Image depicts a group of people protesting against the use of Intersex related surgeries.
The "Phall-O-Meter," an meter that was used to give a visual for what people felt was the appropriate length of genitalia to have before it was considered "abnormal."
Image depicts a group of people protesting against the use of Intersex related surgeries.
Intersex Non-Consensual Surgeries
Intersex is an umbrella term to describe any individual who has sex characteristics that are not strictly male or female. Intersex is seen in different ways, such as genitalia differing from what is typically found with Male and Female individuals, chromosome combinations differing from the typical XX and XY chromosomes, and external genitalia that is typical for one gender but internal organs/ hormones matching the opposite gender.
Intersex related surgeries are surgeries that are done to force an intersex individual to conform to one gender. Intersex related surgeries are done sometime between the immediate birth of a person or within 24 months after birth and involve altering the genitalia to fit a specific gender. A crucial point to emphasize is that intersex related surgeries are non-lifesaving. Instead, the practice is rooted within heteronormative cultural ideas, preaching the idea that anything other than strictly male or strictly female is “abnormal” and should not be accepted. An important point to note is since those receiving intersex related surgeries are infants, there is no ability to consent to the surgery that is being performed on them.
Intersex related surgeries prove to create negative long term effects on the individuals who were the recipients. Individuals who received intersex related surgeries may deal with scarring, chronic pain, sexual dysfunction, infertility, and much more throughout their life due to complications from the surgery. One other effect that can arise from intersex related surgeries is the inaccurate assignment of a gender/sex.
Sources:
Abrams, Hunter. People rally to end intersex surgeries in New York City. Photograph. 2018.
Cohen, C. (2022, January 13). Surgeries on intersex infants are bad medicine. National Health Law Program. https://healthlaw.org/surgeries-on-intersex-infants-are-bad-medicine/
Creighton, S. (2001). Surgery for Intersex. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 94(5), 218–220. https://doi.org/10.1177/014107680109400505
“The Phall-O-Meter”. Illustration. Intersex Society of North America. C.1990s. From the Humans Rights Watch.