(no subject)
(Slightly Belated) HAPPY INTERSEX DAY!
^_^
from U of M's GLBTA newsletter:
It is not uncommon these days to understand that gender is constructed,
although there are those that truly believe biology is destiny, and destiny
is the dichotomization of women and men doing separate masculine and
feminine things. Some of us challenge this notion by questioning if there
are only two genders, by suggesting one could be neither and/or both
genders-- that women do not have to partake in traditionally feminine
activities and men do not have to necessarily partake in traditionally
masculine things. When deconstructing identity, the top three issues often
brought up are: race, class and gender. However, how often do we hear the
argument that sex too is constructed? Have any of us really considered the
fact that human beings may not be composed merely of women-born and
male-born bodies?
Consider this: When a Œmale¹ infant is born, the doctor and medical staff
measure its phallus to determine its sex. And what does a Œhealthy¹ phallus
look like? 2.5cm. If the infant does not meet these standards his
masculinity is often at stake, in that he does not measure up to medical
standards of masculinity. If an infant is born with no phallus, (usually
seen as female) and with testes, often times doctors will advise parents to
remove the testes so that the infant complies with medical definitions of
what it means to be female. This means that beginning in the 1800s, with the
industrial explosion of the medical industry, doctors socially constructed
sex, and these constructions still exist today, although few would even
consider this a possibility.
The medical industry set standards, and few have attempted to challenge
them. An infant that is born in a body that is both sexes is considered a
Œmedical emergency¹. Often doctors perform surgery without the parents¹
knowledge, and if the surgery is not forced, then the doctors strongly urge
parents to follow through with the surgery so their child will be as
Œhealthy¹ as possible. My question is, if we are born a certain way, and
there is no sickness, no physical problems, and the only issues that may
arise are strictly from society itself, why do we need to alter ourselves?
Is their a need to Œfix¹ an infant that does not comply with medical
standards, constructed by doctors, of what it means to be male and what it
means to be female? No, of course not.
Being born intersex is not something anybody needs to fix, and it is
probably more common than you may think. The number of infants born neither
XX or XY is at 1: 1,666 births, Klinefelter¹s (XXY) at 1:1000 births, total
number of people receiving surgery to Œnormalize¹ genital appearance
1-2:1000 births, total number of people whose bodies differ from standard
male or female 1:100 births! (Statistics sited from the Intersex Society of
North America¹s website). Think about the number of people you see in a day.
One in one hundred differ from medical standards¹ definition of sex! Does
it look like there are only two sexes to you? So, in light of this article,
and Intersex Day, (Wednesday, October 26) I invite you to challenge binary
sex categories and celebrate bodies of all kinds.
--Linzey Walker, SPACA, GLBT Programs Office
It's two the morning on a weeknight, and I just dont feel like sleeping! ^_^ Thankfully- in my decision to not sleep, I found I had an email telling me class is canceled tommorow!
^_^
from U of M's GLBTA newsletter:
It is not uncommon these days to understand that gender is constructed,
although there are those that truly believe biology is destiny, and destiny
is the dichotomization of women and men doing separate masculine and
feminine things. Some of us challenge this notion by questioning if there
are only two genders, by suggesting one could be neither and/or both
genders-- that women do not have to partake in traditionally feminine
activities and men do not have to necessarily partake in traditionally
masculine things. When deconstructing identity, the top three issues often
brought up are: race, class and gender. However, how often do we hear the
argument that sex too is constructed? Have any of us really considered the
fact that human beings may not be composed merely of women-born and
male-born bodies?
Consider this: When a Œmale¹ infant is born, the doctor and medical staff
measure its phallus to determine its sex. And what does a Œhealthy¹ phallus
look like? 2.5cm. If the infant does not meet these standards his
masculinity is often at stake, in that he does not measure up to medical
standards of masculinity. If an infant is born with no phallus, (usually
seen as female) and with testes, often times doctors will advise parents to
remove the testes so that the infant complies with medical definitions of
what it means to be female. This means that beginning in the 1800s, with the
industrial explosion of the medical industry, doctors socially constructed
sex, and these constructions still exist today, although few would even
consider this a possibility.
The medical industry set standards, and few have attempted to challenge
them. An infant that is born in a body that is both sexes is considered a
Œmedical emergency¹. Often doctors perform surgery without the parents¹
knowledge, and if the surgery is not forced, then the doctors strongly urge
parents to follow through with the surgery so their child will be as
Œhealthy¹ as possible. My question is, if we are born a certain way, and
there is no sickness, no physical problems, and the only issues that may
arise are strictly from society itself, why do we need to alter ourselves?
Is their a need to Œfix¹ an infant that does not comply with medical
standards, constructed by doctors, of what it means to be male and what it
means to be female? No, of course not.
Being born intersex is not something anybody needs to fix, and it is
probably more common than you may think. The number of infants born neither
XX or XY is at 1: 1,666 births, Klinefelter¹s (XXY) at 1:1000 births, total
number of people receiving surgery to Œnormalize¹ genital appearance
1-2:1000 births, total number of people whose bodies differ from standard
male or female 1:100 births! (Statistics sited from the Intersex Society of
North America¹s website). Think about the number of people you see in a day.
One in one hundred differ from medical standards¹ definition of sex! Does
it look like there are only two sexes to you? So, in light of this article,
and Intersex Day, (Wednesday, October 26) I invite you to challenge binary
sex categories and celebrate bodies of all kinds.
--Linzey Walker, SPACA, GLBT Programs Office
It's two the morning on a weeknight, and I just dont feel like sleeping! ^_^ Thankfully- in my decision to not sleep, I found I had an email telling me class is canceled tommorow!