After pondering what it means to be "normal" I couldn't help but recognize the incredible extent to which the conceptual definition is determined by culture and society. By setting standards for different criteria we separate the normal from the abnormal. In doing so, however, we frequently muddle the definitions with our own opinions and assumptions. Our predecessors divide normality from abnormality and we strive to fit into their classification of normal (just as we strive to live up to myths regarding our sexuality). From generation to generation we reevaluate and adjust the boundaries between the two within our particular cultural settings.
The human mind loves to categorize. When trying to understand complex ideas and emergent perspectives the easy alternative is to simplify things by dividing them into groups (in this case the male and female genders). Anne Fausto-Sterling emphasizes in her writing the continuous, not discrete, nature of gender. As with color there is a spectrum of gender. And just as we typically categorize colors across the spectrum so do we categorize gender.
The medical position, as portrayed within the videos and as embodied by the concealment-centered model, seems to have replaced natural with normal. They cannot accept natural events across the gender spectrum if they do not fit within the normal categories. Within the name alone, the concealment-centered model does not seem ethical. They basically propose to solve the problem by ignoring it and withholding information from intersex individuals. I found one response from the Shifting the Paradigm of Intersex Treatment sheet particularly ridiculous. They supposedly believe that "parents...should consent to 'normalizing' surgery so that they can fully accept...their child." In this quotation it is obvious that normal has replaced natural in their eyes. If they truly wanted to "fully accept" the intersex individual then they should not perform any surgical alteration without the individual's informed consent.
The medical community behind this model claims that society cannot handle sexually ambiguous individuals. But their decision to adhere to this societal "norm" does nothing but enforce these cultural regulations.
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Great analysis! I really like your differentiation of "natural" and "normal".
This issue of culture and society's influence on standard and norms is the crux of it. Does science tell truths to society or does science reflect the truths we already believe as a society?
Like you, many people have found utility in the idea of a spectrum, for sex, gender, and sexuality. We will return to this during other discussions as well. Ethics is also an area for further exploration.
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