Anne Fausto-Sterling explores the birth of intersex children within her chapter, “Of Gender and Genitals.” She explains that the birth of intersex infants within the United States is often characterized as a medical emergency, even though there rarely are physical complications. Fausto-Sterling questions current medical treatment and societal bias that often advocates for “fixing” intersex babies at birth or in utero. Fausto-Sterling seems to suggest the individuals should wait until the child can make an informed decision. One of the most difficult decisions for a parent of an intersex child is to determine the sex. Medical research and genital examination can greatly assist in making determining an infant’s sex. Unfortunately, a review of case histories has shown that there are limits to a doctor’s knowledge. Doctors are unable to evaluate an infant’s psychological gender preference.
An advantage of picking a child’s sex at birth is that gender reconstruction can be performed immediately. With the determination of an infant’s sex, a name can be decided. This child would most probably experience less ridicule and isolation if he/she looked “normal.” While the advantages are evident, there are significant drawbacks. Parents and doctors are too often wrong when picking the sex of an infant. This being the case, it seems worse for a child to grow up as the wrong sex than to wait until a more valid determination can be made. If I were the parent of an intersex child, I would want the opportunity to talk to a several intersex individuals and their parents in order to gain insight. The best way to learn about this problem is to talk to those that have experienced it first hand. Too often this is not an option. Societal bias should not cause a parent or physician to rush to a conclusion that may potentially harm the infant’s growth and psychological development.
Reading Middlesex and Fausto-Sterling’s book, Sexing the Body simultaneously is advantageous. I gain clinical information as well as insight into a fictitious case history. Middlesex offers the opportunity for the reader to experience the life of an intersex individual, Cal, from a fictional standpoint. Chapter two and three offered the coming-of-age story of Cal and her ancestry. Birth and rebirth are major themes throughout novel although Cal is infertile. “Like most hermaphrodites but by no means all, I can’t have children. That’s one of the reasons why I’ve never married” (Eugenides 106). It is also worthy to examine the Greek myths referred to within the novel. One chapter is titled, “Minotaurs,” while another is titled, “Tiresias in Love.” Cal, an intersexed individual of Greek descent, is compared with a Minotaur and Tiresias. A Minotaur was a Greek creature with the head of a bull and body of a man. Tiresias was a blind prophet of Thebes who was punished and transformed into a woman for seven years. Is there any less punishment when a doctor or parent determines a child’s sex at birth? While it is often painful to wait for a child to make this decision, perhaps it is optimal. Even the god’s knew that changing an individual’s sex is a punishment.
Monday, February 22, 2010
spectrum
I also have begun to think of gender/sex as a spectrum as opposed to separate categories of male and female. However, as displayed by our readings and discussions, its going to be a while before this notion is accepted, if ever.
I found it interesting the emphasis that was placed on the importance of the parent’s comfort towards their child’s gender. Countless cases, including that of Joan/John display some sub-conscious knowledge on the part of the individual of their maleness/femaleness. Clearly the child’s comfort is not a top priority of the doctors who are choosing to perform these operations directly following birth. I believe that to be very problematic.
As we have seen throughout this course, the very idea of what makes a “man” male what a woman “female” is very hard to define. We so desperately seek to put these ideas in boxes and categories but too man “anomalies” exist. Just think about how many women you know, who are completely “female” in the sense of having female genitalia etc, but are very “masculine” in their likes/dislikes and appearance. Every one of us probably knows at least one or two women who fall in this category. If we gathered all those women in a room, whose to say they are the not-normal ones. They are all “women” so why do their traits have to be defined as “masculine” if they’re clearly exhibited by so many humans who are not male?
I reassert my statement of my last post, the feminist movement, the homosexual/bisexual/lesbian communities, and the intersex/transgender/transsexual communities should join forces. There is no problem with a lack of communication in our world today, the vehicles are out there, its not hard to get ones voice heard and point across as long as you’re willing to put in the time and effort.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Are there only two sexes?
Anne Fausto-Sterling's book Sexing the Body makes one realize that gender and sex may not be so different as we thought. It seems to be a two way street both affecting the other. "That Sexe which Prevaileth" was incredibly interesting and made me wonder if there really are only two sexes? The history of hermaphrodites/intersexuals pushed this idea. History shows in different cultures and different times the acceptance of intersexuals varied. I did not know that there was a creation story that says Adam was both male and female and after he/she had fallen from grace did he/she split into two different beings. I'm beginning to think that there is a continuum of biological sexes.
In recent history, Europe and North America- specifically America and Canada- have pushed the idea that there are only two genders and thus society and everything that makes up cultural norms have abided to this idea. Challenging this idea challages what is the norm and what is considered right. It is interesting how we moved from an area of acceptance to an area when the person must fit one or the other. At the end of the chapter it seems like we are starting to move away from this idea. This is happening very slowly, but more and more doctors are making or giving parents the choice to wait instead of doing surgery to "fix" the baby. I see this as being good, because maybe our cultural concepts are not right and this issue forces us to rethink what we take as the norm.
I feel like this week has been truly eye-opening. I've been pushed into a world I know nothing to very little about and it is forcing me to rethink the way I perceive gender and sex.
In recent history, Europe and North America- specifically America and Canada- have pushed the idea that there are only two genders and thus society and everything that makes up cultural norms have abided to this idea. Challenging this idea challages what is the norm and what is considered right. It is interesting how we moved from an area of acceptance to an area when the person must fit one or the other. At the end of the chapter it seems like we are starting to move away from this idea. This is happening very slowly, but more and more doctors are making or giving parents the choice to wait instead of doing surgery to "fix" the baby. I see this as being good, because maybe our cultural concepts are not right and this issue forces us to rethink what we take as the norm.
I feel like this week has been truly eye-opening. I've been pushed into a world I know nothing to very little about and it is forcing me to rethink the way I perceive gender and sex.
least resistance
So I hate to be the girl who relates tv shows to class discussion, but I'm going for it. In an episode of ABC's new comedy/drama series "The Deep End" the subject matter of our recent readings/discussions arose. A young female tennis player, on scholarship at a prestigious university, was suing (the show is about young lawyers) her university because they revoked her scholarship and kicked her off the squad for reasons they would not divulge. Later one we find out that a teammate of hers accused this girl of taking steroids. So the board did medical testing and in the process discovered a Y chromosome. They revoked her scholarship (disabling this girl from paying for the last two years of college) because it is specified that it must be given to a woman. The girl was taunted by her classmates, her boyfriend broke up with her, and no sympathy was given by the board of administration. In the end, because of all the publicity, the girl was offered the opportunity to go professional, make some money, and then pay for her own schooling. True to most sitcoms, this girl saw a happy ending. But for me, the most interesting part was seeing the actress who played the intersex tennis player. I've now done a considerable about of reading on this topic, but being able to actually see the person as this pain unfolds was quite different. Clearly this was just an actress but somehow the visualization but it all the more real for me.
I found the section of the chapter in Sexing the Body about the ways that different cultures have handled intersex human beings very though-provoking. I believe this displays how imbedded in cultures our views on gender truly are. Our class discussions last week centered around the notion that it is wrong that we view women and their "innate" traits negatively because of the way our society in structured. Many women espouse this idea but continue to follow the "flow" of society because its the path of least resistance. I believe the same rings true on this topic. It is so deeply embedded in our culture that there must only be two sexes. This belief is all around us. If its possible for women to dismantle this notion, then the movement to accept the fact that there aren't just two genders should piggy back on that effort. We were discussing in class how the women's movement doesn't have a distinct issue to follow and thus has become a bit scattered. As seen through the connection of the civil rights movement, having two movements work together can be very effective. The science is on their side, all we have to do is get people not to fear the path of least resistance.
Betwixt Between
Anne Fausto Sterling’s book, Sexing the Body, and Jeffrey Eugenides’ novel, Middlesex, complement one another. Angier explores the concept of sex through the multifaceted lenses of scientific, medical, and popular belief as well as examines numerous case studies. Eugenides presents the idea of an androgynous gender within a fictional narrative. Together, these works focus on genetic composition in order to explore the difficulty in labeling an individual as either male or female. Society is often unaware of the complexity in determining an individual’s sex.
Sterling’s chapter, “That Sexe Which Prevaileth,” explains how European as well as American culture often falsely accepts the idea that there are only two sexes, male or female. State and legal systems have enacted legislation on the presumption that there are simply two sexes. Sterling explains that biological composition is complex and directly categorizing individuals as either male or female is not always feasible. “If nature really offers us more than two sexes, then it follows that our current notions of masculinity and femininity are cultural conceits. Reconceptualizing the category of ‘sex’ challenges cherished aspects of European and American social organization” (Sterling 31). The author follows this by explaining the history of Hermaphrodites, aging back as far as the ancient Greeks. She explains that Plato discusses three sexes, male, female, and hermaphrodites, but that the third sex has become lost throughout the years. Angier’s chapter transitions nicely into Middlesex, a novel that focuses on the often neglected “middlesex” of individuals, who are neither just male nor just female.
The narrator, Cal, opens the story with an explanation of her three births. She explains that she was first born as a baby girl, named Calliope Helen Stephanides, on January of 1960. Cal explains that she was born with the recessive gene, 5-alpha-reductase. In order to correct this, she was born a second time as a teenage boy in August of 1974. At age forty-one, in 2001, Cal feels her third birth is approaching. Cal has now chosen to write her autobiography. The story then rewinds to three months prior to her first birth. Cal’s grandmother predicted her gender by holding her magical spoon above Cal’s mother’s belly. Her grandmother’s prophesy, which was correct the past twenty-three times, was that the child was going to be a boy. This prediction turned out to be only partially accurate. The author takes the reader back to her grandparent’s history. The reader learns that her grandparents, as brother and sister, fell in love and later married in order to immigrate to the United States. This incestuous relationship foreshadows Cal’s gender identity conflict.
When I signed up for this class I initially thought it was solely based on women’s studies. I became aware that one couldn’t study women without studying men. To further complicate this issue, I now recognize that it is not always possible to accurately label an individual as exclusively male or female. Therefore, a middle ground must also be examined. Unfortunately, the classification of individuals may often defocus us from the primary importance of achieving equality for all human beings.
Sterling’s chapter, “That Sexe Which Prevaileth,” explains how European as well as American culture often falsely accepts the idea that there are only two sexes, male or female. State and legal systems have enacted legislation on the presumption that there are simply two sexes. Sterling explains that biological composition is complex and directly categorizing individuals as either male or female is not always feasible. “If nature really offers us more than two sexes, then it follows that our current notions of masculinity and femininity are cultural conceits. Reconceptualizing the category of ‘sex’ challenges cherished aspects of European and American social organization” (Sterling 31). The author follows this by explaining the history of Hermaphrodites, aging back as far as the ancient Greeks. She explains that Plato discusses three sexes, male, female, and hermaphrodites, but that the third sex has become lost throughout the years. Angier’s chapter transitions nicely into Middlesex, a novel that focuses on the often neglected “middlesex” of individuals, who are neither just male nor just female.
The narrator, Cal, opens the story with an explanation of her three births. She explains that she was first born as a baby girl, named Calliope Helen Stephanides, on January of 1960. Cal explains that she was born with the recessive gene, 5-alpha-reductase. In order to correct this, she was born a second time as a teenage boy in August of 1974. At age forty-one, in 2001, Cal feels her third birth is approaching. Cal has now chosen to write her autobiography. The story then rewinds to three months prior to her first birth. Cal’s grandmother predicted her gender by holding her magical spoon above Cal’s mother’s belly. Her grandmother’s prophesy, which was correct the past twenty-three times, was that the child was going to be a boy. This prediction turned out to be only partially accurate. The author takes the reader back to her grandparent’s history. The reader learns that her grandparents, as brother and sister, fell in love and later married in order to immigrate to the United States. This incestuous relationship foreshadows Cal’s gender identity conflict.
When I signed up for this class I initially thought it was solely based on women’s studies. I became aware that one couldn’t study women without studying men. To further complicate this issue, I now recognize that it is not always possible to accurately label an individual as exclusively male or female. Therefore, a middle ground must also be examined. Unfortunately, the classification of individuals may often defocus us from the primary importance of achieving equality for all human beings.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
First Time Dealer
I really have to agree a lot with what Cait wrote. THis is the first time I have ever really dealt with these issues before. I have to say at times I was a bit confused. I didn't exactly understand all the differences between all the different labels and it seemed to me that many of the speakers identify themselves as being either a femme, boi, butch, trans, so on but are all kind of saying a very similar thing and that confused me. I have no problem with anyone identify themselves this way. That is there choice and I have no room to judge. I would just like more clarification on the differences so I could better understand and not be an outsider looking in confused who may come off judgmental because there is no judgment here.
My favorite piece we read was "One Bad Hair Day Too Many or the Hairstory of an Androgynous Young Feminist" by Myhre. I thought her story was very interesting. And in a time of Raunch Culture, as Avreil Levy sees, this article at first baffled me. Here she is a feminist yet throwing away all her famine traits. Yet, at the end of her story she gets her message across that she does not want to be labeled or box by an outsider. She is being her own person and being happy doing so. Her comment really struck a cord with me when she said, "we base judgement of gender on people's appearance... a woman's attractiveness to men is the primary measure of her worth." She is right!!! Raunch culture plays up a women's beauty and gives her "strength" and "power". I loved that Myhre is trying to break down, or at least does not follow the societal norm, and is showing, whether she means to be a role model or not, that women and men can all be strong and powerful just by being comfortable with themselves and not living up to some societal norm.
My favorite piece we read was "One Bad Hair Day Too Many or the Hairstory of an Androgynous Young Feminist" by Myhre. I thought her story was very interesting. And in a time of Raunch Culture, as Avreil Levy sees, this article at first baffled me. Here she is a feminist yet throwing away all her famine traits. Yet, at the end of her story she gets her message across that she does not want to be labeled or box by an outsider. She is being her own person and being happy doing so. Her comment really struck a cord with me when she said, "we base judgement of gender on people's appearance... a woman's attractiveness to men is the primary measure of her worth." She is right!!! Raunch culture plays up a women's beauty and gives her "strength" and "power". I loved that Myhre is trying to break down, or at least does not follow the societal norm, and is showing, whether she means to be a role model or not, that women and men can all be strong and powerful just by being comfortable with themselves and not living up to some societal norm.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Please Check One: Male or Female
Jennifer Reid Maxcy Myhre, Ariel Levy, and Anne Fausto-Sterling, explore gender identity within society. For years, there has been two accepted gender classifications of individuals, male or female. These three authors offer unique perspectives that educate the reader to the concept of androgynous groups. Myhre explores her own transformation in her essay, “One Bad Hair Day Too Many.” She explains that she was tired of taking care of her hair, applying make-up, and shaving her body. She moved outside the world in which she found herself entrapped. “So to christen my feminist rebirth, I quit shaving my legs. I threw away my high heels and my tight skirts, my makeup and my jewelry. I grew out my armpit hair, and I talked like a woman with a mission” (Myhre 86). She explains herself as androgynous instead of either male or female. She discusses accepting comments by young children to their parents asking her gender identity but resents adults who label her as monk, “fag,” and dyke. The other two authors focus on gender identity within the community instead of solely their own sexuality.
Levy examines lesbian communities, primarily in San Francisco, within her chapter, “Womyn to Bois.” Levy observes customary male sexual stereotypes that have developed within these lesbian groups. She explains that the lesbian population has adopted heterosexual gender positions. This subgroup is further divided into: butches, femmes, and “bois.” Levy’s primary focus is the “boi” culture that has developed and expanded. Members of this group mimic teenage boys in appearance. Some “bois” have mastectomies in order to fully emerge within this subgroup. It is often difficult to differentiate between the negative attributes of this female “boi” group from the negative attributes of their male, teenage counterparts. Both groups, at times, treat women with disrespect and negative animosity. Biases from the male culture are now being replicated within the lesbian community. Elisabeth Young-Bruehl, in her book, The Anatomy of Prejudices, discusses the bias hatred within sects of the lesbian/gay communities. “Masculine” gay men often abuse “female” gay men. The noted homophobia within the gay and lesbian community is a tragic replication of the biases within the heterosexual world.
Fausto-Sterling explores factors which determine one’s sexuality within her chapter, “Dueling Dualism.” She examines the evolution of Olympic testing to label participants as male or female. She explains that until 1968, female Olympic athletes were told to undress themselves in front of the judges in order to prove biological gender. After numerous complains from female participants, this system was changed. An obstacle that developed was that simple chromosome testing was not always reliable. Fausto-Sterling discusses Olympic athlete, Maria Patino, in order to illustrate her point. Mrs. Patino showed all physical attributes of a female but testing showed that she had a Y chromosome. This emphasizes the author’s point that determining one’s biological sex is a complex task. Labeling someone as male or female is not always valid yet is deemed necessary within competitive, athletic sports.
How do individuals, in today’s society, gain comfort when they feel entrapped in the body of the wrong sex? Cait clearly explained that women often find themselves caught in daily lives in which they have no desire to participate. Women and men should be free to explore their sexuality with themselves or other consenting adults in their own, private domains. Biases within these subgroups as well as society at large should cease. A name caller in one incident may become a victim at another point in time. Individuals may not agree with another’s gender choice, but that is no reason to ridicule it.
Levy examines lesbian communities, primarily in San Francisco, within her chapter, “Womyn to Bois.” Levy observes customary male sexual stereotypes that have developed within these lesbian groups. She explains that the lesbian population has adopted heterosexual gender positions. This subgroup is further divided into: butches, femmes, and “bois.” Levy’s primary focus is the “boi” culture that has developed and expanded. Members of this group mimic teenage boys in appearance. Some “bois” have mastectomies in order to fully emerge within this subgroup. It is often difficult to differentiate between the negative attributes of this female “boi” group from the negative attributes of their male, teenage counterparts. Both groups, at times, treat women with disrespect and negative animosity. Biases from the male culture are now being replicated within the lesbian community. Elisabeth Young-Bruehl, in her book, The Anatomy of Prejudices, discusses the bias hatred within sects of the lesbian/gay communities. “Masculine” gay men often abuse “female” gay men. The noted homophobia within the gay and lesbian community is a tragic replication of the biases within the heterosexual world.
Fausto-Sterling explores factors which determine one’s sexuality within her chapter, “Dueling Dualism.” She examines the evolution of Olympic testing to label participants as male or female. She explains that until 1968, female Olympic athletes were told to undress themselves in front of the judges in order to prove biological gender. After numerous complains from female participants, this system was changed. An obstacle that developed was that simple chromosome testing was not always reliable. Fausto-Sterling discusses Olympic athlete, Maria Patino, in order to illustrate her point. Mrs. Patino showed all physical attributes of a female but testing showed that she had a Y chromosome. This emphasizes the author’s point that determining one’s biological sex is a complex task. Labeling someone as male or female is not always valid yet is deemed necessary within competitive, athletic sports.
How do individuals, in today’s society, gain comfort when they feel entrapped in the body of the wrong sex? Cait clearly explained that women often find themselves caught in daily lives in which they have no desire to participate. Women and men should be free to explore their sexuality with themselves or other consenting adults in their own, private domains. Biases within these subgroups as well as society at large should cease. A name caller in one incident may become a victim at another point in time. Individuals may not agree with another’s gender choice, but that is no reason to ridicule it.
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