Silence equals death in the GLBT community. There has been a recent rise in intersexuality visibility. Intersexism, can definitely be a subdivision in the GLBT community, yet not all of communities have added the acronym because of knowledgeable support and social constructs. Personally, I did not know a great deal about members of the intersexed community and I felt it was important to learn something about which is definitely an accepted subdivision of the queer community. I went on a journey to figure out what exactly intersexuality is and was.
The word “hermaphrodite” is an archaic medical term created by the Victorians in efforts to make intersexuality go away because it was not conceived as “normal” by there social structures. Now many intersexed individuals take offense to this word because of the previous negative connotations and ignorance associated with it. Hence, there has been a steadily uprise in medical and social reform, just as there had been in the GLBT community decades ago. The word “hermaphrodite” may be as derogatory as racial epithets and gay bashing terms to some members of this community.
Technically, intersexuality is a set of medical conditions that features congenital anomaly of the reproductive and sexual system because of hormonal failure in the fetus. Which means that a person with an intersex condition is born with sex chromosomes, external genitalia, or an internal reproductive system that is not considered “standard” for either male or female. There are more intersexed people out there then you think. About 1 in 2000 babies in the United States are born with some type of level of intersexuality, about 5 per day.
Perhaps out of fear and the unknown is the fact that intersexed issues have not been discussed seriously at length in our American culture. Whereas, in other cultures such as in certain Native American Tribes, an intersex person or “two spirit” are highly respected and embraced. Native Americans believe that breaking through that binary gender system they aspire to a higher knowledge of the self and soul because they possess equal sides of the symbolic male and female.
Also, medically there has been a controversy over “genital reconstruction” which is a surgery that has been occurring for over 40 years. The surgery extracts one of the pronounced genitalia of the intersexed baby, almost as if they are choosing that child’s future. The fate of their sexual orientation and gender identity seems to be in the hands of a medical practitioner. Then there bodies conveniently fit into what our society thinks as a “normal” male or female body.
Genetically the idea of gender comes into play because although the child may have a clear male or female genitalia, it does not necessarily mean that it is consistent with the physiological gender of the child because of the excess or lack there of in the X or Y chromosome. Those who are intersexed may live a life which they have may look either more on the perceived masculine and feminine side which is contradictory of there genitalia.
Confusion and pain come into these intersexed peoples lives because they are outside that binary system of male and female. An intersexed person may live of life of self imposed exile because lack of support and ignorance of our society. It may be hard for an intersexed individual to seek medical support because of embarrasment. Members of the intersexed community are now creating a medical and social backlash so each can choose which gender and sex they feel is true to there spirit, instead of it being decided for them at a young age.
It is important to be open to the idea that intersexed people do exist. Individuals should acknowledge thier strength and the issues they face everyday in a culture that tries to perceive or construct who they identify or do not identify as.