Intersex Awareness Day
Posted by Moonage on 26 Oct 2005 | Tagged as: Events
I’m always late to the dance:
Why today?
On October 26, 1996, intersex activists from Intersex Society of North America (carrying the sign "Hermaphrodites With Attitude") and our allies from Transexual Menace held the first public intersex demonstration in Boston, where American Academy of Pediatrics was holding its annual conference.
And finally, for those that don’t know:
Intersex refers to a series of medical conditions in which a child’s genetic sex (chromosomes) and phenotypic sex (genital appearance) do not match, or are somehow different from the "standard" male or female. About one in 2,000 babies are born visibly intersexed, while some others are detected later. The current medical protocol calls for the surgical "reconstruction" of these different but healthy bodies to make them "normal," but this practice has become increasingly controversial as adults who went through the treatment report being physically, emotionally, and sexually harmed by such procedures.
So people, get and celebrate Intersex Awareness Day! I am by attending a Def Leppard show tonight.
2 Comments »
on 14 Jan 2006 at 4:23 am 1.Myles Shane said …
I was reading the comments on the above page and I was wondering if no surgey is performed on the baby, at what age would a surgey be performed and who’s choice would the gender be.
on 15 Jan 2006 at 5:47 pm 2.Moonage
said …
Wow Myles, good questions. No one here is a doctor that I’m aware of. I’m certainly no specialist of any sort in that area. By law, it would be the parent’s choice until the child is of legal age ( 18 I would think ). I’m not sure it really matters at what point physically the person chooses to have the procedure. I have known adults that have switched well into adulthood. So, I would imagine it’s possible at any age. That is strictly layman knowledge and certainly no expert opinion by any stretch of the imagination.
If you do find some good concrete answers, please post them here.