Intersexion Documentary Summary

In this section of chapter 3 Georgian Davis talks about the power the medical field had on the topic of the intersex body. Georgina set up an interview at a pediatric medical center with Dr. I who was a well-known expert of the intersex body. After the publication of the “Consensus Statement of Management of Intersex Disorders” intersex language had been replaced with the terminology DSD (Disorders of Sex Development) in the medical profession. As mentioned in chapter 2 she reiterates critiques that the medical field have undergone based on their inability to diagnose honesty to people with intersex traits. She noted that the medical profession can either do harm or good to the intersex community based on its position in the level of gender structure. In the medical profession, there was not always a form of naming abnormalities. It began with the Greeks and continued into the 18th century until they created a classification of the many medical traits. Sociologist Phil Brown argues that for there to be diagnostics there has two be two parts to complete it. One the diagnosis is technique which includes forming the classification by using various tasks and techniques. While the work diagnosis includes clinical evaluations and task. By using this form of diagnosis, we can better understand intersexuality.

In her article "The Five Sexes: Why Male and Female Are Not Enough," Anne Fausto-Sterling describes why male and female gender identities are not sufficient in identifying the sexes of every individual. While “Western culture is [still] deeply committed to the idea that there are only two sexes" (20), Fausto-Sterling challenges this viewpoint by determining that there are more than just two sexes, but “at least five sexes– and perhaps even more” (21). According to Fausto-Sterling, these five (or more) sexes lie on a much wider sexual spectrum, where male and female are not the only biological sexes. It so happens that there is a small number of people who are born intersex: having both male and female sex organs or other sexual characteristics

With the establishment of these gender identity clinics, and the financial backing of philanthropist Reed Erickson, a transsexual man, the health care needs of transsexual people gained increased attention and support. Despite this new attention, the clinics used Benjamin’s model of “true” transsexuals. This differentiation between “true” transsexuals and other gender variants became a serious and highly important diagnostic decision as gender affirming surgeries were irreversible. This resulted in many transsexual individuals to be denied access to hormones and surgery. Specifically, transsexual men encountered difficulties, as transsexuality was primarily seen as a male-to-female only transition. In fact, during the late 1960s the United States leading UCLA Gender Identity Research Clinic debated whether trans men should be considered transsexuals. Many trans men themselves did not label themselves as transsexuals as they only knew about other transsexual women (Meyerowitz, 2002; Beemyn, 2014).

The documentary Middle Sexes: Redefining He and She sheds light on the difficult lives of individuals who identify with the opposite gender. The writer Anthony Thomas uses biology to prove to the audience that intersexual’s didn’t necessarily make that choice for themselves. Thomas says that on in every hundred people is born with unidentifiable genitalia (Thomas). This is referred to as intersex. The beginning of the film focuses on a young boy named Noah who takes interest in the stereotypical “girly or feminine” activities. This movie has lead me to realize that society's perspective on gender and sexuality is heavily influenced by the media. The media strictly portrays what society knows as the norms of human

Traditionally speaking, most people view sex and gender as interchangeable, synonymous, and biological. As more studies and research are done, more professionals are realizing the vital difference between the two terms. Sex, according to sociologist Doctor Zuleyka Zevallos, is the “biological traits that societies use to assign people into the category of either male or female, whether it be through a focus on chromosomes, genitalia, or some other physical ascription”. She goes on to say that the definition of gender is “the cultural meanings attached to men and women’s roles; and how individuals understand their identities including, but not limited to, being a man, woman, transgender, intersex, gender queer, and other gender identities” (Zeyallos, 2014). We see sex as something we are assigned at birth due to the body parts we are born with, and we see gender as the way one identifies with their assigned sex. In the majority of cases, assigned sex and gender identity line up, but less often it does not. In these cases, we see individuals who are transgender, gender queer, gender fluid, and more. More people are coming forward about these different ways they are experiencing gender, so many people assume these ways of experiencing gender are new.

2.)In the case of Rudy Alaniz like many others males, had a very masculine career serving in the army. Post the Gulf war Rudy had discovered he were intersex during an MRI.The doctor had notified Rudy that he had the sexual reproductive orangs of a female. All his life he had been tricked to believed that he was just a male, to come to find out something totally different. This had left Rudy with more question than he had answers to. He then had come to a conclusion he was sexually altered at birth. Rudy had begun to seek information to find out about his medical history, but had failed to do so.Rudy parents refused to speak on the matter, and doctors had kept his medical records hidden from him. Doctors had even stated the fact that Rudy suffered

The patient reported that he had never felt comfortable in his own skin and was exclusively attracted to females (Bradley, S.J., Oliver, G. D., Chernick, A. B,, & Zucker, K. J., 1998). This case study displays that genetic factors have a higher effect on gender identity than modeling or parental rearing. Despite the social and environmental factors rearing her to be a girl he always showed his masculinity. This study is interesting and should also be included in transsexual studies.

ASI (Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome) or also known as Intersex is a situation many people are unware of. As for myself I wasn’t really aware of the whole situation of how the process goes along and everything that comes with it. Reading Davis Consenting Intersex and Pagonis story I read the troubles of every that they were being told since, the day day of their birth. Both their parents were being lied to or for better words not being told the truth. I understand that this situation is very difficult and I would like to believe that as Doctors that you take this situation very seriously and try to make the best choice on how to come of it. Unfortunately, from reading the personal stories that’s is not the issue.

Between the Sexes is a compelling narrative. Through several anecdotes, it illustrates the devastating psychological implications of early surgical intervention on intersexuals. According to the article, the surgery robs individuals of their sexual gratification, their gender identity, and their innocence. It's argument is noble, yet flawed. Authors Christine Gorman and Wendy Cole spin several sad yarns of intersexed people who are upset with handling of their gender assignment. They tell horror stories of people kept in the dark about their intersex, about a child forced to stop acting like a boy and become a girl, a teen who was raised to be a girl, but developed into a male. Gorman and Cole stumble into the fallacy of hasty

Through examining the ways intersex individuals are treated in a medical setting, one can see how science only allows binary bodies to be created. Crawley et al. (2007) discusses intersex individuals and the standard treatment of intersex children, being to alter their ‘abnormal’ genitalia to resemble one of the two genders. This has become the normal treatment as if this is necessary, but the only threat the child is in danger of is not fitting perfectly into the heteronormative standard of correct genitalia. Because surgical intervention proves we alter and change one’s sex, it becomes difficult to claim that sex and gender are solely biological, when clearly one’s gender and sex becomes largely altered the moment they are born into society. Anne Fausto Sterling, outlines her concept of the five sexes, explaining that intersex is a term used to describe any individual that doesn’t fit into the narrow categories of male and female. She explains that the same process that was in play in the Middle Ages is

My first encounter with the term intersex was in the book Annabel. I had happened upon this particular copy when I was stockpiling books from a Borders that was going out of business. Getting around to reading it took awhile, but as soon as I started reading I was hooked staying up most the night to finish. Annabel’s story faded in and out of my memory, and I did not encounter the term again until college.

Although sometimes it is hard to realize it, a lot of the ideas we believe in and the way in which we understand them falls under social ideals. Due to what we as a society have developed to be categorized as the right and normal sex, rather than one that does not perfectly fall into either of the two categories we have set up, it is difficult to understand the science portion of the reasoning as to why such "abnormalities" are actually not so easy to categorize. It has never really come to mind that there was science behind all of those that we labeled as "intersex", rather it has always been society telling us about all those people who apparently were born strange.

I have always been, and will always be an advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, as I belong in it myself. However, after watching Gender Revolution A Journey with Katie Couric, my admiration for the individuals who endure everyday struggles like the ones in the documentary has tripled. One's sex is not a choice, you can be born male, female or the complicated intersex which was discussed a lot in the movie. The surgeries recommended and performed by doctors on intersex children is a violation of their right. Although it was cited that the amount of intersex individuals who receive the treatment, are changed to female, and come out happy with the choice.

A binary model of sex is a seemingly universal truism for many, despite “human and animal biology calling this distinction into question” (Karkazis 2008:31). This example and belief of two distinct sexes is a concept that is quite obvious and natural to most individuals, which is why individuals that fall outside of this binary classification can be quite “incomprehensible to many” (Karkazis 2008:31). An intersexed individual, or a hermaphrodite, is someone who is born with reproductive or sexual anatomy

People are born intersex, but it is not always obvious at birth. Severe cases that involve physical differences or require immediate medical attention are evident at birth. Some people realize during puberty when they do not develop as expected. Others do not realize until adulthood, when they discover that they are infertile. It is also possible for someone to live their entire life without ever realizing that they are intersex.