The reason why I picked up Dreger’s new book is that I know her work on the intersex, and that’s a subject that interests me since the time I did research on it. So I wanted to give a brief overview of what’s happening in terms of intersex because this is a very important subject that doesn’t get discussed often enough.
Quite a few people (seriously, a lot more than you think) are born with genitals that don’t correspond to “the norm.” Of course, the question is who defines “the norm” and, more importantly, why it’s necessary to define it at all, but that question rarely gets asked.
When, for instance, a girl is born with a clitoris that is “too large”, the medical orthodoxy suggests that she might, as a result of this unusual characteristic, be too “masculine” and – oh, horror! – not want to play with dolls. And as a result of that horrible eventuality, she might not want to have babies when she grows up. And of course, this enormous tragedy needs to be prevented by operating on the poor newborn and slicing up her clitoris. I kid you not, this is the actual medical consensus.
Little boys with unusual genitals are subjected to the same shit, even though these operations often result in partial loss of function and a sky-rocketing likelihood of constant infection.
Mind you, these kids are initially absolutely healthy. The only reason to subject them to these operations (that often damage their health for life) is the medieval belief that “imperfect” sex organs will somehow prevent them from adopting very traditional gender roles in adulthood. Because people with “perfectly normal” genitals always invariably adopt the most traditional gender roles. Obviously.
Just think about it. Actual genital mutilation. Happens every day. On this continent. And we barely ever hear about it.
[To be continued. . .]
Clarissa's Blog 
Best frequency i could find on this says it is about 1 in 1500 to 1 in 2000? Is that what you have seen? Just trying to figure out scale and numberetc.
I guess what surprises me then if that low why would anyone care from a societal standpoint if they would have kids etc. What I am trying to get at is I assume the doctors have their best interest at heart since its not an important broader issue, so just curious to why / how they do what you are talking about.Very curious to see what the current medical consensus is and why
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The medical establishment is very conservative. Trying to move it from the entrenched positions is very hard work. There has been some progress, though. Intersex rights proponents are managing to attract some of the doctors to the idea that maybe it’s best to leave these babies alone until they grow up and decide what to do with their genitals.
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The documentary Intersexion blames the popularity of surgery on young children on a doctor who claimed in medical journals and at conferences that his assignment surgeries were completely successful, even as more and more of the people who had been through his surgeries were growing up and not feeling right about the gender they were being raised as. Of course, the medical establishment wouldn’t have believed the doctor if they weren’t ready to believe him.
The current consensus is moving away from surgeries on young children, but there are doctors who will do it before children are old enough to consent, especially if the parents are insistent.
http://www.nbcnews.com/id/6994580/ns/health-childrens_health/t/new-guidelines-treating-intersex-babies/#.Vo3Crlk6_s0
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The good news is that at least people are beginning to discuss the issue. This is no longer completely shrouded in silence and shame. And everybody who adds their voice to the discussion or takes time to learn about it is helping to make things better.
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“a girl is born with a clitoris that is “too large” …this enormous tragedy needs to be prevented by operating on the poor newborn and slicing up her clitoris.”
This is insane (not the first time I’ve thought that about the medical establishment. Even if a person agreed that a large clitoris is a problem (I don’t, for the record) then slicing it up is treating the symptoms and not the supposed disorder itself. It sounds like something more suited to the 19th century than today.
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And what’s the hurry, anyway? If the woman decides she has a problem with it when she grows up, she can do cosmetic surgery then.
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I’ve always wondered why circumcision of males is so widely and easily accepted. Seems to me to border on genital mutilation. That’s something that could wait for later, as well.
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I agree completely.
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Well, that statement is overkill. Male circumcision helps to prevent a variety of venereal diseases that a man can pass on to a woman, and the operation is MUCH less complicated in infancy.
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This is a myth. In reality, it was massively introduced in the US with the goal of preventing masturbation. The tall tale about health benefits was invented later.
“In the United States, circumcision wasn’t popularized until Victorian times, when a few doctors began to recommend it to prevent children from masturbating. Dr. Kellogg (of Corn Flakes fame) advocated circumcision for pubescent boys and girls to stop masturbation: “A remedy which is almost always successful in small boys is circumcision, especially when there is any degree of phimosis. The operation should be performed by a surgeon without administering an anæsthetic, as the brief pain attending the operation will have a salutary effect upon the mind, especially if it be connected with the idea of punishment… In females, the author has found the application of pure carbolic acid to the clitoris an excellent means of allaying the abnormal excitement” (Kellogg 1877)
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/moral-landscapes/201109/circumcision-social-sexual-psychological-realities
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Okay, so this idea was brought up by a Seventh-Day Adventist idiot who made a fortune creating a vegetarian cereal, right after his church kicked him out (so he didn’t have to tithe the loot).
“Psychology Today” is about as scientific as “Slate.com” or “NationalReview Online.”
Anybody who thinks that male circumcision prevents the bliss of sexual arousal, or masturbation, hasn’t talked to the millions of Jewish and Muslim and Christian boys and men around the world. Do you think that billions of children would be born around the world every year, if circumcised men couldn’t enjoy sex?
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Plenty of advanced places in the world where infant circumcision is not routine, and I haven’t heard too much about health problems. Circumcision can be done on an adult male without complications, far as I know. A relative of mine was circumcised as an adult when he was in the army during WWII, according to his war stories. I’ve always suspected that Army post was overstaffed with doctors waiting for a battle that never came, and the doctors were looking for surgical practice.
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Adult circumcision requires painful stitches and healing that can rip out if a buxom nurse bends over and makes teasing comments — you think I’m kidding? I can tell you a THOUSAND true medical horror stories!
The U.S. military — which has always been mocked by people who never served — keeps cosmetic surgeons well-trained because of the requirement to try to return disfigured combatants to a reasonable life.
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I don’t want to even think about the possible horror story scenarios on this subject.
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