Intersexual Thoughts

We have genitals. We are not our genitals.

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Hi! I'm an AMAB genderqueer person and lately I've been wondering about the concept of sex identity. I don't identify as male, but I also don't really identify as female. So I've been wondering about the concept of nonbinary sex identities. I think I would be much more comfortable identifying with a nonbinary sex, but before I explore that I wanted to get some input on whether that concept might be offensive to intersex people. Do you have any thoughts on that?

Hey AMAB. Thanks for reaching out and sorry for the delayed response. When we think about gender, it is now easier to visualize a spectrum of different characteristics. What we previously thought was “male” or “female” has now clearly been shown that is a social construction. In my experience, the same would be said for sex. When we are developing in the womb, there is multiple factors that affect our sexuality. Including sexual attraction, how our genitals are constructed, how we express ourselves sexually, etc. Science shows more and more how detrimental it is for children to be categorized in one box or the other. I certainly believe that people like you and me who want to express themselves in non binary sex identities if anything help create a less hostile world for intersex folks. People like you and many of us who identify as gender queer challenge the gender and sex binary every day and help society visualize a more flexible world. So, power to you, we need to encourage people more and more to break out of sex binaries! 

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qH4P5PtC4w

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Acting on the Child’s “Best Interest” or Violating their Fundamental Reproductive Rights?

Recently headlines on reproductive rights have been clogging up my news feed. As a feminist and a vagina wielding person with an active uterus, I take reproductive rights very personal. As I read more about the intersex community and the human rights violation of infant genital “corrective” surgery and hormonal treatments, I learned that the crime of genital cutting transcends more than the traumatic psychological effects in forcing a child to conform to their assigned gender. Why haven’t we shifted the conversation of reproductive rights to intersex individuals? As blatantly obvious as it seems, unfortunately intersex people have been invisible from media and legislation when it comes to reproductive rights.

When children are born with genitalia that do not fit the “typical” definition of male or female, doctors have historically treated them with surgery to “normalize” their genitalia. For many, this intrusive genital “reconstructive” surgery and “”normalizing” treatments continue to torment for a large part of the child’s life. Most of time, genital surgeries are not simple one-time procedures. Complications and painful side-effects are a common part of the long-term treatment.  If the internal sexual organs do not match with the originally assigned gender the surgeries may require a doctor to remove the uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes, etc. In cases where a boy’s testes don’t descend and penis is “too” small, doctors will often decide to perform vaginoplasty and remove the internal testes to prevent the release of any male hormones in the future.

With an exception of very few medically necessary surgeries, genital “corrective” or “normalizing” surgery has tremendous effect on the future of the child including future chronic pain and scar tissue, decreased or destroyed sexual pleasure, psychological shame of feeling there is something wrong with their bodies, potential struggles with gender identity and sterilization.

"But hey, it is more important for parents to avoid the shameful conversation that their child is not 'male' or 'female' and plus it will avoid the family member’s reaction when they see their child’s 'deformity'."

Parents and doctor’s decision to perform genital “corrective surgery” has little consideration of how all the side effects may impinge upon the child’s constitutionally protected rights including their right to reproduce. If estimates say that at least 1 child out of 1,5000 - 2,000 is born intersex, this means that in the year of 2013, more than 2,600 intersex children were sterilized for the purpose of assigning them a gender.

  In the past years, The World Health Organization, UN Women, UN AIDS, UNICEF, and other international organizations, have condemned the “forced, coercive and otherwise involuntary sterilization” of intersex and trans people in order to obtain a birth certificate. They claim that, “Sterilization without full, free and informed consent has been variously described by international, regional and national human rights bodies as an involuntary, coercive and/or forced practice, and as a violation of fundamental human rights, including the right to health, the right to information, the right to privacy, the right to decide on the number and spacing of children, the right to found a family and the right to be free from discrimination.” To read more click HERE.

 Unfortunately no laws or policies have been passed protecting intersex children. Unfortunately we live in a society that is obsessed with gender boxes and classifications. Yet it is through efforts such as M.C’s parents who sued and saw victory in South Carolina for performing sex reassignment surgery  on their adopted child, international attention, and individuals speaking up that we push for reproductive justice for the intersex population. 

#intersex #reproductivejustice #genitalautonomy #trans #LGBTQI 

[intersex-convos-blog]

I just had the pleasure to meet James. Comment if you have any thoughts or ?

A few days ago, I was fortunate to be contacted by James Gold through my twitter account. He is such a remarkable father and advocate for intersex genital autonomy who showed me that the stories of intersex people are not the same.  I was filled with questions and he was patient and kind to answer all of them!

1. Hi James! Can you tell me about yourself?

I am 49 years of age, I live in England. I live as a male. The proud parent of 3 grown up children. I was born in 1965. I was raised as any normal male. Everything seemed "normal", at age 9 I was diagnosed as "Intersex", having had severe pains. The medical profession soon realized I had elements of female sexual internal reproductive organs; a uterus and 1 intact and functional ovary. "They" suggested I should be assigned to become and live as female. Although this was an answer to my pains, it was vast shock to me and family. However, we were not fully aware of what was really happening, so we followed the conventional wisdom of the day, which meant I would live as female, "if the experts say that is what is best.... etc."

I had vaginaplasty surgery, and lived as female, (Kate) for age 9. I was given a new ID, and a new birth certificate.  Yes, it was simple to cover up mistakes back then. The plan was that I would have further surgery at age 16, yes castration. As I had male "bits" as well, 1 testes, scrotum, and penis, although underdeveloped. My chromosomes are mapped as XXY, and I have P(AIS), which is normally not associated with XXY chromosomes. I am "unique"

I lived as female until age 15, when I was awaiting final operation. I became scared, and backed out, stating I wanted to live as male again. But at that age, I knew I was primarily fear of more operations. I was told I  would be "normal heterosexual female, and a “good wife" (it was the 70's).

So at age 15, I went back to my life as James. I was fortunate to be fertile as a male, again against the odds. So I married and became a father of 3 kids.

 2 How do you think being intersex play a role in your life?

My life has been totally different at every stage as intersex, than it would have been if I had been a "normal" male. Teen years, as female was NOT easy, adapting as female, and then having to adjust back as male. Dating as male, with NO body hair, Female skeleton, female fat distribution, and various female traits and "issues" I never feel normal (biological ) male, and will never be normal (biological) female, I am intersex, living as male. And now as a father of 3 , age 49, there is still stigma, and shame… I don't tell many, and hide under baggy clothes, and hide my body.

 3. How did surgery have an impact in your life?

Vast change. Yes, surgery was needed, as I was internally menstruating, and the menstrual blood was being absorbed internally. So I know that was live saving. However the options were not given to me, it was as if the ONLY option was castration, and mutilation. I was 4 weeks away; castration would have been a VAST impact of my whole life, confidence, self-awareness, and sex life.

4.  How do you break the news to your ex partners hat you are intersex

 Not easy ! .. always explain FULLY before possibility of thing getting serious.. most are fine, sadly a few cannot deal with, but best to be open and honest.

5.  What changes in society would you like to see in regards to the intersex community?

I would like to see it illegal for surgeons to operate more than is required to save life, all other choices MUST be made with consent of patient when fully aware

6. What would you do if you had an intersex child?

I would allow any urgent lifesaving surgery, BUT would not allow any other surgery, until the child was of an age to make their own choice.

7.  What is your favorite thing about being a dad?

Having my own garden (my family) to nurture and protect, that is what we are here for.

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Hi Taja,  Thanks for your comment! To respond to your question in a short version, my niecefews' parents don't disclose the genitalia to the public. They think that their children's genitalia is a private part of their children and it is their choice to disclose it. Of course for the birth certificate they had to mark, F or M but only the midwife and the doctors have this knowledge. My sister and brother in law had extensive conversations with their children's pediatrician explaining him their decision and he is pretty much on board with them.

One of the hardest things was getting used to using gender inclusive pronouns such as ne, nir, and nirself instead of he/she his/her and him/herself. There are a few people that have helped changed the children's dippers but like the doctors, they've had alot of conversation with their parents and support their decision. 

I think you bring a great point. We do live in a society that is structured on a gender binary. I think their most important goal is to protect their children's first years of life when their brain is developing at exponential rates and they are more vulnerable to social stereotypes. So, for the first years of life, my niecefews will grow up treated as fully human. The activities they engage in and the toys they play fits their personality and interests, not their genitalia. And as the children grow, the adults in their lives have extensive conversations with them explaining them why we chose to not disclose their genitalia to the public. So far, the oldest child is 3 years and is already finishing pre-K, goes to swimming and basketball classes, and is extremely intelligent and sociable. 

This is only a glimpse of how we provide a gender inclusive environment for my niecefews. I think the most important point is, that we celebrate "boy" and "girl" behaviors and interests equally giving them the opportunity to explore who they are without feeling that they have to meet their socially constructed expectations. 

Let me know if I can clarify anything or if you have any more questions!

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Mike,  Thanks so much for your honest response. To be honest, we all have social norms of gender so ingrained in our minds. My family has agreed to raise the next generation as gender inclusive and it is still extremely hard to suppress the gender stereotypes that we have been socialized with. I really appreciate that you are open to the idea of not fitting people into categories. Thanks for joining the conversation!

[intersexaus]

Please include intersex in your human rights efforts too!

A poster we published in September 2009 - download a copy to print.

Download and print the PDF from here.

On our website

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No, I won't stop talking about the intersex community

I am not intersex and I have never experienced what its like to be intersex. I was raised as a "girl" and I was socialized to act like one. I will never try to "speak for the intersex" because I truly believe that their voices are already being heard. In this blog, I hope to continue this conversation because I want my children  to grow up in a society that is not obsessed with their genitals and are not stigmatized if their genitals do not look like the "typical sex organs"

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OII-USA

How to Be a Good Intersex Ally

How can I raise awareness about intersex, even if I’m not intersex?

1) Start conversations about intersex, based on the Intersex Basics in these guidelines.

Remember that most Intersex individuals prioritize discussing how to combat human rights abuses rather than being used as examples to explore concepts in sex and gender theory.

2) Be Intersex-inclusive = LGBTQI, or LGBTQIA

Use the LGBTQI or LGBTQIA acronyms, which include the “I” for intersex, whenever possible in your speech, writing, and/or at your university or organization.

3) Make intersex more visible on social networking sites.

“Like” an intersex organization on Facebook, such as OII-USA

Share an article, blog post, book, documentary, movie, YouTube clip, or presentation about intersex with others

Spread information using other resources, such as tumblr, blogs, etc.

4) Learn about intersex from intersex people; you can nd information and current updates at oii-usa.org.

Intersex people are the ones best qualified to relay our experiences and needs.

Contact an intersex educator about speaking at your organization, university, or workplace. (OII-USA has available speakers, contact us through our website.)

If unable to meet intersex people, you can view documentaries, interviews, etc. which feature intersex people telling their own story. OII-USA’s website has many videos available free of charge which can be used for this purpose.

5) When speaking to intersex individuals:

Remember that being intersex may or may not be a part of their identity

Do not assume that it is their duty to discuss intersex at any time, or that they will be comfortable discussing all aspects: ask if it’s okay first

Phrase questions to understand intersex broadly, not in ways that are too personal and thus invasive.

E.g., You meet someone who has never heard of underwear before. “What kinds of underwear do people wear?” helps them broadly understand what underwear is.

“What color underwear are you wearing right now?” does not help them broadly understand underwear, and may make the askee uncomfortable.

Ensure questions do not serve to fetishize, stigmatize, or freakify intersex individuals

If intersex individuals are not comfortable discussing certain topics:

They may wish to have this conversation another time

They may wish to have this conversation, but not publicly

They may wish to have a conversation about intersex broadly, not personally

They may wish to have this conversation, but aren’t knowledgeable about all intersex issues and might point you toward good resources

They may not wish to have this conversation, it may be too personal or triggering

6) Do not make the assumption that intersex is a medical condition.

Some intersex individuals don’t use the words “condition,” “syndrome,” etc. when discussing their form of intersex.

E.g., Claudia’s form of intersex is CAIS. Medical sources indicate that this stands for Complete Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome, but to Claudia, it simply stands for Complete Androgen Insensitivity. Claudia feels her body is healthy, and doesn’t relate to the word “syndrome” in association with her body.

Many intersex individuals use the term “intersex variations,” which doesn’t inherently medicalize intersex bodies.

Please email us if you have further questions at: [email protected], and thanks for being an ally!

[intersex-convos-blog]

Why isn't the world Horrified!?

I spent my entire night yesterday reading about intersex “normalizing” or “corrective” surgeries and I have to say, I had tears in my eyes. My first reaction was to call my sister, mostly because she is my hero, but also because she amplifies my anger and gives me strength to keep bringing this horrifying crime to light.

How it all began…

Intersex people have existed for as long as any other sex.. It is not a “condition,” “mutation of genes” or an abnormality. The exact number of intersex individuals is almost impossible to know mostly because it is also impossible to define it.  If we truly study the sexual development of humans, we can really understand that is not a matter of a vagina and a penis. We know that those who are categorized as intersex can have multiple variations of external genitalia or internal sexual organs that may leave a doctor confused whether to write MALE or FEMALE. As a result, doctors have established arbitrary and artificial rules to help them categorize those children who happen to have an enlarged clitoris, or a hypospadic penis (when urethra hole is closer to the body). The degrees of hormonal and physical difference are very difficult to measure, some estimate that 1 in 100 children are born with some type of “sex anatomy variation.” To be fair, the estimate of intersex individuals pertains to how many times doctors were confused on what to gender they should assign to the new born.

Historically in the United States, doctors assigned a gender to the child and the family agreed on socializing the child as such. “Corrective” surgeries began in the 19th century for adult intersex individuals who wanted to align their genitalia to the gender they were assigned. It wasn’t until 1950, that John Hopkins University began to perform surgeries to infants claiming that the earlier the treatment was done, the better. But of course, there was no evidence and no one questioned the ethics behind this. These operations became more popular as John Hopkins University began to define nature by deciding what is considered a “deviation from normal sexual development” and advising parents to “fix” their “defective” newborns.  

Until today “Fixing” intersex children entails

Early and conclusive assignment of gender in the child

Early (and irreversible) completion of “normalizing” genital surgery

Secrecy about and denial of the child’s condition.

Many feminists, queers, and intersex and other advocates have come to light:

This coercive, invasive, and non-consensual treatments and operations have created a extremely hostile and for those who do not fit into this gender binary. Gender reconstruction surgery is rarely medically necessary. But doctors have been performing this surgeries with little opposition. Intersex organizations and human rights advocates have been shedding light to the trauma and psychological effects of these surgeries. It is unfair, that doctors have the decision to destroy an infant’s genitals for the sake of continuing what we consider as “normal”.  It is a violation of children’s 14th amendment right to privacy and their right to bodily autonomy. This means that under the Constitution, individuals have the rights to choose to forgo medical treatment. Of course, children cannot forgo medical treatment without their parents consent since children (especially infants) cannot comprehend the long term effects and the consequences and parents are entrusted to “act in the child’s best interest”.

There are certain exceptions to this rule, as we know that not all parents act on the child’s best interest. Genital “corrective” surgeries are without exception a violation of the infant’s right to privacy. Doctors have not yet been able to show any research or study of intersex children successfully undergoing the “corrective” surgeries or treatments. Unquestionably, we know through multiple intersex people that this treatments are coercive, unjust, and has long term devastating psychological and physical effects.  

THERE IS HOPE!!

The D.C council passed a bill titled JaParker Deoni Jones Birth Certificate Equality Amendment Act of 2013 removed the surgical requirement to be considered “male” or “female”. While this mostly applies to adult transgender people and intersex people, it is a huge step allowing people to not have to undergo surgery and expensive treatments to be treated in a certain gender. Read more HERE

In South Carolina, U.S. District Judge David C. Norton declared sex-reassignment surgery on M.C. unconstitutional. Read moreHERE

Sex Discrimination Amendment (Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Intersex Status) Bill 2013 was amended and PASSED!! It provides new protections against discrimination on the basis of a person’s sexual orientation, gender identity and intersex stats. Follow the Bill HERE

While there is still so much more to do, we have a long way. For the first time, intersex politics is being discussed in the U.S. Change is possible. Also, please follow me on Twitter! @Sp2Nabi

“We have always existed, we have been revered as gods and we have been burned alive as demons.  The one thing we have never been is to be treated as the human beings that we are, human beings with  the same God-given rights as anybody else. “ – anonymous 

#intersex #gentialcutting #genitalautonomy #LGBTQI #LGBT #LGBTQ

[porygonn-is-pory--gone-hehe]

[intersex-convos-blog]

Coming out of my binary gender framework?

Hello! My name is Nabi De Angulo, I am an MSW student passionate about social problems that arise from our dichotomist view of gender. I am an aunt of three adorable, perfect, and unique babies who are being raised as gender inclusive with the intention of giving them the freedom to choose to express themselves in whichever gender or sexual identity they desire. My niecefews are raised with gender inclusive pronouns and we try very hard to protect them from sexual stereotypes that are so engrained in our culture.

With this in mind, I believe surgical correction of intersex babies is a fundamental human rights violation. I am completely outraged that it an excusable—and legal—medical procedure. The intersex community and the heinous crime of infant genital cutting is completely new topic for me and I am trying my best educate myself and be sensitive… So bear with me. If anything, I hope that through this blog, I can bring awareness about the intersex population that has been regarded as a “mistake” and has been kept in silence. I hope this blog can continue the conversation that has been sparked by those strong and courageous intersex individuals who decided to speak up and be heard in our society.

An estimate of intersex children is difficult to determine, but could be as high as one out of every 150 births or as low as one in 2,000 births. “Intersex” is a general term to describe a variety of conditions in which a person’s reproductive or sexual anatomy does not fit the socially defined “female” or “male” physiological anatomy. In other words, they could have an enlarged clitoris that looks like a small penis at the same time they could have a vagina. Or, they could have a vagina and appear “female” but have internal testes. Most of these babies undergo a cosmetic surgical procedure to “correct” the physiological appearance so that they can be checked off as “male” or “female.” Later in life, they go through a series of “gender therapy” sessions with doses of estrogen or testosterone (depending on which sex the parents chose). And of course, as you can imagine all of these is done without the consent of the intersex baby. Thus the decision to put their new born under a traumatic experience of genital mutilation is entirely up to their parents, who genuinely believe they are doing so in the “child’s best interest.”

                I can’t imagine how difficult this decision must be for the parents who were anxiously waiting to receive their new baby. In a society where people are categorized as “male” or “female”, everything that strives from this dichotomist view is seen as a mistake or abnormal.  What if we could live in a society where parents did not feel pressured to choose a gender? What if doctors, parents, and our community could see the child’s ambiguous genitalia as a unique characteristic that make this child special in the same way their hair, eyes, and tiny fingers are? What if we could provide a world where this child can grow up wearing tutus and dragging toy cars without being confined to one gender and allowed children to be children and gravitate to those things and activities because of the interests and potentials rather than their assigned “gender?”

Well, this movement  is starting in Australia, Germany, Nepal and New Zeland. Parents can chose a “third gender” or a gender neutral on their babies birth certificate don’t have to go through the psychological turmoil of being assigned a gender they don’t identify with. I certainly believe that with enough voices we can create an environment for intersex babies as fully human without a need of being “fixed”. I truly believe that by learning from other cultures and pushing for the right policies we can create a society where intersex babies and all babies are given the chance to grow and express themselves to their full potential.

                For now, I leave you with a few of my thought and I urge you to join me in this movement and become an advocate for the intersex community and start questioning why we are so fixed with gender “boxes”. Follow me on Twitter for up to date news and policies (and perhaps some of my rants) regarding the intersex population. I love to hear what you think so leave a comment and visit again!

[intersex-convos-blog]

Coming out of my binary gender framework

I am an MSW student passionate about social problems that arise from our dichotomist view of gender. I am an aunt of three adorable, perfect, and unique babies who are being raised as gender inclusive with the intention of giving them the freedom to choose to express themselves in whichever gender or sexual identity they desire. My niecefews are raised with gender inclusive pronouns and we try very hard to protect them from sexual stereotypes that are so engrained in our culture.

With this in mind, I believe surgical correction of intersex babies is a fundamental human rights violation. I am completely outraged that it an excusable—and legal—medical procedure. The intersex community and the heinous crime of infant genital cutting is completely new topic for me and I am trying my best educate myself and be sensitive… So bear with me. If anything, I hope that through this blog, I can bring awareness about the intersex population that has been regarded as a “mistake” and has been kept in silence. I hope this blog can continue the conversation that has been sparked by those strong and courageous intersex individuals who decided to speak up and be heard in our society.

An estimate of intersex children is difficult to determine, but could be as high as one out of every 150 births or as low as one in 2,000 births. “Intersex” is a general term to describe a variety of conditions in which a person’s reproductive or sexual anatomy does not fit the socially defined “female” or “male” physiological anatomy. In other words, they could have an enlarged clitoris that looks like a small penis at the same time they could have a vagina. Or, they could have a vagina and appear “female” but have internal testes. Most of these babies undergo a cosmetic surgical procedure to “correct” the physiological appearance so that they can be checked off as “male” or “female.” Later in life, they go through a series of “gender therapy” sessions with doses of estrogen or testosterone (depending on which sex the parents chose). And of course, as you can imagine all of these is done without the consent of the intersex baby. Thus the decision to put their new born under a traumatic experience of genital mutilation is entirely up to their parents, who genuinely believe they are doing so in the “child’s best interest.”

                I can’t imagine how difficult this decision must be for the parents who were anxiously waiting to receive their new baby. In a society where people are categorized as “male” or “female”, everything that strives from this dichotomist view is seen as a mistake or abnormal.  What if we could live in a society where parents did not feel pressured to choose a gender? What if doctors, parents, and our community could see the child’s ambiguous genitalia as a unique characteristic that make this child special in the same way their hair, eyes, and tiny fingers are? What if we could provide a world where this child can grow up wearing tutus and dragging toy cars without being confined to one gender and allowed children to be children and gravitate to those things and activities because of the interests and potentials rather than their assigned “gender?”

Well, this movement  is starting in Australia, Germany, Nepal and New Zeland. Parents can chose a “third gender” or a gender neutral on their babies birth certificate don’t have to go through the psychological turmoil of being assigned a gender they don’t identify with. I certainly believe that with enough voices we can create an environment for intersex babies as fully human without a need of being “fixed”. I truly believe that by learning from other cultures and pushing for the right policies we can create a society where intersex babies and all babies are given the chance to grow and express themselves to their full potential.

                For now, I leave you with a few of my thought and I urge you to join me in this movement and become an advocate for the intersex community and start questioning why we are so fixed with gender "boxes". Follow me on Twitter for up to date news and policies (and perhaps some of my rants) regarding the intersex population. I love to hear what you think so leave a comment and visit again!