History of the Treatment of Intersex (ambiguous genitalia)
The treatment of intersex was strongly influenced by the case study of a boy whose penis was accidentally amputated during a circumcision; the so-called, John/Joan case. His subsequent treatment after castration at two years of age included female hormones at puberty that allowed the growth of breasts. His socialization as a girl was thought, for many years, to have been successful and therefore guided the treatment of other cases. However he rejected his gender reassignment and, in his late teens, reverted to living as a male.
Is There a Third Sex - an Intersex?
More recently, the debate about gender assignment has shifted towards looking at things in a new way. This comes at a time when society is more willing to acknowledge sexuality as more complex than just being male or female. Most importantly, the people who have experience of intersex, are finding a voice that is becoming increasingly influential. Some of them are saying that society should not interfere with naturally occurring phenomena, and that the answer is to acknowledge that there is, in fact, a third sex.
The Right to Decide your own Sex
One of the main issues now centers on the right of the individual to decide. The question is whether surgically changes should be made before people can decide for themselves, or is the potential for psychological harm such that early intervention is the most humane way to proceed?
Article Sources Include:
Milton Diamond (1997)Sexual Identity and Sexual Orientation in Children with Traumatized or Ambiguous Genitalia. The Journal of Sex Research, Vol. 34, 1997
Milton Diamond, Ph.D. and H. Keith Sigmundson, M.D. (1997) MANAGEMENT of INTERSEXUALITY: Guidelines for dealing with individuals with ambiguous genitalia Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Volume 151: Pages 1046-1050,
Suzanne J. Kessler (1990)The Medical Construction of Gender: Case Management of Intersexed Infants. Signs, Vol. 16, No. 1, From Hard Drive to Software: Gender, Computers, and Difference (Autumn, 1990), pp. 3-26
Summary of Consensus Statement on Intersex Disorders and Their Management. Christopher P. Houk, MD, PhDAa, Ieuan A. Hughes, FMedSci, FRCPCHb,c, S. Faisal Ahmed, FRCPCHd, Peter A. Lee, MD, PhDe,c and Writing Committee for the International Intersex Consensus Conference Participants. PEDIATRICS Vol. 118 No. 2 August 2006, pp. 753-757 (doi:10.1542/peds.2006-0737)