Hermaphrodites Speak! - Review - movie review

Journal of Sex Research, August, 2000 by BJ Rye

At the end of the film, Angela cogently articulates an important message of the video:

   "... it is very painful for me to think of how, to conceptualize that what
   has been taken is a very specific eroticism, a hermaphroditic eroticism,
   that must really scare people and really cause a great deal of anxiety. It
   is just a really special part of whatever culture that we have developed
   individually and that we are bringing together: that special part, our
   sexuality, that sacred sexuality, has been ripped from us ... I am wary of
   saying that I do not have the kind of genital sensation that I did--because
   that does not mean that I do not have great sex. It does mean that I have a
   not-so-reliable sexual response. But most importantly, it means that: that
   very special form of sexuality, arousal, and all of that that was uniquely
   hermaphroditic was taken. That is the crime."

Intersexed Portrayals in Introductory Human Sexuality Textbooks

Traditionally, introductory human sexuality text books have described intersexuality or hermaphroditism in terms of "errors" in prenatal differentiation (see Hyde & DeLamater, 2000, p. 8, who use John Money's term "errors in gender differentiation"). This "error" terminology is a trend in text books and denotes a "these people are less than perfect" attitude about the intersexed (e.g., Kelley & Byrne, 1992; Nye, 1999; Strong, DeVault, & Werner Sayad, 1999; see Byer, Shainberg, & Galliano, 1999 and Masters, Johnson, & Kolodny, 1995, who speak of surgical "correction"; and see King, 1999, p. 200, who indicates that it is "fortunate" that true hermaphroditism is rare). A more respectful manner of discussing intersexuality would be to present it as a natural, although infrequent, variation of the biological sexual differentiation process. In addition, introductory human sexuality textbooks continue the repugnant practice of illustrating intersexuality using 1960s photos where faces of the individuals have been cut out or only portions of their bodies are shown (e.g., Allgeier & Allgeier, 2000; Byer et al., 1999; Crooks & Baur, 1999; King, 1999; Rathus, Nevid, & Fichner-Rathus, 1997; Strong et al., 1999); for example, while Rathus, Nevid, and Fischner-Rathus (2000) have removed the photo of the woman whose face was cut out (1997), they have retained disembodied genitalia photos. Allgeier and Allgeier are the only authors who concede that this may have the effect of dehumanizing people who are intersexed --despite this concession, they continue to use these photos. No other groups (e.g., homosexuals, transsexuals) have their faces "blacked out" in human sexuality textbooks (Chase, 1998).

Further, few introductory human sexuality text books go beyond describing the physical manifestations of the various intersex conditions (e.g., chromosomal sex, gonads, internal reproductive structures, external reproductive structures, and secondary sex characteristics). Descriptions of the incidence of the conditions, reproductive capacity of the individual, and treatment (e.g., genital surgery in infancy or hormones at puberty) are presented (e.g., Kelley & Byrne, 1992; King, 1999; Strong et al., 1999; and Byer et al., 1999, p. 338, argue rather strongly for the need for surgery at a very early age to "correct" the genitals so that they "conform" to the assigned sex of rearing) but only rarely are the psychological processes or the experiences of intersexuals discussed. Psychobiological implications are discussed by some (e.g., the influence of sex hormones on gender identity and sexual orientation: Allgeier & Allgeier, 2000; Crooks & Baur, 1999; Kelly, 1998). "Successful" sex assignment or reassignment is often defined by the adoption by the intersexed person of the sex and corresponding gender role assigned by the health care workers as well as a "heterosexual" sexual orientation (e.g., King, 1999). Note that the definition of heterosexual is contingent upon what gender the person was assigned by the medical professionals during infancy. The person might be considered gender dysphoric if he or she does not adopt the assigned sex, gender role, and heterosexual sexual orientation. See Holmes (1995) for a discussion of the role of homophobia in intersex issues. King (1999), for example, when discussing congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), states: "... most have a heterosexual orientation as adults, and some who receive treatment later marry and have babies" (p. 202). This statement may be perceived to imply that a CAH woman who does not "receive treatment" may not have a heterosexual orientation and subsequently may not marry.