I is for Identity Politics

Hello all.  For my first post of 2015, I am going back to blogging through ye old alphabet.  Today I is for identity politics.  Identity politics are how identifying with a specific category of people might shape your political views.  Identity politics are often associated with minorities and left wing politics (ex: feminism, race and civil rights, the disability movement, gay rights, class struggles, etc.).  Identity politics works by minority influence.  This is when a minority gets the majority to see things to see things their way.  

The term identity politics was created in the 1970’s for consciousness raising.  It is a way to show people how their personal hardships are created due to their being part of a discriminated group.  It has been very controversial.  Many people, like historian Arthur Schlesinger Jr. say the only way to help minorities is to move them toward full acceptance and integrate them into the mainstream.  They say identity politics causes social fractures and make minorities stand out more.  Others say mainstream culture is too intolerant for total integration, and multicultural pluralism is a more realistic target.  There is also debate, especially within LGBT activism is to what degree their identity is an essential aspect of those people, or a culturally created category they chose on some level.  I am not going to dignify those who call homosexuality a choice with with a response, but I do agree that the cause of an identity is relevant in identity politics.

The intersex movement is a great example of identity politics.  Removed from all sociopolitical context we are talking about several different medical conditions.  Ironically it was our treatment by the medical community that was what gave us common grounds to form an identity.  This realization of our shared experience was the consciousness raising event that allowed us to find our voice and started the movement.  We have been using these experiences to gain mainstream support for over two decades now.  It is likely that if intersex people were hidden, but not operated on, there would be no intersex movement.  We would be entirely unknown to the mainstream and would all think we were the only one like us, and that would be tragic.  

Holiday Special: Is Frozen Gay Propaganda?

Hello readers, this post is my holiday special.  Pour yourself an eggnog, cozy up by the fire, and listen as I regale you with a tale that is wintery, queer, and kind of funny.  The story of the latest propaganda for the gay agenda, a little movie called Frozen.

Anyone with young children has almost certainly seen Frozen, probably more times than they can count.  Kevin Swanson, a pastor of the Reformation Church and host of a religious radio show in Colorado, called Frozen “very evil” and Disney is “one of the most pro-homosexual organizations in the country.”  Swanson’s rant was inspired by a National Catholic Register blog post written by film critic Steven Greydanus titled “So, How Gay is Frozen.”  This post says Elsa’s lack of a male suitor implies lesbianism and the song Let it Go where Elsa learns to accept herself and her powers is a coming out metaphor.  He also says Anna wanting an immediate wedding to Prince Hans, who she just met, implies that straight people are harming marriage.  The post continues to claim that Kristoff’s relationship with his reindeer Sven is borderline bestiality.  This accusation of Frozen as being propaganda seems to have started with the blog A Well Behaved Mormon Women, written by Kathryn Skaggs who wrote extensively about it.  When asked about these gay accusations, director Jennifer Lee only said “I feel like once we hand the film over, it belongs to the world, so I don't like to say anything, and let the fans talk. I think it's up to them." 

Many movies, books and TV shows aver the years have been accused of spreading a gay agenda, Frozen is just the latest.  Here is my take on this ridiculous “nontorversy.”  Self-acceptance is something every healthy well-adjusted person must attain.  The search for self-acceptance by a misfit is the theme of more books, movies, and TV shows than I could ever name; most of which are not accused of being gay propaganda.  Being single does not mean one is a closeted homosexual.  Thus, Elsa is not necessarily a lesbian, just single and well-adjusted.  I feel that drunken Las Vegas weddings, AshleyMadison.com, and super short celebrity marriages (I’m looking at you Kim Kardashian) all cheapen marriage and are produced by and for straight people.  That being said, the vast majority of straight people take their vows far more seriously than this, and gay people could do similar, tacky things.  Therefore, I think Anna wanting an immediate marriage to a stranger should be seen as youthful overenthusiasm, not an indictment against heterosexual relationships, most of which are serious, loving and committed.  As for Kristoff and his reindeer, I can’t comment about that.  

Whatever holiday you celebrate, I hope you all have a great one.  Be merry and remember not to listen to crazy people on the internet (sometime that includes me).  Frozen is a great movie, it reminds me of Pixar, pre-Cars.  If your kids get squirrely during the festivities, I totally recommend putting it on for them.

Merry Christmas To All And To All A Good Night    

rights of high school transgender athletes in Minnesota

Today I am writing about an issue that is happening in my home state of Minnesota (I will continue blogging my way through the alphabet later).  On October 1, the Minnesota State High School League postponed voting on whether transgender high school athletes should be able to train and compete on the team who’s gender they identify as until December.  This prompted two fear mongering ads saying “males” would be showering with “girls” and the girls (who obviously can’t keep up with these “males”) would lose out on sports scholarships.

I have written about the issue of intersex people at the Olympics several times on this blog.  The issue that everything boils down to is perceived physical advantages males (or intersex people) have over women in sports.  First of all this is very sexist, the marathon finishing time for men and women in closing every year (women’s fat distribution makes them better equipped for distance running, and allegedly men hold back to protect their genitals from getting bounced around too much).  If we take gender out of the picture we realize all sports have physical features that make them easier.  For example, being taller is an advantage in basketball, and being lighter is an advantage in ski jumping.  Being intersex is not really an advantage, AIS women have less testosterone then ciswomen.  These advantages or disadvantages are in both men and women’s sports, why can’t transgender and intersex people be seen as another variation with its own advantages and disadvantages?  

As for locker room problems, that is something transgender people have been struggling with for ages.  Perhaps a separate locker room for them would make all parties more comfortable?  I honestly don’t know, but I do know that transgender people have a lot more to fear from a public restroom then cisgender people who might encounter a transgender person there.  In any case, implying a rape threat by saying a “male” is showering with your high school daughter is blatant fear mongering.  As a side note, it usually works the other way.  The few cases of transgender high school athletes have been transmen, not transwomen.

 

I hope the state I call home makes the right decision and stands up for transgender rights.  Everyone should have the right to compete, or at least try out for, the team they are comfortable with.  There are many cases of women competing on the men’s high school sports teams.  If we put aside our transphobia, we will realize this is not a difficult issue to solve.         

Possible Historical Intersex Person: Queen Christina of Sweden

I mentioned earlier that I wanted to write more about historical intersex people.  Today, as a buffer between H and I, I am writing about Queen Christina of Sweden, who was possibly intersex.

She was born in 1626 in Stockholm, the only heir to King Gustav II.  When she was born she was initially announced around the palace to be a male, this was quickly corrected, but certainly fuels the suspicion that she was intersex.  They say she was hairy and had a strong, coarse voice for a newborn.  

As the heir presumptive, she received a “princely education” including masculine activities such as fencing, archery, hunting and horsemanship.  She took to these activities with great enthusiasm.  By all accounts she was quite the tomboy.  She often wore men’s clothing and was said to walk and ride like a man and curse like a sailor.  In her autobiography she wrote that that she had “an insurmountable distaste for all the things that females talked about and did” again fueling the argument she was intersex.

At the age of 16 she became queen of Sweden at in 1632 when her father died in battle.  Her court and advisors strongly pushed her to marry to create a political alliance and produce a clear heir to the throne.  She was very opposed to the idea, claiming to have “an insurmountable distaste for marriage.”  This continued to fuel rumors at the time that she was a hermaphrodite or at least a lesbian.  She named her cousin Charles Gustav her successor, but this did not reduce the pressure. 

The pressure to marry grew to the point where she abdicated in 1654, at age 22, making Charles king.  She converted to Catholicism, a religion she long admired and may have fueled her abdication since Sweden was fiercely Lutheran.  She moved to Rome and joined the court of Pope Alexander VII, who was thrilled to host her, believing Sweden might convert with her.  She lived in Rome until her death in 1689 at age 62.  She is one of the few women buried in the Vatican vaults.

Because of the strong rumors about her being intersex, she was exhumed in 1965 to see if they could find any conclusive evidence.  Anthropologist Carl-Herman Hjortsjö lead the investigation.  He admitted that “Our imperfect knowledge concerning the effect of intersexuality on the skeletal formation makes it impossible to decide which positive skeletal findings should be demanded upon which to base the diagnosis of intersexuality.”  That being said he concluded the skeleton was typically female.  Was she intersex?  She might have been.  Some historians speculate that she had polycystic ovarian syndrome which has many symptoms including hirsutism and possibly even Aspergers, leading to a disregard for social norms.  In any case she was certainly a gender nonconformist and an interesting historical figure

H is for Homosexuality

Today H is for homosexuality.  I have written about the relationship between homosexuality and intersex before, but it is complicated, so a refresher is in order.  If you believe sexual orientation is dependent on biological sex (it’s not) then by definition you would have to believe all intersex people are bisexual (they aren’t).

Society lumps intersex together with the LGBT community all the time.  This is sometimes done by straight cisgender people (the few who know about intersex) who don’t recognize the differences and nuanced varieties of sex and gender.  Other times this lumping is done by LGBT activists who see us as having a common interest in fighting for sex and gender variance.  This automatic lumping, though usually well intended, is somewhat ignorant.  Many intersex people consider themselves to be straight, and live in seemingly heterosexual relationships.  They often do not want to be associated with the LGBT movement or sexual politics.

   

That being said, gays and intersex people have a lot in common.  We both face discrimination based on sexual and gender norms.  Homosexuals, transgender people, intersex people, genderqueer or any gender nonconforming people, would do well to band together.  Even if they do not identify as gay, intersex people are still discriminated against and mutilated.  Their issues and concerns overlap with gay and transgender issues to the point they make natural allies.

Sexual orientation and biological sex are separate issues.  Homosexuality depends, by definition, on biological sex categories.  Gay and straight relationships, by definition, require people to identify as men and women, you can’t have a same sex relationship if there are no socially recognized sexes.  The same is true of intersex.  Intersex wouldn’t exist as a social group that deviates from male and female if those groups didn’t exist.  Our social catagories were just made to define us as separate from the mainstream.  Can an intersex person be gay (or straight)?  That depends on their gender identity and sexual orientation, I think they can, but some might disagree with me, it’s all a matter of identity and definition.      

H is for Herculine Barbin

I have been wanting to cover more historical people who are intersex, so today H is for Herculine Barbin.  Most of what we know about Barbin’s tragic life comes from her memoirs.

Herculine Barbin was born in Saint-Jean-d’Angley France in 1838.  She (pronouns will change throughout this story) was raised female.  Her family was poor but sent her to study at a convent school on a charity scholarship.  She had a crush on a girl there are and was punished for going into her room.  In puberty she never menstruated and remained flat chested.  In 1857 at the age of 17 she graduated and went to Le Chateau to become a teacher.  A year later she got a job as a assistant teacher at a girls school.  She fell in love with one of the teachers there, Sara, and the two had an affair.

 

Barbin was often ill and suffered excrutiating pain.  She had talked about her condition in confession.  She asked the Bishop of La Rochelle, Jean-Francios-Ann Landriot for permission to break the silence of the confessional to see a doctor.  Doctor Chesnet examined her in 1860 was shocked to discover she had a small vagina, small penis and internal testicles.

A judge made a legal decision to declare Barbin officially male, with the name Abel Barbin.  This made the news in some of the French papers.  He (told you the pronouns would change, this is how it is in the memoirs) left Sara and the girls school and moved to Paris and lived there in poverty.  There he wrote these memoirs, reputedly as a part of therapy.  Obviously very depressed the memoirs say he felt punished, disinherited and subject to a “ridiculous inquisition”.

In 1868, at the age of 30, Barbin was found dead.  He had committed suicide by inhaling gas from his coal gas stove.  The memoirs were found beside his bed.

Herculine Barbin is a very important figure in the intersex movement.  The memoirs were rediscoverd by sociologist and gender theorist Michael Foucault who published them is 1980.  The French film The Mystery of Alexina and the play Herculine are based on her life.  She also is a character in the plays A Mouthful of Birds by Caryl Churchill and David Lan and Hidden: a Gender by Kate Bornstein.  The books Middlesex by Jeffery Eugenides and Orlando by Virginia Woolf were inspired by the memoirs.  Her birthday, November 8, is the international Intersex Day of Rememberance.

H is for Hermaphrodite

Our first word is hermaphrodite (no surprise there, right?).  A hermaphrodite is an organism with male and female reproductive organs.  Many animals are hermaphroditic species like earthworms, snails, starfish etc.  Most flowering plants are also hermaphroditic. 

Historically intersex conditions were classified as either true hermaphrodites (with a mix of ovarian and testicular tissue, or an ovary and a testicle) or pseudohermaphrodites (all other intersex conditions).  This has obviously fallen out of favor for the term intersex.  This is a good nomenclature switch since humans are not a hermaphroditic species.  There are no intersex conditions that result in a body that is reproductively functional as a male and female.  As I mentioned in my ambiguous genitalia post, more masculine genitals mean less feminine and vice versa, you don’t get both in humans.

 

I have to admit, I sometimes use the word hermaphrodite to describe myself to others.  I realize this is controversial.  Many intersex people consider the word hermaphrodite offensive, or at least not PC. Others use it as a term of empowerment.  I find it makes a good shorthand for people who have never heard of intersex.  They already have some idea what hermaphrodite means, thus shortening what would be a lengthy explanation.  Am I right to do this?  Am I being offensive or is it ok to shorten explanations in a way people will better understand?  Do you call yourself a hermaphrodite?  I would love to hear your opinions.    

Feminism and Intersex

Today is an election.  As such I have decided to write a political buffer between G and H on feminism.  I forgot to cover it in the F’s.  Feminism and intersex have an odd and complicated relationship.  I will cover as many of the facets of it as I can.

The kind of feminist that must be reviewed is the TERF, that’s trans exclusionary radicle feminist.  TERFs don’t believe in including trans people in feminist organizations, women’s spaces or discussions on sexism.  They actively exclude transwomen from many of their organizations, most famously the Michigan Womyns Music Festival.  They are cis women but call themselves “women born women” and consider “TERF” and “cis” to be slurs.  They believe sex cannot be changed.  Thus transwomen are men who are trying to infiltrate their spaces and transmen are women who suffer from Stockholm Syndrome from the patriarchy.  TERFs also strongly believe in socialization.  Boys are raised to dominate women and girls are raised to accept this and call it femininity.  They transwomen are still trying to dominate women by forcing TERFs to accept their gender identity, use women’s bathrooms etc.  Also if they still have their penis that makes them dangerous since penises are rape weapons.  Most importantly TERFs believe that anyone born and socialized as a male is privledged and has not experienced sexism and cannot fully understand feminism.  Like most transphobic people, TERFS claim intersex is just a medical condition and too small a minority to factor in the debate.  There are transfeminists and gender critical feminists who counter this by saying intersex proves sex is a spectrum.  They also point out that socialization varies considerably.  Most importantly they point out transgender people are discriminated against far more than ciswomen.  They even go so far as to say this discrimination against transwomen comes from a hatred and fear of femininity so in a roundabout way they do experience sexism.   This is controversial.  TERFs claim the term “cis” implies having a female body is a privilege over trans people.  This is obviously not true.  A female body is not an advantage in society.  But recognizing trans and intersex people are also discriminated against does not mean cis women are not.  The only intersex supportive thing the TERFs offer is that they are opposed to surgeries on intersex infants because it is mutilation and you cannot change the babies sex anyways.

I am glad there are those who are speaking out and saying transgender people and intersex peopleare not antifeminist.  In fact there are many great transfeminist writers out there.  For more I would recommend “Whipping Girl” by Julia Serano or this excellent article at the Intersex Roadshow blog found at:  http://intersexroadshow.blogspot.com/2014/09/trans-exclusionary-radical-feminists.html

G is for Gender Roles

Today G is for gender roles.  This is a very broad topic so this is a very brief overview.  Gender roles are the social and behavioral norms that women and men are expected to follow.  Some cultures have three or more gender roles.  Gender roles influence most small day to day behaviors (what clothes to wear, how to talk, etc.) as well as major life decisions (what kind of career, if any, to have, what house chores to do etc.).  These roles are reinforced in nearly every aspect of society and serious deviation from them is severely discriminated against.  Gender roles often devolve into stereotypes, especially in entertainment.  Gender roles are so ingrained that in same sex couples it is still assumed that one has a more masculine role and the other a more feminine role.  A couple without gender roles is something mainstream society just can’t fathom.     

Whether these roles are inherent or socially constructed is a matter of great debate.  It is very difficult to separate biology/psychology and culture in this case because boys and girls are socialized very differently from birth on.  A popular theory is that social norms and expectations are created by biology (women give birth so it makes sense for them to care for the children, for example).  The problem with this is gender norms are changing fast, especially in the last sixty years, biology has not.  Feminists consider masculinity and femininity to be social constructs that reinforce patriarchy by keeping women in a subservient position.

       

What do gender roles have to do with intersex?  That depends on who you ask.  Personally, I think this is the only real social benefit to being intersex.  We (or at least I) don’t feel constrained by gender roles.  It is easy to say those norms don’t really apply to me, why should I try to fit a mold that will never fit me very well?  Of course some intersex people will disagree with my interpretation on gender roles, and that’s ok.  What do you think?  To what extent should intersex people try to live a traditionally masculine or feminine gender role? 

G is for Genderism

Our G word for today is genderism.  Genderism, like all –isms, is a biased, discriminatory worldview.  Genderism is the view that there are, or should be, only two genders and they are inherently linked to biology.  This obviously reinforces discrimination, biases, and negative attitudes towards all gender binary nonconforming people.  It is the overarching ideology used to justify transphobia and trans-bashing.    

Obviously intersex people’s very existence challenges genderism.  This is a two edged sword.  Because of genderism we are discriminated against (genderist people think we are disordered and too small a minority to be relevant to the debate), but because it is a scientific, biological challenge, we are in a unique position to challenge genderist views.  Genderist people like to argue that transgender and binary nonconforming people are clearly insane, denying basic anatomical facts.  Thus intersex people are especially devastating to their views.  Personally I don’t like it when intersex people are used in identity politics debates, it disregards our identity and experiences, reducing us to a fact for a debate.  That being said I can understand why people do this.  What do you think?  Leave a comment.     

G is for Gender Bending

Today G is for gender bending, also known as genderfuck (I hope my readers will forgive the obscenity, I don’t name these things).  A gender bender is a person on who rebels against gender norms and expectations, usually as a form of activism against restrictive gender roles.  This is usually done by exaggerating masculine and feminine traits to the level of parody.  It is gender performativity at its most blatant.

 

The common image of gender bending is of a burly, heavy set man with a full beard, wearing a dress, makeup and heels.  Because clothing is still such a part of gender presentation, it is usually the key part of a gender bending performance.  Unlike a cross dresser or drag artist, the goal is to confuse gender markers, not appear as the sex other than the one you were born as.  Androgynous people may be seen as a more subtle form of gender bending, but is usually not a form of activism.  There is also a growing trend among liberal parents to intentionally give their children toys and clothing that are gender neutral, or toys for both genders.  They are trying to prevent their children from forming sexist preconceived notions of gender and are essentially practicing gender bending.

I think in some ways intersex is kind of a biological form of gender bending.  Intersex is not necessarily political, but it can be, and we are often used in gender identity politics debates.  Like the gender benders, mainstream society also finds us disturbing because we transgress gender expectations.  No matter our politics or identity, we force the mainstream to rethink gender norms which is the goal of the gender bender.  A world with fewer gender expectations would certainly be good for intersex people.  Should we embrace gender bending?  Leave comments and let me know what you think.      

G is for Gonads

Today G is for gonads (not just for kicking anymore).  Gonads are the organs that make gametes (sex cells).   In biological females these are ovaries making eggs and in biological males these are testicles making sperm.  In embryos both ovaries and testicles start as identical gonad ridges.  They only differentiate later in development due to the SRY gene on the y chromosome which turns the ridges into testicles.  Without that gene, they will develop into ovaries. 

Depending on the specific condition they have, most intersex people can have normal ovaries, or normal testicles.  Depending on the condition however, there are also two different ways their gonads might be ambiguous:

 mixed gonadal dysgenesis: usually found in mosaic Turners Syndrome cases.  Due to a combination of male and female chromosomes, the person will have two different gonads.  On one side, a malformed undescended testicle will create testosterone leading to a male appearing scrotum and vas deferens on that side.  The other side is a streak gonad, a nonworking gonad that is mostly fiberous tissue.  On this side a fallopian tube and malformed uterus will form (in the absence of sex hormones the body defaults to a female form).  This hormonal imbalance usually results in ambiguous genitalia.     

ovotestis: A very rare condition, formerly called “true hermaphroditism” now called ovotesticular disorder of sexual development.  This is when the gonads have a mix of ovarian and testicular tissue in them.  This results in ambiguous genitalia.

In both cases these malformed gonads have a much higher rate of going cancerous, thus they are usually removed.    

G is for Genderqueer

Our first G word is genderqueer.  Genderqueer is a catch all term for all non-binary gender identities.  There are five main areas where people identify outside the binary:

~ overlapping or indefinite line between the genders (demigender, androgynous)

~ multiple genders (bi-gender, tri-gender, pan-gender)

~ no gender/gender neutral (neutrois)

~ fluctuating between genders (gender fluid)

~ a third gender or something else all together

Because they identify outside the cisnormative binary there are almost infinite ways genderqueer people identify and label themselves.  I will get more into these specific identifications when we get to the right letter.  Genderqueer people, like all gender non-conforming people, often face intense discrimination and hostility in society. 

How does this affect intersex people?  Well, as I have said time and time again, intersex people can and do identify many different ways, including genderqueer identities.  If you believe gender identity is biologically derived you would expect all intersex people to be genderqueer, and many are, but many are not.  

Because the cisnormative mainstream culture has trouble telling the difference between sex and gender, and intersex and transgender, we get all sorts of assumptions and identities forced at us, often to support, or disprove political ideologies.  It is important to be clear about your identity and educate others about it so we don’t become a pawn in gender politics (more on this when I get to the letter P, so keep reading as I blog my way through the alphabet). 

Big News for Gay Marriage (and Intersex Rights) in America

As a buffer between F and G, I am bringing you some news.  On Monday October 6, 2014 in the United States, the Supreme Court’s inaction resulted in a great victory for gay marriage.  11 states had court cases to legalize gay marriage appealed to the Supreme Court.  The Supreme Court surprisingly chose not to hear those cases so the rulings of the lower courts stand.  Thus gay marriage is now legal in those states.  This means well over half the states (30 to be exact) now have legalized gay marriage.  It is truly a great day for civil rights in America.     

I have written about gay marriage before on this blog.  Unless it is legalized the legal status of all intersex relationships will be in question.  If marriage is only between a man and a women, those who are neither, arguably can’t get married.  Even if their relationship seems heterosexual, it could always be challenged on a technicality.  On the other hand, if you happen to be intersex and gay, like me, then maybe you could get married on a technicality.  In either case it is unnecessarily complicated.  I hope someday soon the last 20 states will see the error of their ways and legalize gay marriage, until that happens, just move to another state.

Feel free to leave comments, let me know what you think of this momentous occasion.  Please keep reading my next post as I continue to blog my way through the alphabet.         

F is for Female Genital Mutilation

Today F is for female genital mutilation (FGM).  FGM is practiced by several ethnic groups in sub-Saharan Africa.  The World Health Organization categorizes 4 specific kinds of mutilation:

~ I. Removal of the clitoris

~ II. Removal of the clitoris and inner labia

~ III. Removal of the  clitoris and inner labia and sewing together of the outer labia

~IV. Any other mutilations including pricking, piercing, incising, scraping and cauterizing

Variations 1 and 2 are the most common and 4 is the least common.  The reasons for FGM are complicated.  It is seen as a cultural way to reinforce their culture and its values.  It is mainly seen as a way to ensure the women is a virgin until marriage and to generally reduce the female libido.  In many countries women are considered unmarriageable if she is not mutilated.  Most cultures that practice FGM also see it as more hygienic.  There is also a cultural superstition that the clitoris will keep growing into a penis like organ, or if the baby comes into contact with the clitoris during childbirth, it will die.   Cosmetic procedures like genital piercings for jewelry, or procedures done for sexual reassignment are not considered female genital mutilation.  It is easy to say this is just blatant misogyny and trying to control women’s sexuality, but it is important to realize it is women who usually preform the mutilation and promote and continue the practice. 

I have mentioned FGM on this blog before because it is often compared to intersex surgery.  As I see it female genital mutilation and intersex mutilation have five major areas of similarities:

~They are both procedures done on children far too young to understand or consent. 

~They are both done entirely for the sake of family and social norms

~They are both done to try to make future sexual relationships/marriage easier but…  

~They are both done with no regard to the future sexual enjoyment of the patient  

~They are also done with little regard to health, and often require follow up procedures to correct “complications”

For all these reasons I feel the comparison is apt.  It is easy in the western world to decry female genital mutilations in Africa.  What we need to realize is that surprisingly similar things are being done in our own countries.  I hope someday all nonconsensual surgeries/mutilations will stop.  The only way we will get to that point is to raise awareness and reach out to other, somewhat similar groups.  

F is for Foreskin

Today F is for Foreskin, or the removal thereof.  In the United States (my home country) circumcision for baby boys is routine and almost universal.  The American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Medical Association recommend it for all baby boys.  For Muslims and Jews circumcision is done for religious reasons.  Secular reasons for circumcision are getting hazier but revolve around hygiene and disease prevention, and historically, to prevent masturbation.  Phimosis (where the foreskin does not fully retract) is the only medically therapeutic reason for circumcision, and even then, there are nonsurgical alternatives.  

The policy of non-therapeutic, non-consensual, secular circumcision is getting quite controversial.  The intactivists (intact activists, clever!) use much of the same arguments that intersex activists use.  They claim any non-therapeutic procedure, especially an irreversible one, cannot ethically be consented to by anyone other than the patient.  They feel non-therapeutic, non-consensual, secular circumcision violates the baby’s bodily integrity (sound familiar?)  Some anti-circumcision activists extend their view of bodily integrity to oppose intersex surgery and female genital mutilation (FGM).  Laws in most western countries, including the United States, protect baby girls from FGM, but don’t protect baby boys or intersex children.

 

It is very controversial to compare circumcision to FGM, once euphemistically called “female circumcision.”  Circumcision does not alter sexual functioning or overall health, FGM and intersex mutilation does.  Thus I do agree that non-therapeutic, non-consensual secular circumcision is not ethical and should be stopped.  I am also glad the anti-circumcision crowd is giving intersex issues much needed exposure, but I disagree that the two are really comparable.          

F if for Fertility

Today F is for fertility.  Common wisdom is that intersex conditions render the person sterile, but this is not entirely true.  Most intersex conditions vary considerably in where, and how much, ambiguity there is in any specific person.  Many intersex people are sterile, but many could give birth, or father children.  Often these conceptions, pregnancies, and births are quite difficult, but in some cases it is possible.  Ultimately how fertile an intersex person is should be determined on a case by case basis.   

Frankly the common practice of removing the gonads of intersex people sterilizes more people than the conditions themselves.  To be fair, there are good reasons behind removing the gonads.  There is a good chance mixed tissue gonads will become cancerous.  This cancer risk could be monitored, there is no need to take currently healthy organs.  This unnecessary sterilization is just further medical abuse of the intersexed.  As I mentioned earlier, many, if not most, intersex people are sterile, or have diminished fertility.  That being said, if they could become biological parents that option should be there for them when they reach adulthood.  I believe that keeping options and choices open for the intersex patient should be the main goal for their care so they can make the right choice for them.  That this is not considered a breach of the Hippocratic Oath is astounding.

Many people (especially heterosexual, cisgender people) consider reproduction a key part of their gender identity.  They might consider non-consensual sterilization to be psychologically devastating.  For some people it might be.  I can only discuss this from my own experience.  I had my gonads removed as a young child and chose to have a hysterectomy in my mid-twenties.  My parents were open and honest with me growing up.  As a result I grew up knowing that I was sterile and it became part of my self perception.  With no basis for comparison, it is all I know, and I accept this.  Honestly, to discover at this point that I could biologically have children would be far more disturbing then hearing I can't.     

E is for effeminate/F is for femininity

For the perfect buffer between  E and F, I have a concept that can be called by an E word or an F word, effeminacy or femininity.  Both words refer to the nature, attributes, behavior, mannerisms, style, and gender roles associated with women.  When referring to a woman with these traits, feminine is used, when referring to a man they are called effeminate.  This is a very broad topic and I am bound to leave a lot out so please bear with me.

I’m sure you all know this, but I would be remiss if I didn’t define and cover what is considered feminine/effeminate.  What is considered feminine/effeminate depends on social context, culture, and time (Elizabethan men wearing lace was considered masculine, for example).  That being said, gentleness, empathy, sensitivity, caring, compassion, nurturing, deference and sexual passiveness are usually considered feminine/effeminate personality traits.  To what extent these traits are inherent or learned through socialization is a matter of great debate.  Presentation and appearance such as long hair, cosmetics, female clothing, and an emphasis on physical beauty are almost always considered feminine/effeminate.  The professional feminine social role has traditionally been confined to the home or the nurturing/helping jobs like nurses, teachers, and secretaries. 

Effeminate men are usually far less accepted then masculine women.  Effeminacy is usually pejorative and implies passivity, and weakness, and homosexuality.  Saying gay men are effeminate is inaccurate.  Historically camp, drag, and swish have been part of gay culture; but so are Castro Clones and Bears, who are decidedly masculine.  Men who are interested in fashion have been called dandies and fops but those are usually labels they call themselves whereas, others call a man effeminate.           

Second wave feminists considered femininity to be an artificial social construct to keep women subordinate and objectified since power and authority are considered very masculine.  Modern, “lipstick feminists” counter that this devalues the feminine identity.  They claim the symbols of femininity are not inherently subjugating and can even be empowering.  Julia Serano writes (and I agree) that because society is sexist, femininity is seen through a male lens and interpreted as being less important or frivolous.  She feels that equality of the sexes will never be achieved until femininity is empowered rather than despised (including by some feminists).  She also claims that parts of femininity and masculinity are inherent but not biologically derived, they precede socialization and supersede biological sex.    

What does this have to do with intersex?  There are certainly feminine and masculine intersex people.  Like everyone, we have the right to identify and live as we see fit.  If you believe gendered behavior is biologically determined you would conclude that most intersex people must be fairly androgynous.  Feminine (or masculine) intersex people obviously disprove this.  That being said, I object to intersex people being used to prove some gender ideology, its dehumanizing.  Leave comments, let me know if I missed something important about femininity/effeminacy.      

E is for Estrogen

Our E word for today is estrogen.   There are actually three female sex hormones in humans, estradiol, estrone, and estriol which are all estrogens.  Estradiol is the most important one and has the physical effects commonly associated with “estrogen”.  These effects are:

~ breast growth

~changes in fat placement

~ strengthens bones

~ strengthens vagina and uterus

~ lessens melanin in skin (ever notice how most men have slightly darker skin than most women?)

~ stimulates growth of endometrium and thus causes menstruation

~ stimulates luteinizing hormone which causes ovulation (birth control pills cause a permanent surge of estrogen to mask this and thus prevent ovulation)

~ works with testosterone to increase sex drive

~Changes levels of serotonin and endorphins in the brain, causing the psychological and behavioral differences between men and women

As most people know, both men and women produce estrogen in their gonads and adrenal glands.  The balance of sex hormones is vital for a fetus to develop into a male or female.  Many intersex conditions result from their hormones being off or being unable to react to hormones.  Don't worry men, I will talk about testosterone when I get to T so stay with me as I blog my way through the alphabet.  

E is for Eunuch

Out first E word is eunuch.  Eunuchs are usually castrated men.  They were often used in ancient cultures to guard harams and the royal family and in important government jobs.  They were trusted because they would keep their hands off the women of the haram or royal family and couldn’t father their own lineage to challenge the king.  Castrati singers were castrated before puberty to sing the high notes in choirs because women were not allowed to.  

The ancients actually had a much broader definition of eunuchs.  The Bible says “there are eunuchs who were born that way, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others, and there are those who choose to live like eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 19:23).  In his Generation of Animals, Aristotle says procreation requires both the mental faculty and anatomical parts to do so.  By this definition homosexuals and asexuals who lack the mental faculty to procreate are eunuchs.  Roman emperor Justinian I even used the Aristotelian definition of eunuchs in his laws as “one with no generative power, an impotent person, either by nature or castration.”

By this broader definition many, if not most intersex people are “eunuchs who were born that way”.  Many intersex conditions result in sterility and we usually have our gonads removed.  There are also higher cases of homosexuality and asexuality (or at least celibacy) amongst intersex people.  I have occasionally used eunuch to describe myself.  I kind of like it because it is a gender nonconforming identity and also gives a nod to the genital mutilation I underwent (for better or worse it’s a part of me).  Eunuchs were prominent members of their societies, should we reclaim this title?  Leave comments, let me know what you think.