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sarina's picture

How to present the intersex experience

I think that in the case of intersex individuals, the mythical or literary methods can teach much more than the medical community. Although there are certainly contributions medical professionals can make to the general public about intersex (intersexism? I don't know the proper terminology here), I believe that personal stories (fictionalized or real) have more to contribute for the public. It seems that the greatest challenge for intersex individuals is acceptance by the public and by the media. As we see with the Oprah episode, times have changed. It has gone from a secret, mortifying medical condition, to simply a regular part of life for some people. I say "some" because acceptance is not wide-spread; there are communities still mistreating intersex individuals. 

Medical information may give public observers some idea of what intersex is, but personal stories make it human, and make it easier to swallow.  The idea of someone being in between (or neither?) sexes is difficult in a society so based on a binary sex system. If a person reads a book, they may feel like they got to know an intersex individual, and people are always more accepting of something if it is identified with one of their friends.

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