Articles

In everything that I have read there has been a pattern that there isn't any "health" related reason to have "corrective surgery, that it really has to do with cultural norms. If a child is born with both a vagina and a penis, it will not cause any harm to them, it really has to do with fitting in, making a choice, and playing that role.

1.) "The Medical Construction Of Gender: Case Management of Intersexed Infants" by Suzanne J. Kessler. I am going to print it out, it is 23 pages.
- I found it on JSTOR. It won't let me cut and pase anything.
It gives historical background about surgery/procedures but also says that gender assignment is more of a cultural issue, since the medical desicions are based on cultural standards. It talks about what has been done when there are infants who show signs of both male and female, and possible reasons.

2.) "Intersexed Identities: Locating new intersextions of Sex and Gender" by Stephanie S. Turner Also found on JSTOR. This article is written by a member of a group that wants to prevent unnecessary surgery for infants and then to provide options later on in life. It is about how gender and sex are equated and how that creats a lot of problems for gender politics. Again, the subject at hand is what to do with infants.

3.) "Managing Intersex: Most Vaginal surgery should be deffered" BMJ 2001;323:1264-1265 ( 1 December )This article is about how a lot of infants with both genitalia are raised as girls and have clitoral reduction and a vaginoplasty. The issue is very controversial.It talks about the different patterns of chromosomes. The article is again, about what to do with infants. The doctors feel that a choice HAS to be made.

4.)"One Percent On the Burn Chart: Gender, genitals, and hermaphrodites with attitude" By David Valentine (foiund on JSTOR) This is about the relationship between gender and sex, and medical procedures. I will print it out.

5.)"Mistaken Gender: 5-Alpha Reductase Hermaphroditism abd Biological Reductionism in sexual identity" found on JSTOR. This is about biomedical research on hermaphroditic condition among males in the Dominican Republic. It "refutes the unicausal biological model" and suggests that it is more of a cultural decision.