I really enjoyed the article “The Five Sexes: Why Male and Female Are Not Enough” by Anne Fausto-Sterling. It sparked a query within my own mind as well as in our classroom discussion today. As I battle with the contrasting views on intersexuality myself, I am humbled to think of the inner struggle that must exist within intersexual individuals. Towards the end of class today, I began to formulate thoughts on the difference between a person’s gender and their sex. While most people believe that these two terms are interchangeable, I believe that a distinction exists between gender and sex, and it is one worthy of our academic analysis. By understanding the difference between gender and sex, Sterling’s utopia where “the sexes have multiplied beyond currently imaginable limits” may begin to appear more realistic.
I believe that gender should be defined as the sexual identity of an individual. The way a person views their own sexual existence should be associated with gender. Sex, on the contrary, I believe should be defined as either the male or female division of a species. By taking these two definitions as given from this point forth, an examination of human sexuality is far more productive.
Sterling describes the embryonic gonad choosing to follow a male or a female pathway early on in development, but according to Sterling, for intersexuals “this choice is fudged.” Not knowing what exactly Sterling meant by “fudged” I decided to research the causes of intersexuality. From my research I found that the three primary causes of intersexuality can be categorized as chromosomal, hormonal, and environmental. Sterling takes the perspective throughout the article that intersexuality should be embraced and that being intersexual should be accepted as a normal occurrence. However, I disagree with this standpoint. I believe that being intersexual, while it should not be stigmatized, must be recognized as an error in development. In order for intersexuality to occur in a person, something must go wrong in the development of the embryo. Whether the mistake is chromosomal mutation (as in the case of Turner Syndrome and Klinefelter Syndrome) a hormonal imbalance (as in the case of Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia, Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome, and 5-Alpha-Reductase Deficiency) or due to environmental factors (such as exposure to radiation, certain medications, and chemicals), something must happen to a fetus before birth to cause intersexuality to occur. This is an essential point that was conspicuously absent from Sterling’s article.
My belief in only two sexes, male and female, is not meant to be close-minded or to express the idea that an enormous diversity does not exist within human sexuality. Instead, I propose that the diversity of sexuality is found within the idea of gender. There seems to be an infinite number of possibilities when discussing a person’s sexual identity. For example, a person can be born a male (an individual possessing male genitals) and enjoy sexual relations with females (individuals possessing female genitals). On the other hand, a person can be born a male and enjoy sexual relations with other males. Moreover, a person can be born a male but believe themselves to be woman. This belief in being a woman may cause a person to desire a sex change through surgery or medication, but that is not always the case. There are plenty of males who view themselves as women even though they have fully functioning male genitalia. In conclusion, I believe that Sterling’s continuum of sex is completely unrealistic; however, efforts should be directed at creating the wide range of human gender possibilities. I am curious to hear my peers thoughts on the difference between gender and sex (if they even think that one exists), and I look forward to future discussions on this topic in class or as responses to this blog.
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2 comments:
I think this response to Fausto-Sterling's article is a good approach. I think Sterling is unrealistic in hoping for a utopia where a continuum of sexes exists, because as written intersexuality is caused by some sort of mutation (biologically speaking). People may be born as intersexuals but it was not chosen at random, there was some defect that caused it. Therefore, it is not "normal" to be an intersexual. This fact alone I think causes social stigma. People tend to distance themselves from the abnormal. This is why Sterling's utopia is completely unrealistic. I do not mean to sound cruel but people that advertise themselves as intersexual will probably be shunned by their peers. Growing up, kids are going to think that they are "weird" or "different" and this will commence their ostracization in society.
I also really liked the comparison made between gender and sex. I feel as if this is a more realistic way to shed light on intersexuals as well as transexuals. Scientists and academics have a difficult time classifying intersexuals and decide a child's sex by their chromosomes. By defining gender and sex separately this is still possible. A child with XY can be classified as male and still identify themselves as female using the gender definition. This may be a hard approach for some to grasp because sexuality is no longer a concrete matter on paper, but I think it allows an individual to be more comfortable about his/her sexuality and being able to express it.
i think your use of the word "error" is interesting. I wonder how we "know" what is supposed to happen in development. I think what intersex advocates are trying to suggest is that the relatively consistent appearance of intersex individuals throughout history and the world might be cause to think not about what is "normal" development but what is "natural".
Many people who classify themselves as intersexed find comfort in the this identity because they know that there are other people like them. I too am concerned about society's inability to deal well with difference sometimes but I feel as though this is not an excuse to snuff out the diversity that exists in the world.
your differentiation of sex and gender is interesting too. I wonder if New View's post about hijras in India offers anything useful to consder? We will return to it in next week's discussion.
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