Five Myths that Hurt Intersex People

Intersex people are often shunned, shamed and made to feel invisible in a society that only thinks of sex as being solely male or female. The Intersex Roadshow compiled a list of common myths.

Myth 1: Intersex people all have intermediate genitalia

Myth 2: Intersex conditions are always diagnosed in infancy

Myth 3: All infant sex-assignment surgery is aimed at creating “female” genitalia

Myth 4: Intersex people should be genderqueer

Myth 5: “Real” intersex people are not genderqueer

Check out the link above for stories and accurate information countering these myths.

Open Forum: Intersex Experiences

People who are intersex, having been born with male and female sexual characteristics and/or organs face many challenges in their lives. From birth many are operated on in an effort to make their ambiguous genitalia fit the binary system of male or female. Some intersex people struggle with transitioning gender, while others find acceptance difficult in a society that doesn't understand or accept people who are born in between the sexes.

Intersex perspectives range from those who consider themselves having been born into a third sex, to others who consider it a medical condition that needs treatment. Some see an intersection between intersexuality and the queer/transgender movement while others feel their identity has nothing to do with the LGBT movement and resent being lumped in to this struggle.

What are your experiences as an intersex person, or someone who knows or loves someone who is intersex? What goes through your mind when choosing a dressing room, bathroom, or any other facility that is segregated by gender? Do you identify with one gender or embrace a dual-gender as part of your intersex identity?

Blog Spotlight: Full Frontal Activism - Intersexed and Awesome

Full Frontal Activism: Intersexed and Awesome is a blog written by a 25 year old intersex activist who seeks to create awareness about the intersex community, people and issues.

Word of the Gay: "Optimal Gender Policy"

The "optimal gender policy" was advocated by psychologist John Money to raise intersex children as male or female. The premise of the policy was that nurture could override nature. It has largely been discredited and found to be physically and psychologically harmful.

Word of the Gay: "IGM"

"IGM" is an acronym that stands for infant or intersex genital mutilation. This often unnecessary and invasive medical procedure is done on many intersex babies in order to assign them one sex.

Open Forum: (LGBTI) The Intersexual Intersection?

In recent years there has been a growing movement to add intersexuality to the growing LGBT acronymn with some approving and disapproving of such a measure. Intersex refers to a series of medical conditions in which a persons genetic sex (chromosomes) and phenotypic sex (genital appearance) do not match, or are somehow different from the "standard" male or female. Most intersex babies are genitally mutilated and either never find out or discover that doctors changed their birth sex later in life. Some of these individuals identify as male or female, and some elect to transition to the gender they feel more comfortable with while others identify their gender as being intersex and are fully comfortable being in between or neither male nor female.

The contention over whether intersex should be lumped into the broader LGBT spectrum is causing controversy in both camps. There are those who argue that intersex is a medical and biological issue separate from the issues faced by other queer people. There also are those who argue that gay and transgender identity is not simply psychologically based, but also has roots in our biological makeup. Common to all of these identities is that we are neither hetero nor cisnormative and we all have to come to terms with ourselves, whether it be coming out to others or to ourselves about who we really are. We all also face discrimination on the basis that we do not fit the standard mold of gender, sex, and sexuality.

Does the nature versus nurture debate even matter when it comes to who is included in the sexual and gender diversity spectrum? Do you feel there are similarities between some aspects of the intersex and other LGBT communities or are they so far apart that they must be considered separate social and political issues?

Intersex Solidarity Day - 11/08/09

November 8th is Intersex Solidarity Day. In honor of the day please make the commitment to educate yourself about intersexuality and to promote intersex activism to others.

I'd also like to encourage this post to be about what it means to stand in solidarity with the intersex community, whether you are intersex or not, what we can do to be advocates and allies?

Other topics for possible discussion as suggested by the official Intersex Solidarity Day are The life of Herculine Barbin, intersex "normalization" treatments without consent, the violence of the binary sex and gender system, the sexism implicit within the binary construct of sex and gender.

Please sign the Solidarity with the Intersex Community Petition

Gulf War Vet Discusses Being Intersex

National Geographic has put out a documentary featuring Gulf War veteran Rudy Alaniz, who discovered through an MRI that he possessed ovaries and a womb. The short clip below shows the ordeal and results that come from lies and shame perpetrated by the medical establishment.

Open Forum: The Fallout from Caster Semenya

South African track & field star Caster Semenya who won the 800m gold medal in Berlin last month has been the subject of much controversy with people questioning her sex and gender due to her gender expression and speed results. After being forced to undergo a series of tests to determine her actual sex, it has been revealed that she is intersex and has internal testes which are responsible for the output of testosterone.

It is tragic that Semenya was forced into the public spotlight in terms of scrutiny over her identity and had to undergo sex assessment. What is the fallout from this, now that we know that she is intersex, does this help the movement by creating awareness or just further create a sense of hostility towards this minority? The media has already used offensive and biologically impossible terms such as "hermaphrodite" instead of the appropriate term intersex to describe Semenya. How does this news coverage boad for the intersex and gender variant communities?

Photo courtesy of Erik van Leeuwen on Wikimedia Commons.

Word of the Gay: "Hermaphroditism"

"Hermaphroditism" is the fusion of male and female genitalia on an individual. It is biologically impossible for someone to have complete male and female genitalia, rendering the word unfounded and offensive.

Word of the Gay: "Intersex Surgery"

"Intersex Surgery" is a medical procedure to correct so called birth defects of people with ambiguous genitalia by the medical establishment.

Larry King: "What is Intersex?"

CNN's Larry King interviewed standup comic Kathy Griffin and they discussed a variety of topics including those significant to the LGBTQI community. King asked Griffin what that stands for, and Griffin laid out the acronymn for him.

Followed by King's comment asking "what is an intersex?" Kathy Griffin is a comedian, but Larry King is an award winning radio host. How does he not know what intersex is?

Speed up to 8:30 in the video to see the segment in question.



Contact Larry King and let him know that he has an obligation to clarify on air what intersexuality is about for his audience.

Surveys for FTM Population & Their Partners

Jamison Green the former President of FTMInternational is interested in the sexual health and satisfaction of all transmen, whether or not they have had hormones or surgery, and in the experiences of their partners. He will use the data as raw material for a book, tentatively entitled "The FTM Guide to SEX," plus academic presentations and journal articles to educate medical and therapeutic service providers about trans lives.

The surveys are designed for FTM or trans men and their partners. Partners do not have to be in a current relationship, and if a FTM person or trans man has been partnered to another FTM person or trans man they may of course take both surveys. In order to take the surveys you must be 18 or older. For these surveys the proctors are using the following definition for FTM or trans man: “a person who was born with a female body--and assigned female or intersex at birth--and who plans to initiate, has initiated, or has completed medical treatment to masculinize his body”, some examples of identities may include FTM, trans man, genderqueer, or intersex man.

Here is the survey for partners of FTM folks and trans men. It takes between 20-40 minutes based upon your life experience. Partners

And here is the survey for FTM folks and trans men. Again, takes between 20-40 minutes based upon your own life experiences: FTM folks

Crossposted via Coffee and Gender.

A Call for Intersex Writers to Share Experiences

The Board of Organization Intersex International (oii) is planning a book, to be written by intersex people about their own lives. Proposals are sought from individuals who are born with a variety of IS conditions.

Chapters can be about:
1. Your stories, your words, your voices, your lives.
2. How you feel current gender theory affects the intersex condition you were born with.

Writers may need to do some research, especially for the second chapter. Although this is not a formal academic exercise, where writers do refer to books, theories or incorporate quotations, but they will need to provide some form of reference so that when the book is edited these can be assimilated using a formal referencing system.

Those who want to contribute should put their proposals (say, a couple of hundred words) into an e-mail and send it to joanne.proctor@gmail.com

Submissions will be evaluated by a small panel who will select which proposals to include for publication. Chapters may be co-authored. Anyone who wants to protect their anonymity can do that by clearly saying so. There is no reason for people to feel they cannot contribute for fear of being outed or identified!

This exercise is not restricted to OII members. All intersexed people are invited to submit a proposal. People of all cultures and all languages are welcome.

For more complete writer’s guidelines or more information click here.

H/T to Queer Stuff People Need to Know.

Word of the Gay: "Other Sex"

"Other Sex" is a term used to refer to anyone who does not neatly fit into the sexes of male or female, ie: intersex individuals.

Web Spotlight: ITPeople

ITPeople exists to provide information and resources for intersexed and transgender people. The name of the website is called "IT" because often gender-variant people are referred to in that fashion. This website boldly reclaims the noun for their own and IT can now stand for intersex and transgender.

Word of the Gay: "True Gonadal Intersex"

Someone who is "true gonadal intersex" has both ovarian and testicular tissue.

Intersex Bashing on Fox Network

House is a popular medical drama that can be seen on the Fox Network. The program recently featured a storyline about an intersex child. The terms "shemale" and "freak of nature" were used to make reference to the child. The House character is usually seen as offensive and other characters are disapproving, and while the shows effort to discuss intersex issues is important, this sort of language is unacceptable as it perpetrates misunderstanding and violence against intersex and gender variant people.

Demand that Fox stop bashing sexual and gender minorities, and to provide more positive and accurate depictions of intersex people.
askfox@foxinc.com

Word of the Gay: "Intersex State'

"Intersex State" is a term used when there is a faulty sex differentiation in the fetus.

Blog Spotlight: Intersex Pride

Intersex Pride is a blog with a wealth of information for the intersex community, allies, and those looking to learn more. It offers a queer perspective on issues such as gender, sexuality, and political viewpoints.