The Medicalization of Biological Sex

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Sex is the classification of people as male or female based on characteristics such as hormones, chromosomes, internal reproductive organs, and genitalia. If an individual cannot be classified as a male or female, the sex of the individual is referred to as intersex.

Identification of Biological Sex

Biological sex can typically be determined around 5 months gestational age via ultrasound. Some parents choose to wait till birth to find out the sex of their child, but even then what may appear to be one sex may actually turn out to be intersex down the line. Approximately 1 in every 2,500 births is intersex . A case study showed an intersex individual who was living for years as a man until he returned from war and was told after an MRI that he was really intersex. This information sparked a change in his identity as he now identifies as a woman . Biological sex can play a major role in gender identity.

Intersex Procedures

Historically

Doctors and parents chose to perform early corrective surgery to alter the appearance of genitals for intersex babies to make it appear that they were always born male or female. They would choose the sex of the "best fit" for the infant . Specialists believed that this would make the child feel "normal" . Rather than telling the patient that they have both male and female genitalia, they would let them live their life thinking they were biologically male or biologically female. There was a belief that this had a really beneficial effect on the child as they could feel as if they belong because they fit in the biological sex binary.

Currently

Recently, there has been much more questioning to whether altering the appearance of genitals to match either male or female is really the best option. It is now looked at more as a violation of their rights, than a beneficial surgery. Instead of making any alterations, more recent practices have started to just do nothing, this allows the individual to make the decision of whether or not they want to alter their appearance for themselves. Early corrective surgery still exists, but the procedure seems to be less invasive than previously .

Problems Associated with Intersex Procedures

These 'normalization' procedures are strictly for aesthetic principles, there is no health benefits to these surgeries. Individuals who have undergone these surgeries risk dealing with many side effects and for many these are side effects of a procedure they did not even ask for.

Side Effects

After procedures to 'normalize' intersex individuals, scarring is common. Many individuals are prone to infections, which can be quite frequent. A major complaint of those who have undergone these surgeries is that they have a loss of feeling affecting their sexual drive and relationships.

Mental Health Issues

A lot of intersex individuals find out later in life what their biological sex really is, some never learn, but this can have intense negative effects on their psyche. Many feel like they have been living a lie and begin to question their gender identity. Gender identity issues are quite common with intersex and false choice of the "best fit" in early correction procedures can result in a lifetime of questioning . Many intersex individuals get labelled delusional for their ongoing doubt of their sex .

Representation of Biological Sex in the Media

Unlike males or females, when intersex individuals are represented in the media they are commonly used for comedic purposes. This even dates back to ancient Greek and Roman myths of hermaphroditos, who was meant to 'amuse' audiences . With intersex births being so common, it is surprising that there is such a vast lack of intersex representation in media. "Hermaphroditism" was formally used to discuss intersex conditions and is much more stigmatizing, but also more discussed than the term 'intersex' . The narrative of what makes an individual intersex is in reality very diverse, but when used in the media it is very limited.

The Changing Narratives of Biological Sex

Nowadays, parents of intersex individuals are less likely to be told to keep their child's sex a secret . With the decline in 'normalization' procedures, there appears to be a growing acceptance of all individuals' biological sex. The process of making intersex the "other" needs to cease for there to be full acceptance of all biological sex. As well as honest representations of intersex individuals in the media, not just comical relief.