Week 11 Flashcards
What is Intersex
-Intersex people may have external genitalia which do not closely resemble typical male or female genitalia, or which have the appearance of both male and female genitalia; the genitalia of one sex and the secondary sex characteristics of another sex; or a chromosomal make-up that is neither XX or XY but may be a combination of both.
-Term is used to describe an individual whose chromosomes, hormones, or sexual organs are not in line with the perceived male/female sex binary.
Aphallia
Where the first two sections of the genitals sent develop equally common in both genders
Clitormegaly
found in females, the clit is usually ‘reduced’ to an ‘acceptable female standard’
Chordee
where the head of the penis formed as if it were female while the other parts continued on as male.
Ovotestis
-occurs very rarely in humans and considered an intersex condition
-individual has both ovarian and testicular tissue present
Deviation from typical sexual dimorphism according to 3 classes
-One or more reproductive organs are classified as ambiguous or unusual as a result of underlying mechanisms involving sex chromosomes or sex hormone production or reception
-Reproductive organs are classified as ambiguous or unusual but there are no underlying sex chromosomes or hormone irregularities.
-Sex chromosome or hormones are irregular, but the reproductive organs are not particularly ambiguous or unusual.
Sex=?
chromosomes, anatomy, and hormones (not just the sex organs)
-Whichever one is the source of the deviation will determine often the intervention path chosen if one is required
Born with mixed genitalia
-Was said to require intervention via surgical gender (permanent) assignment, & hormone therapy at puberty.
-Very large failure rate for gender reassignments; Often parents are pressured to do it & told things that are untrue or without evidence
-Human rights groups now deem these surgeries abuse since they result in physical, psychological, & emotional harm.
Fausto-Sterling
-Argued in 1993 for 5 human sex categories:
male, female, male pseudoherm (terms), female pseudoherm (ferms), & true herm (herms)
-Dismorphic system does not adequately encompass the full spectrum of human sexuality
-The boundaries separating masculine & feminine are difficult to define with absolute clarity
-F-S wants intersexuality to not be considered a disease or a condition, but as normal.
Critiques of Fausto-Sterling
-Kessler pointed out that her limitation was giving primacy to the genitals, & not enough attention to the social construction of gender or other ways we identify gender daily without genital inspection
-People come in a wide assortment of gender & sexual identities that genitals alone cannot capture
Social Gender- what Kessler calls ‘Cultural Genitals’, is the gender someone projects in their daily life.
Kessler Argues
-For a development theory of gender our gender identity develops over time, in ways affected by various psycho-social factors rather than built-in at birth
-Has pros & many cons
-Still holds that someone must belong to one sex or the other, not both; Freudian roots give primacy to the penis
-Conservatives often use this model to justify their idea of ‘curing’ trans & gay people.
Intersex- Elders, Satcher, Carmona
-Children with ‘atypical genitals’ should be left alone; They cause too much trauma, they have lasting effects physically & emotionally.
-Physicians are recommending unnecessary surgeries to parents pressure without evidence.
Elders, Satcher, Carmona/ 3 reasons they give to cease surgeries
- insufficient evidence that growing up with atypical genitals leads to psychosocial distress
- Little evidence exists that genitoplasty is necessary to reduce psychological damage but these surgeries can cause irreversible harm to the body and emotional distress
- These surgeries violate an individuals rights to personal autonomy over their own future defer it until they are old enough to make decisions.
Breakdown of LGBTQI+
Sexuality= LGB
Gender= TQ
Biology= I
Why add the I? LgbtQI+ breakdown
Increase visibility and awareness; Recognize homophobia & sexism as at the root of the problematic “treatment” of intersex; Create a safer place for intersex people
