Middlesex, Jeffrey Eugenides, 2002

General: Trying to make sense of sex/gender ...

A starting place		Adding a biological perspective
sex = biology gender = culture identity = ?		"culture" is not independent of "biology" nor "biology" of "culture" "self" is influenced by both and is a contributor to both both "sex" AND "gender" are "social constructs"; so too are both "biology" and "culture"

Specific: From genes to bodies (via hormones)

• The luck of the draw: XX and XY (and other possibilities)
• Development as amplifier of variance
  • Internal and external genitalia (female, male) follow their own developmental paths
  • Role of hormones - Testosterone metabolism (in detail)
• The luck of the draw continued: 5-alpha reductase deficiency
• Genes influence, do not determine sex/gender ... are a starting point, not the conclusion of a story
• The biological story is that there are many MANY more than two sex/genders and that for any given individual sex/gender is a continuing story in progress ...

Some Further References:

Pseudohermaphroditism, from General Practice Notebook

Heredity and Development

Intersex, Bristol Urological Institute

Transsexuality: An Introduction, from the Gender Trust, UK

Normal Development of the Penis and Male Urethra

Gender: In the Genes or in the Jeans?

Hermaphrodies, pseudohermaphrodites, and anomalous sexual morphology

Female Anatomy

Male Anatomy

Assortment in maternal or paternal only sets

Punnett Square Diagram of a Monohybrid Cross


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