In “That Sexe Which Prevaileth” within the book “Sexing the Body” by Anne Fausto-Sterling, we learn of the history of hermaphroditism. Interestingly, even beyond the mythical origins of the word and concept, though European and American cultures abide by a two-sex system, the way in which different cultures regard intersexuals has been quite varied. For example, Plato proclaimed that there were three sexes, male, female, and hermaphrodite (33) while “early medical practitioners…understood sex and gender to fall along a continuum” (33). Galen too believed that hermaphrodites belonged to an intermediate sex and that there is “no stable biological divide” that separates male from female (34). The French tried to strictly control the activities of hermaphrodites, while the English simply frowned upon them, and Italians didn’t seem to care all that much, judging by the story of Daniel Burghammer. However, ultimately, a hermaphroditic individual was expected to “choose” a sex, that which manifested itself most prominently to the individual, and stick to it. Interestingly, the early scientific views of hermaphrodites and how they were regarded, the fact that early medical practitioners were not fazed by the concept, contrasted with political and legal aims. Essentially the structure of political and legal systems abided (and still abide) by a two-sex system making it such that despite the awareness of intermediate sexes that it is in the best interest of political bodies to enforce the two-sex system.
Initially I never would have thought about classification of a binary sex system as related to political and legal structure, but after reading Fausto-Sterling’s explanation it makes sense that it would be so. What better way to control people than by forcing them to mold to a pre-existing, static system? Yet at the same time it does not make sense, because if intersex individuals dates back to the Greeks and even before, then why wouldn’t the historical roots of politics and law also reflect it? Perhaps the incidences were few enough that intersex individuals could be viewed as anomalies, whether extraordinary or freakish. Perhaps the statistics then made it easier to form a binary system, for intersex individuals, as Fausto-Sterling describes, can have a wide variety of sexual organs and secondary sex characteristics. Regardless, the assumptions behind modern medical treatment of intersexuality, that there should only be two sexes, that heterosexuality is what is normal, and that certain gender roles defined the psychologically healthy male and female (44) appear to be stricter opinions when compared to those of early physicians.
My Response to Kirsten’s Post:
ReplyDeleteI want to further echo what Kirsten has mentioned in her post. I too was fascinated to line that hermaphroditism is something which far precedes contemporary American culture. However, despite the fact that hermaphroditism has bee around for centuries, it is still seen as something that is unnatural.
“But if the state and legal system has an interest in maintaining only two sexes, our collective biological bodies do not. While male and female stand on the extreme ends of a biological continuum, there are many other bodies, bodies such as Sudyam’s, that evidently mix together anatomical components conventionally attributed to both males and females” (Fausto-Sterling 31). I think that this quote from the beginning of “That Sexe which Prevaileth” really struck me the hardest. I think that the reason why I have never been exposed to prior knowledge or exposure to hermaphroditism is the fact the American culture does not want it to exist. Today’s reading shares a similar theme to Tuesday’s reading on gender and sex.
We live in a culture that is distinctly black and white. Everything either is or isn’t. AS my Ecology, Ethics and Wilderness Professor, Paul Pinet, stressed to our class over and over again was the fact the society needs categories. We live in a society were we need to be able to make sense of things, and in order to do so, we place things into groupings. When things, like hermaphrodites, don’t fit into a category we panic. It is seen as “weird”, “unnatural”, etc. But how can one argue that hermaphroditism is unnatural. The human body is part of nature. Nature has decided to create an “intersex” body. Thus, it is not unnatural., but rather it is “not normal”.
Throughout these two readings we see phrases such as “doctors ‘correct’ them” and they are “fixed” (Fausto-Sterling 31 & 43). Society views and treats intersex individuals as outcasts. As sad as it is to say, I don’t know how fast or how soon society will alter their views on hermaphroditism. Modern society likes to live in a very structured society, in which everyone fits into categories. Once lines are blurred people become uncomfortable. Thus, hermaphroditism is a concept that really blurs the lines. Fausto-Sterling’s example of Emma (42) is an example of how hermaphrodites really blur the lines. Emma does not fit into any categories regarding sex, gender and sexuality. She is an in-between.
Kristin, you nicely analyze intersex individuals and the societal biases they face, both historically and currently. Prior to taking this course, I had limited knowledge with regards to the intersex community. I still am unclear with respect to some varied aspects of this population. Yet, my lack of knowledge provides evidence that society continuously tries to hide this subgroup. When a baby is born, parents and doctors often rush to label the sex of the child and to fix all anomalies. A birth certificate does not allow for one to put down undetermined next to the gender of a child. Today, societal biases and the legal system primarily abide by a two-sex system. More needs to be done to increase the education of society at large with respect to the intersex population. Similarly, parents of intersex children need not feel rushed or pressured to make a decision. Noting the high rate of failure of medical professionals at determining the sex of these children, more options must to be made available. Simultaneously, society needs to move away from a two-sex system that continues to dominate American as well as international culture.
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