Q. How can an LGBT
office serve intersexed people? Are they included under the "T"?
Are there specific suggestions of speakers or printed materials
we should acquire?
A. Many intersexed
people (defined by the Intersex
Society of North America as "individuals born with anatomy or
physiology which differs from cultural ideals of male and female")
affiliate politically with the lgbt movement. In addition, intersexed
people's issues and concerns overlap to some extent with those of
lgbt people, who may also claim the right to "differ from cultural
ideals of male and female." Thus, though not all intersexed people
identify as lgbt, and they are not, as a group, totally subsumed
under any of these four categories, there is reason to consider
them among the groups of people LGBT Centers serve on college campuses.
Intersexed people have also articulated many issues
that are specific to them, and LGBT Center staff must both educate
themselves about these issues, and have information on hand to help
educate others on campus. The single best place to go for information
is the Web site of the Intersex
Society of North America (ISNA). This site, at www.isna.org,
provides useful information and links to other sites. ISNA also
publishes a newsletter, Hermaphrodites with Attitude, and
has produced a video, Hermaphrodites Speak! (see below).
Information on obtaining these resources is on their website.
[This question was answered by Dr. Saralyn
Chesnut, Director of Emory University's Office
of Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender Life]
Here are some materials suggested by Dave Barnett,
formerly of the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Colapinto, John (2000) As Nature
Made Him: The Boy who was Raised as a Girl. HarperCollins
Dreger, Alice Domurat (1998). Hermaphrodites
and the medical invention of sex. Harvard University Press.
Kessler, Suzanne J. (1998) Lessons from the
intersexed. Rutgers University Press
Hermaphrodites Speak!. Before 1997, virtually
the only pictures of intersex people available were pathologizing
and dehumanizing photos in medical texts. In 1996, for the first
time, intersex people came together for a weekend retreat to discuss
their lives and their pain, and to heal together. This film documents
the incredible spirit that grew during that weekend. Eight of the
retreat-goers sit together and speak simply, forcefully, and articulately
about themselves and about their passion to change social and medical
treatment of people who are born different. Because this tape was
produced as a home video, the image quality is sometimes poor, but
the sound is quite good. (35 min.). Available through the Intersex
Society of North America.
You may be interested in these related FAQs:
What
kind of programs and resources are available for trans students?
What
polices can be put into place to accommodate transgendered students
in campus housing?
Is there
a good statement that I can use as to why we include the "T" in
our GLBT programs?
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