers who seek to link the two. We do this because we hold the view that it is a back door way to find the gay gene. We hold the view that this effort is essentially homophobic.

Peace & tolerance

H

Rev Devon Dick calls for Dr Carolyn Gomes (CVC/JFJ) to resign re Bain Issue, another ally lost here?

So the Professor Bain conflict of interest HIV CHART matter continues to cause debate and voices from all angles have been sharing their opinions including ones who we do not regularly hear on about homosexuality as it were or the stifling of freedom of speech perception that has been deceptively manipulated by the anti gay groups and voices involved in recent days, protests and church meetings are still being planned and hosted to further push their fear-mongering agenda that somehow some hidden hand are out to get the church and foist homosexuality on the nation. Newsflash homosexuality has always been here.

We have been slowly loosing public tolerant support (private opinions may differ from that support as evidenced as of late) as more persons seem to have been turning or changing their minds in as far as tolerance or was it a show all along? News coming to hand as well that the Child Development Agency, CDA alongside the Ministry of Youth & Culture raising concerns that a Jamaicans for Justice, JFJ sexuality program (Dr Carolyn Gomes is past ED and a current board member) funded by foreign grant makers in places of safety and children’s homes was not approved by both as is required has only sought to strengthen the perception of deceptively by groups with some hidden agenda and hints of conflict of interest as well in some sense.

Reverend Devon Dick who has written on the subject of homosexuality before has been making a turn towards some understanding to even surprisingly include intersexuality issues as evidenced in the last appearance I saw him in person as he made a presentation at the Dr Ena Thomas Symposium Sexual Awareness November last year at the Pegasus Hotel, he among other things spoke on Sexual Healing and his opening remarks sought to be as inclusive as possible: “Good Afternoon ladies and gentlemen and persons of intersex gender” with some laughter coming from the audience and a short applause although a crack it shows some learning is happening but intersex does not suggest the umbrella description is another gender per say. 

However his misuse of the mythological and now stigmatising term ‘hermaphrodite” later in his twenty minute presentation to further describe intersex issues did not sit with me and obviously some other medical experts and sexologists in the room, he however referred to the Caster Semenya timeline where she was treated as an outcast, he then said “.... we must never allow things like that to happen to any other human being based on how their sexuality is viewed, she was prevented from being part of the female running community she should have experienced integration, the faith community becomes defaced for values and decisions that exclude and marginalise and define people as superior and inferior are destroyed, we ought to affirm the humanity of persons rather than defining them based on their sexual practices; it should be gay but persons who are in a homosexual relationship or persons who practice homosexuality; a person is more than what he or she does sexually ..... everybody is somebody first and foremost.” 

Coincidentally Mrs Gomes also made the same "H" word error earlier at the IACHR hearing: Jamaican human rights advocate uses the "H" word in submissions on intersex/lgbt issues at IACHR hearing

Now comes this piece in the Gleaner today with the Reverend calling for the present Executive Director of the Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition who has been given the task of carrying on the agitation of challenging the conflict of interest of Bain imperative in that Belizean testimony/affidavit, this of course was started under Ian McKnight as ED but Miss Gomes is “damaged goods” in my view has a public persona problem as her image as an anti-police, anti government, upscale professional woman (of light complexion) with some flawed agenda that has followed her from her stint at Jamaicans for Justice is not helping this at all. She has tried to present the issues as they are but the public rebuff is clear and there seems to be an adage of pushing some “homosexual agenda” so much so that anti gay voice Betty Ann Blaine has asked what is the role of the CVCC bearing in mind the entity has been around for some ten years plus. Whether it has its own conflict of interest is another matter in and of itself as persons who sit on its board also cross sit on JFLAG, JASL and other agencies which makes one conclude that very delay and dithering on certain frontline work needed to meet urgent crisis cannot and have not happened.
Rev Devon Dick wrote:

On April 4, 2014, Carolyn Gomes, of Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition, wrote a threatening letter to E. Nigel Harris, vice-chancellor of UWI, calling for the removal of Brendan Bain as leader of CHART.

Gomes stated: "Professor Bain no longer holds the confidence of civil society in the integrity of his word and work means that we do not believe he can or should remain in a leadership position in the UWI programmes of response to HIV."

This is an exaggeration to claim that Bain no longer holds the confidence of civil society. She does not speak for civil society but for some groups in civil society. The membership of 33 groups would not be a significant membership when compared to the membership of the Church, and the Church is a part of civil society. Her comment about civil society could be regarded as misleading.
Gomes' letter continues, "We wrote asking that you demonstrate unequivocal commitment to promoting human rights for populations made vulnerable to HIV through structural factors by: removing Professor Bain from any leadership position in the CHART programme and all positions of representation of the University of the West Indies (UWI) on issues of HIV and AIDS". Where is the data to support this premise for his dismissal? In addition, there was a news report where she stated that the protest against Bain's dismissal would be futile.

CRUDE THREAT

Gomes appeared crude in threatening Harris: "Your lack of leadership in the exercise of your discretion regarding who heads and implements the CHART programme, and who represents UWI in decision-making spaces, leaves us with few options but to make our concerns known to the widest possible audience, including regional and international supporters, funders and leaders". Apparently, financial pressure was applied to Harris.

Gomes' action has setback tolerance toward men having consensual adult sex with other men. There is a backlash in Jamaica against the homosexual agenda.

Nowhere in Bain's expert witness statement did he state that he was for or against the retention of criminalisation of men who have consensual sex with men.

Professor Bain has resigned from the PACC of PANCAP. Why was that not enough? Why hound him out of a job? Why not wait until his contract ends next year and not renew it? What harm can Bain do by training health workers and caring for persons with HIV?

Good work undone

Gomes' behaviour is similar to that of Butch Stewart and his treatment of three former senior employees. Stewart took them to court and the senior magistrate upheld a no-case submission. Stewart has undone the good work of the past by the treatment meted out to these former employees. Even if letters were backdated, it does not necessarily mean a criminal offence. Why treat loyal, competent persons like that? Similarly, why treat Bain, a loyal and competent worker like that? How kind will history be to Gomes and Stewart because of the way they have treated employees?

There is an allegation that French economist Thomas Piketty appears to have got his data wrong in his best-selling book, Capital in the Twenty-First Century, which argues that inequality is rising and calls for a global wealth tax. Scholars will differ. Unless Bain had deliberately falsified data in his expert witness testimony then he should not be dismissed. Based on Gomes' letter it appears that a grave injustice has been done to Bain and she should resign.

Rev Devon Dick is pastor of the Boulevard Baptist Church in St Andrew. He is author of 'The Cross and the Machete', and 'Rebellion to Riot'. Send feedback to columns@ gleanerjm.com.

ENDS

I do not like where all of this is going as we seem to be haemorrhaging allies or possible allies in the struggle and HIV prevention work as well as more persons conclude that the Bain issue was a bullying exercise more so than a principled stance and just when it matters most it all crumbles to shreds setting back years of work and sweat to get to where we got prior to May 18 2014 when the story broke.

Peace and tolerance

also see:

Homo-negative & homophobic feedback on the male jogger rape case continues

Professor's Bain's Testimony Threatened Foreign Funding (Gleaner letter)

Queen Ifrica calls on gay community to out paedophiles from amongst its midst

'UWI had no choice but to dismiss Prof Bain' says Professor Rosemarie Bell Antoine (OAS Rapporteur)

Pro-Bain Protesters To Meet With UWI Today

Buggery the only thing that makes church butts sore?

Ian Boyne: Bain exercised terribly poor strategic judgement 

Lessons to learn from The Professor Bain Matter

H

Jamaican human rights advocate uses the "H" word in submissions on intersex/lgbt issues at IACHR hearing

I sat frozen for a moment as I heard the recently departed co-founder and Director of Jamaicans for Justice now at her new post at the Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition, CVCC as she made submissions at today's Inter-American Commission for Human Rights, IACHR regular review. She in essence spoke for JFLAG, JCSC, Jamaica Civil Society Coalition and Jamaica AIDS Support, JAS also on the anti gang legislation, children in lockups, the Tivoli commission of enquiry, the public defender and other matters. I was also contacted about the grave error by an Intersex activist in the US who was also tuned in to a radio program aired here in Jamaica where Ms Gomes' segment was played in full. She briefly highlighted LGBT rights, the gender problem in the Charter of Rights and other matters.

The mythological term “hermaphrodite” implies that a person is both fully male and fully female. This is a physiologic impossibility.

also see from sister blog GLBTQJA Wordpress: So You Wanna Know About Hermaphrodite's? and 

OFFENSIVE TERMINOLOGY TO AVOID WHEN PRESENTING PRO-GAY POINTERS ………

The words “hermaphrodite” and “pseudo-hermaphrodite” are stigmatizing and misleading words. Unfortunately, some medical personnel still use them to refer to people with certain intersex conditions, because they still subscribe to an outdated nomenclature that uses gonadal anatomy as the basis of sex classification. In a paper titled Changing the Nomenclature/Taxonomy for Intersex: A Scientific and Clinical Rationale, five ISNA-associated experts recommend that all terms based on the root “hermaphrodite” be abandoned because they are scientifically specious and clinically problematic. The terms fail to reflect modern scientific understandings of intersex conditions, confuse clinicians, harm patients, and panic parents. I think it is much better for everyone involved when specific condition names are used in medical research and practice.

To read more about the Victorian origins of the medical terminology of “true” and “pseudo” hermaphroditism, check out chapter 5 of Alice Dreger’s Hermaphrodites and the Medical Invention of Sex which is available at bookshelf, or go to What’s the history behind the intersex rights movement?.

One more thing: While some intersex people seek to reclaim the word “hermaphrodite” with pride to reference themselves (much like the words “dyke” and “queer” have been reclaimed by LBGT people), we’ve learned over the years it is best generally avoided, since the political subtlety is lost on a lot of people.

Her exact words are as follows ............

"Most people in Jamaica are not in favour of homosexual behaviour but rights are not subject to people's feelings, rights are rights and to clarify for the commission the language of the charter doesn't speak to gender, it is a point that has been made over and over again in submissions to other international bodies as well as this one. The new charter of rights says 'The right to freedom from discrimination on the ground of being male or female,' in fact the UN human rights committee pointed out that this language is incompatible with normal standards and leaves people who are hermaphrodite by nature or intersex completely unprotected and leaves room for real challenges, it does not even speak to gender. She continued on the human rights training of the police."

Clearly someone needs to advise spokespersons specially when they are new to the post that when they do go out there to speak on behalf of groups that they apprise themselves of the lexicon that applies. Outdated language/word use at an important meeting as that of the IACHR today can be embarrassing, the more cynical would say if the respective groups do not know the proper terms then it is no wonder we can't see the proper responses on the ground towards the attendant challenges. The same error was made at a recent workshop for LGBT persons as well where the word was used repeatedly corrective steps have since been taken in that regard.

What is intersex?

“Intersex” is a general term used for a variety of conditions in which a person is born with a reproductive or sexual anatomy that doesn’t seem to fit the typical definitions of female or male. For example, a person might be born appearing to be female on the outside, but having mostly male-typical anatomy on the inside. Or a person may be born with genitals that seem to be in-between the usual male and female types—for example, a girl may be born with a noticeably large clitoris, or lacking a vaginal opening, or a boy may be born with a notably small penis, or with a scrotum that is divided so that it has formed more like labia. Or a person may be born with mosaic genetics, so that some of her cells have XX chromosomes and some of them have XY.

Though the experts speak of intersex as an inborn condition, intersex anatomy doesn’t always show up at birth. Sometimes a person isn’t found to have intersex anatomy until she or he reaches the age of puberty, or finds himself an infertile adult, or dies of old age and is autopsied. Some people live and die with intersex anatomy without anyone (including themselves) ever knowing.

Which variations of sexual anatomy count as intersex? In practice, different people have different answers to that question. That’s not surprising, because intersex isn’t a discreet or natural category.

What does this mean? Intersex is a socially constructed category that reflects real biological variation. To better explain this, we can liken the sex spectrum to the colour spectrum. There’s no question that in nature there are different wavelengths that translate into colours most of us see as red, blue, orange, yellow. But the decision to distinguish, say, between orange and red-orange is made only when we need it—like when we’re asking for a particular paint colour. Sometimes social necessity leads us to make colour distinctions that otherwise would seem incorrect or irrational, as, for instance, when we call certain people “black” or “white” when they’re not especially black or white as we would otherwise use the terms.

In the same way, nature presents us with sex anatomy spectrums. Breasts, penises, clitorises, scrotums, labia, gonads—all of these vary in size and shape and morphology. So-called “sex” chromosomes can vary quite a bit, too. But in human cultures, sex categories get simplified into male, female, and sometimes intersex, in order to simplify social interactions, express what we know and feel, and maintain order.

So nature doesn’t decide where the category of “male” ends and the category of “intersex” begins, or where the category of “intersex” ends and the category of “female” begins. Humans decide. Humans (today, typically doctors) decide how small a penis has to be, or how unusual a combination of parts has to be, before it counts as intersex. Humans decide whether a person with XXY chromosomes or XY chromosomes and androgen insensitivity will count as intersex.

In intersex work, it has been found that doctors’ opinions about what should count as “intersex” vary substantially. Some think you have to have “ambiguous genitalia” to count as intersex, even if your inside is mostly of one sex and your outside is mostly of another. Some think your brain has to be exposed to an unusual mix of hormones prenatally to count as intersex—so that even if you’re born with atypical genitalia, you’re not intersex unless your brain experienced atypical development. And some think you have to have both ovarian and testicular tissue to count as intersex.

Rather than trying to play a semantic game that never ends, the ISNA take a pragmatic approach to the question of who counts as intersex. They work to build a world free of shame, secrecy, and unwanted genital surgeries for anyone born with what someone believes to be non-standard sexual anatomy.

By the way, because some forms of intersex signal underlying metabolic concerns, a person who thinks she or he might be intersex should seek a diagnosis and find out if she or he needs professional healthcare not fully available locally but do some reading online where excellent resources abound such as the Intersex Society of North America.

An article published in the Journal of Pediatric Endocrinology and Metabolism from as far as 2005 makes a compelling case for getting rid of all medical terms based on the root “hermaphrodite.” The authors (including two ISNA staff members and three ISNA Medical Advisory Board members) explain the problems with terms like “pseudo-hermaphroditism” and “true hermaphroditism.”

Why get rid of these terms? Because:
These terms are stigmatizing to patients and their families. We should all be working to reduce stigma, not add to it through medical care.

People with intersex are not hermaphrodites, and they are not helped by being labelled this way.

These terms imply a kind of hierarchy of “real” and “fake” intersex people, which is unhelpful and illogical.

These terms attract people with sexual fetishes and fantasies that, frankly, patient advocacy organizations are not interested in hearing from.

The system of labelling intersex people according to the mere presence or absence of certain gonadal tissues (as the “pseudo/true hermaphroditism” system does) pre-dates the modern sciences of genetics and endocrinology. It causes confusion among doctors and patients because it fails to reflect all that we now know matters.

The authors of the JPEM article suggest that new systems of intersex nomenclature and taxonomy be developed to completely replace the old “five sex” model. Specifically they suggest that the replacement taxonomic system:

should enhance, not complicate, the use of medical informatics in research and clinical practice;

should recognize that diagnosis and taxonomy inform, but do not determine, gender assignment and/or gender identity;

should not include the words ‘hermaphrodite’, ‘hermaphroditism’, ‘sex reversal’, or other easily misunderstood terms;

should label the condition rather than the person;

should not confuse physicians and patients;

should make clear that diagnosis does not simply dictate therapy.

The authors end by suggesting that it would be better to use specific etiology-based diagnoses (like AIS, 5-alpha reductase deficiency, etc.) along with an umbrella term. Which umbrella term? In our travels in the last few months, we notice there seems to be an emerging consensus around using disorders of sex development, abbreviated DSDs. This seems to be a term that doctors and many patient advocates can agree encompasses all of the conditions we at ISNA have traditionally labelled intersex.

For the full article, see:
Dreger AD, Chase C, Sousa A, Gruppuso PA, Frader, J. “Changing the Nomenclature/Taxonomy for Intersex: A Scientific and Clinical Rationale.” J Pediatric Endocrinol Metab. 2005 Aug: 18 (8): 729-33.

I hope not to hear such a slip up again.

Peace and tolerance

H

Important documentary on Intersexuality .......

The matter of intersexuality was looked at in an in depth documentary available in parts on youtube for viewing, the producers delved into issues by interviewing members of the leading intersexuality organization in Australia OII - Organisation Internationale des Intersexués (OII) for Intersexions including David Iris Cameron, Gina Wilson, Hida Viloria, Jim Costich and Yann Bradbury. Non-OII people also included are non-intersex academic Alice Dreger and Bo Laurent aka Cheryl Chase, both formerly of the Intersex Society of North America (ISNA).

more reading:

Intersexion (Is He Or Isn't She?) Documentary follows the personal stories of a variety of people who identify as neither male nor female including Mani Mitchells uniquely New Zealand story

Disorders of sex development (DSD), sometimes referred to as disorders of sex differentiation, are medical terms referring to "congenital conditions in which development of chromosomal, gonadal, or anatomical sex is atypical." Lee et al. proposed a system of nomenclature based on "disorders of sex development" for clinical use, noting that "terms such as intersex, pseudohermaphroditism, hermaphroditism, sex reversal, and gender based diagnostic labels are particularly controversial," may be perceived as pejorative, and are confusing to practitioners and parents alike. In "We Used to Call Them Hermaphrodites," author Vilain makes clear that "DSD" is not a synonym for intersexuality; it replaces medical terms based on "hermaphrodite"

OII

The Organisation Intersex International (OII) is a global advocacy group for people with intersex traits. It is the largest intersex support group in the world.
Founded in 2003 by Curtis Hinkle, OII is a decentralised network established to give voice to intersex people primarily outside the USA, those speaking languages other than just English, and people who do not fit the medicalised categories of disorder promoted by some other intersex groups: it is for people born with bodies which have atypical sexual characteristics. OII rejects the terminology of disorder (as in Disorders of sex development), as well as the sexualization of intersex (as in intersexuality) within an LGBT framework; rather OII seeks to acknowledge intersex people's own distinct sexuality, or non-sexuality, or as people who may identify as gay, lesbian, trans or straight, and in alliance with people of diverse sexual orientations.

Their objective is to bring about systemic change and resist the fear, shame, secrecy and stigma imposed upon adults as well as children through both the practice of non-consensual genital surgeries and the arbitrary assignment of a particular gender without informed consultation with the individual concerned. The ethos of the group is that people will hold different views as appropriate to the individual; this often entails treating as optional socially and medically constructed categories such as binary genders, sexual identifications as well as specific and non-specific pathologisms; the identity human being being seen as the fundamental identity.

The Phalloclitoris: Anatomy and Ideology

by Dr. Cary Gabriel Costello

Human Genital Development

We all begin life with genitals that have four basic external elements. At the top is the part numbered 1 on my drawing: the sensitive end of the phalloclitoris, which can differentiate into the head of the penis or clitoris. In the center is structure 2: an inset membrane that can widen or can seal as the fetus develops. It will form the urethra, and the vagina, if any. Around it is structure 3, which is capable of differentiation into either a phallic shaft, or clitoral body and labia minora. And at the outside is the fourth part, the labioscrotal swellings, which can develop into labia majora or a scrotum.

There is a lot of variation in how each of the four basic parts of the genitalia develop from person to person in all of us. For example, we acknowledge with a lot of rib-elbowing the variation in penile size. Variation in the size and shape of genitalia, and in other parts of the body, is part of human diversity. Surgeons are well aware that livers and lungs and blood vessels vary a lot between individuals, and may look quite different from an iconic anatomical diagram. But we rarely care about having an unusually shaped liver. The shape of genitals, however, is given huge cultural weight, because we pin our commitment to dyadic gender roles on them. We look at the shape of a newborn's genitalia and project a future of dresses and diets and talking about emotions, or sports and strength and getting under the hood of a car. We do know that people are complicated. Most of us want to be more than walking gender stereotypes. Still, we understand people through the lens of dyadic gender difference, and intersex people call that into question. When we see a baby born with intermediate genitalia, and can't project a future for them based on our well-known gender narratives, people in our society--including doctors--freak out.

Part of the reason our culture reacts so poorly to intersex people is that doctors have spent the past 75 years or so erasing the bodies of people like me. I'm referring not only to the fact that doctors surgically alter our genitals, nor only to the fact that we're given an "M" or an "F" on our birth certificates, but to the fact that anatomical illustrations don't illustrate our anatomies. Medical drawings and medical language obscure our existence. And since I want doctors and parents and society at large to stop freaking out and erasing us, I want that to change.

Anatomical Illustrations of Adult Genitalia

Variation in the shape of genitalia is a fact of nature. Some genital variations are labeled intersex conditions by doctors, and considered unacceptable malformations that must be "corrected." Other variations doctors insist with equal vehemence not to "really" be intersex. There is little logic to this if you look at it from the perspective of physical health or function. Instead what seems to matter are ideologies: first, an insistence that all people must be "really" male or female; and second, an anxious commitment to associating men with big penises. And this is visible when you examine anatomical drawings.

Let's look at how doctors portray adult genitalia. Anatomy drawings in Western medicine present two and only two types of "normal" genitals. I don't have permission to post copyrighted medical illustrations, but a sample female genital diagram can be see here, and an example of a male genital diagram here. These drawings of dyadic sexual anatomy could be critiqued in many ways, but for now let's consider just one thing: the way the phalloclitoris is portrayed. In the female drawing, it's presented as a tiny clitoral dot, with the label pointing at a spot the size of a small pea. In the male drawing, it's presented as a huge penis, shown in the illustration I've linked as extending beyond the testes, apparently 8 inches or more in length even in its flaccid state. To put it plainly, the "normal penis" in this medical drawing is porn-star sized rather than average, and massive in comparison to the petite "normal clitoris."

Not only do these medical illustrations exaggerate sexual differentiation, they obscure rather than illuminate shared anatomy. Note that only the tip of phalloclitoral structure protruding from the foreskin or "hood" is labeled "clitoris." In fact, the phalloclitoris is similar in size between people at all points on the sex spectrum. In people with genitals that conform closely to the male end of the sex spectrum, the structure I've labeled #3 above merges into one erectile column. "Men" get a "penile shaft." In people with genitals that conform closely to the female norm, the two sides of the structure spread apart and surround the labia majora. "Women" get . . . well, what do you call that? Anatomists call these two feminized sides of the phalloclitoris the "clitoral crura," a term that most laypeople have never learned at school. Just like the penile shaft they are made of several inches of spongy tissue that fills with blood and erects during sexual excitement. You can see an anatomical illustration here (look at the part labeled "crus clitoris," the singular of "crura" in Latin). As you can see, the phalloclitoris is actually quite similar in men and women. The tip bends down in women and the two sides are joined together in men, but the basic structure is the same.

You would imagine that anatomical drawings would illustrate all of our genital structures to increase understanding. But do a Google image search for "female genital anatomy" and you'll see hundreds of images that look like this--and just one image in the first 10 pages that shows the crura. The anatomical illustrations that are used on educational and medical websites conceal rather than illuminate the similarities in everyone's phalloclitoral anatomy.

Do a Google search for just "genital anatomy" and you see dyadic illustrations of two very different types of genitalia. You don't see the shared embryonic anatomy from which we all develop, you don't see how all people have similar phalloclitoral structures as adults, and you don't see the wide spectrum of adult genital forms that exist. You see the ideology of sex dyadism, rather than the fact of the sex spectrum.

read the full post here

Landmark Kenyan Intersexed Case .... "third gender" application to the statutes rejected

A landmark court case filed by Richard Muasya, an intersex person, has been decided by Kenyan High Court judges Hannah Okwengu, Ruth Sitati and George Dulu. Richard Muasya has been awarded Sh500,000 for the inhuman and degrading treatment he experienced at Kamiti Maximum Prison. His request to have a third gender introduced into Kenya’s books of statutes has been rejected. …

MEDIA commentary throughout the trial has focused on religious arguments that instituting a “third sex” or “third gender” will somehow open the floodgates to homosexuality in Kenya.

According to his testimony, Richard Muasya has experienced lifelong persecution simply for being born intersex – such persecution is motivated by the fear that the person in question has somehow been born with a body that is intrinsically homosexual. As a result he was refused a birth certificate and other official documentation throughout his life, making it impossible to live as a normal human being.

Besides the homophobic argument against an official third sex or gender – OII Australia believes that such constructs are not useful to intersex people anyway – the other argument against Muasya is that intersex does not exist in Kenya and that he is the only one in the country.

If that is the case, the Kenya is surely unique among all the world’s nations. In reality, intersex people exist in every nation and in far higher numbers that are commonly believed.

REPUBLIC OF KENYA

IN THE HIGH COURT OF KENYA AT NAIROBI

PETITION NO.705 OF 2007

IN THE MATTER OF SECTION 84(1) OF THE CONSTITUTION OF

KENYA

AND

IN THE MATTER OF ALLEGED CONTRAVENTION OF

FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS OF THE INDIVIDUAL

UNDER SECTIONS 74(1), 77(1), 82(1), (3) AND (8) OF THE

CONSTITUTION OF KENYA AND BREACHES OF SECTIONS 28,

30, 31 AND 38 OF THE PRISONS ACT CAP 90, RULES 25(1),

103 AND 104 OF THE PRISONS RULES, SECTION 2B AND 7 OF

THE BIRTHS AND DEATHS REGISTRATION

ACT CAP 149

BETWEEN

RICHARD MUASYA………………............PETITIONER/APPLICANT

VERSUS

THE HON. ATTORNEY GENERAL………….........1ST RESPONDENT

(Being sued on his own behalf)

THE COMMISSIONER OF PRISONS……………...2ND RESPONDENT

THE COMMISSIONER OF POLICE……………….3RD RESPONDENT

THE REGISTRAR OF BIRTHS AND DEATHS…4TH RESPONDENT

HON. EVANS K. MAKORI MAGISTRATE………..5TH RESPONDENT

AND

THE KENYA HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION………………………………………..1ST AMICUS CURIAE

THE KENYA GAY AND LESBIAN TRUST……2ND AMICUS CURIAE

KENYA NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR

HUMAN RIGHTS…………………………............3RD AMICUS CURIAE

THE LEGAL RESOURCES

FOUNDATION (LRF)……………………1ST INTERESTED PARTY

THE CHILDREN’S RIGHTS ADVISORY

DOCUMENTATION LEGAL

EDUCATION FOUNDATION (CRADLE).2ND INTERESTED PARTY

KITUO CHA SHERIA LEGAL ADVICE

CENTRE………………………………………3RD INTERESTED PARTY

CENTRE FOR RIGHTS, EDUCATION AND

AWARENENSS FOR WOMEN

(CREAW)………………………………………4TH INTERESTED PARTY

KENYA CHRISTIAN LAWYERS

FELLOWSHIP………………………………5TH INTERESTED PARTY

ARGUMENTS IN FAVOUR OF THE PETITION:

Petitioner’s Submissions

15. Mr. Chigiti who argued the petition on behalf of the petitioner, submitted that the petitioner being a person who because of a genetic condition was born with reproductive organs or chromosomes that were not exclusively male or female is an intersexual. Noting that there was no legal definition of an intersex in Kenyan Law, he referred the court to the definition in “The Judicial Matters Amendment Bill, 2005 of South Africa,” which proposed to amend the Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act 2000 (PEPUDA), by introducing a definition of intersex as follows: Intersex means congenital physical sexual differentiation which is atypical to whatever degree. This definition is already included in Section 1of the South African “Alteration of Sex Description and Sex Status Act No.49 of 2003.” Reference was also made to “The Legislation Act 2001” of Australia, which defines an intersex as “a person who because of a genetic condition was born with reproductive organs or sex chromosomes that are not exclusively male or female”.

16. Our attention was drawn to the medical report prepared by Dr. Nyakeri a Medical Officer at Kamiti Prison. This report showed that the petitioner had undeveloped male and female sexual organs, and had male hermaphroditism. It was submitted that in terms of the above referred to definitions, the petitioner was an intersex, the term hermaphrodite being no longer in use. It was argued that as an intersex person, the petitioner has no legal recognition before the law. This is evident in the Births and Deaths Registration Act, Cap 149 Laws of Kenya which makes no mention or reference to intersex. As a result of such omission, the petitioner(and others like him), are not treated equally before the law.

17. An issue was taken with Section 7 of the Births and Deaths Registration Act, which requires every birth to be registered and “prescribed particulars” to be maintained, and Section 2 of the same Act which defines“prescribed particulars” to mean:

“(a) as to any birth, the name, sex, date and place of birth, and the names,residence, occupation and nationality of the parents;

(b) as to any death, the name, age, sex, residence, occupation, and nationality of the deceased, and the date, place and cause of death ---”

18. It was pointed out that in line with the above definition, the forms provided in the schedule in the Births and Deaths Registration Act, made provision for only two check boxes for “male” or “female”. Since the particulars in the forms are the ones that facilitate the issuance of a Birth Certificate, an Applicant must fill either box. Leaving both boxes blank, would result in an Applicant not being issued with the Birth Certificate, a document which is viewed by the petitioner as a very crucial document for his identity.

It was argued that because Form B1 makes no provision for intersex persons, the petitioner and others like him lack legal recognition and statutory protection. It was submitted that there is therefore no equality before the law for intersex persons who are neither male nor female, men or women, boys or girls, him or her.

19. Taking the argument on lack of legal recognition, further it was contended that the issuance of a Birth Certificate to any person under the Births and Deaths Registration Act, means that such a person is recognized and acknowledged as being in existence Such a person then, becomes entitled to a number of human rights.

Such rights include the following:-

 Access to healthcare

 Access to immunization (this is part of healthcare)

 Enrollment in school at the right age

 Enforcement of laws relating to minimum age for employment,

assisting efforts to prevent child labour

 Effectively countering forced marriage of young girls before

they are legally eligible, without proof of marriage

 Protection against under-age military service or conscription

 Protection from child harassment by police and other law

enforcement officers

 Securing a child’s right to nationality either at birth or at a

later date

 Protection against trafficking in children including repatriation

and family reunion

 Getting a passport, opening a bank account, obtaining credit voting or finding employment.

.....................Reliance was placed on the Australian case of Re A (1993), Deakins Law Review, Vol. 9, Issue No. 2 at page 380, wherein the court in regard to a decision to determine gender and give consent to sex correction surgery, held that the decision to proceed with the proposed treatment did not fall within the ordinary scope of parental power to consent to medical treatment. The court proceeded to give consent to the surgery having given due consideration to expert evidence.

49. It was argued that there was need for appropriate legislation or rules and regulations that govern parental responsibility and corrective surgeries on intersexual children. The court was urged to apply the provisions of the Children’s Act 2001 .........................

Please read the entire 94 Paged ruling and background on this landmark petition (PETITION 705.07) in PDF.

also see Kenyan Jurist – The Intersex case

Peace and tolerance.

H

Richard Muasya Ruling

Being Accountable to the Invisible Community: A Challenge for Intersex Activists and Allies

by Emi Koyama, Intersex Initiative

Intersex conditions are relatively rare, but not that rare. To give you an idea, there we e about 8,000 intersex people living in the state of Florida alone during the 2000 Presidenti l Election, which means that intersex people could have tipped the election to Al Gore if th y voted in a block! (To which my cleve friend said, "but if intersex people were voting in a block, they will find a way to disqualify intersex votes.")

Of course, there has never been an intersex voting block, or even an intersex political action committee. Indeed, despite the fact that there are tens of thousands of intersex people in this country, only a small number of people have publicly come out as "intersex." Where are the rest of intersex people?

Some do not know that they have an intersex condition, either because they have not been properly diagnosed or have not been told by their doctors and parents about their condition. Some do know about the condition that they have, but do not know that their condition may be considered part of intersex. Some reject the term "intersex" because of its negative association with "hermaphrodite" and other freaky imagery. For many, intersex is a site of pervasive physical and sexual violation, which they do not want to re-visit at all. Some wish to push away intersex as something that has happened in the past. Some are struggling hard just to stay alive. Some feel isolated and alienated by everyone around them, and do not feel that it is possible to "come out."

When we talk about intersex, we are talking about a lifelong history of shame, secrecy and isolation that are imposed on children who were born with slightly different bodies. We are talking about childhood sexual trauma, dirty family secret, repeated stripping in examination rooms, and the knowledge that whatever body you were born with was defective on arrival. It is not surprising that most people born with intersex conditions do not identify as "intersex" either publicly or privately.

As a result, the demographics of the few intersex activists who "come out" is skewed to be: mostly white, often college-educated, often LGBT or genderqueer (because queer people are already familiar with the process of coming out and doing activism, and also because they are more willing to go outside of standard sex/gender categories). This group, however, does not necessarily represent the rest of the people who are born with intersex conditions.

I personally do not consider "intersex" to be part of my identity. I feel that intersex is something that was done to me, not who I am. Nonetheless I am publicly "out" as an intersex activist, because I feel that taking such position is useful politically. Once people recognize me as an intersex activist, I can then start talking about what I actually feel about the label.

This creates a problem for the people who want to become allies to the intersex movement. If the few "out" intersex activists do not represent the rest, where should allies draw guidance as to what to do? How can allies act responsibly to the people who do not speak out?

As a relatively well-known intersex activist, I have come in contact with many people with intersex conditions who are not otherwise "out" as intersex or do not identify as intersex. Some of these people participate in condition-specific (such as CAH and AIS) support groups, while others are completely isolated. Even with the insight coming from these meetings, I am still unsure sometimes if certain things I say or do is actually in the best interest of intersex people as a whole.

There are some things that I am absolutely certain, such as that clitoral genitoplasty and vaginoplasty on a child is a bad idea. This is supported by many stories I have heard as well as the latest medical researches. But on other topics, such as when there was a discussion about whether or not to include "intersex" in PFLAG, I have had to make a judgment call based on everything I know about the situation and my own personal conviction.

As an ally, you will not get to hear from 99% of the people you are working to advocate for. But you are still accountable to them, as I am to my less vocal peers. Your best guide, aside from what "out" intersex activists will tell you, is your common sense.

Common sense should tell you that intersex people are regular people just like everyone else. Some are male, some are female, and there are few who explore alternative gender categoriesNjust like the non-intersex population. Some are gay or lesbian, some are bisexual, and some are straight. It makes no sense to assume that someone is gay or transgender because s/he is intersex, because a) there are gays and transgender people who aren't intersex, and b) there are intersex people who are not gay or transgender.

Common sense should tell you that whether or not one's genitalia matches her or his gender identity is not the only thing that matters. The problem with the intersex surgery is that it's harmful and in violation of the child's right to self-determination. The risk of assigning the "wrong gender" is not the only argument against thissurgery, nor is it the biggest one.

Common sense should tell you that using intersex babies to argue for some abstract theory or someone else's agenda, such as the social acceptance of a "third gender," is wrong. Most intersex people live happily as women or men just like everyone else, although they may be unhappy about the shame, secrecy and isolation that were imposed on them through medicine. If we were to advocate for the social acceptance of "third gender," that should be the responsibility of adults, whether intersex or not, rather than that of intersex children.

This is just the beginning. Use your common sense and focus on how to improve the lives of people with intersex conditions now and in the future. Ask us questions, but sometimes be willing to question the answers coming from the few "out" intersex activists including myself.

Intersex Awareness Day - Oct 26th

Apologies for missing this important date been busy working and probing so many other issues and stories.

Celebrate Intersex Awareness Day!

Intersex Awareness Day is the (inter)national day of grass-roots action to end shame, secrecy and unwanted genital cosmetic surgeries on intersex children. We intend to create a "day of action" similar to Take Back the Night, National Coming Out Day, or International Women's Day in that it will focus on grass-roots activism organized by local activists.

To learn about intersex issues/experiences in general, please see any of the following websites:

Bodies Like Ours
Intersex Initiative
Intersex Society of North America
Frequently Asked Questions

What is intersex?
Intersex refers to a series of medical conditions in which a child's genetic sex (chromosomes) and phenotypic sex (genital appearance) do not match, or are somehow different from the "standard" male or female. About one in 2,000 babies are born visibly intersexed, while some others are detected later. The current medical protocol calls for the surgical "reconstruction" of these different but healthy bodies to make them "normal," but this practice has become increasingly controversial as adults who went through the treatment report being physically, emotionally, and sexually harmed by such procedures.

Beside stopping cosmetic genital surgeries, what are inter sex activists working toward?
Surgery is just part of a larger pattern of how intersex children are treated; it is also important to stop shame, secrecy and isolation that are socially and medically imposed on children born with intersex conditions under the theory that the child is better off it they didn't hear anything about it. Therefore, it's not enough to simply stop the surgery; we need to replace it with social and psychological support as well as open and honest communication.

What's so significant about October 26?

On October 26, 1996, intersex activists from intersex society of naughty america (carrying the sign "Hermaphrodites With Attitude") and our allies from Transexual Menace held the first public intersex demonstration in Boston, where American Academy of Pediatrics was holding its annual conference. The action generated a lot of press coverage, and made it difficult for the medical community to continue to neglect our growing movement. That said, events related to Intersex Awareness Day can take place throughout October and does not necessarily have to be on the 26th.

It's great! How can I help?
First,join our email discussion list (we suggest the digest format if you want to keep the number of emails you receive under control). Then, look at our Get Involved section to see if there is already any IAD events scheduled for your area. If so, go and help them; if not, find a local organization that will sponsor the event--for example, try LGBT group in your city or college campus--and help them bring IAD to your city! We have suggestions for what activities to do, but what you will do is entirely up to you and your neighbors (and please tell us if you think of any great idea!)

Please note that Intersex Awareness Day is a loosely networked national initiative, and there is no central "headquarters." The form below will send an email to the maintainer of this web site, who is not necessarily "in charge," so to speak, of any activities that we are not directly involved. That said, we try to hook up local activists together so that we can all have a wonderful Intersex Awareness Day this year.

from Queers United

What is intersex?
Intersex refers to a series of medical conditions in which a child's genetic sex (chromosomes) and phenotypic sex (genital appearance) do not match, or are somehow different from the "standard" male or female. About one in 2,000 babies are born visibly intersexed, while some others are detected later. The current medical protocol calls for the surgical "reconstruction" of these different but healthy bodies to make them "normal," but this practice has become increasingly controversial as adults who went through the treatment report being physically, emotionally, and sexually harmed by such procedures.

Beside stopping cosmetic genital surgeries, what are intersex activists working toward?
Surgery is just part of a larger pattern of how intersex children are treated; it is also important to stop shame, secrecy and isolation that are socially and medically imposed on children born with intersex conditions under the theory that the child is better off it they didn't hear anything about it. Therefore, it's not enough to simply stop the surgery; we need to replace it with social and psychological support as well as open and honest communication.

What's so significant about October 26?
On October 26, 1996, intersex activists from Intersex Society of North America (carrying the sign "Hermaphrodites With Attitude") and our allies from Transexual Menace held the first public intersex demonstration in Boston, where American Academy of Pediatrics was holding its annual conference. The action generated a lot of press coverage, and made it difficult for the medical community to continue to neglect our growing movement. That said, events related to Intersex Awareness Day can take place throughout October and does not necessarily have to be on the 26th.

Peace and tolerance

H