Response Post

In "Of Gender and Genitals", Sterling talks about the procedure of dealing with intersex new borns and how they go about telling the parents. It is very surprising that they rush judgement to determine what sex the newborn should be. You would think that they would consult the parents more then they actually do, thinking about the challenges to social life that this child might face. Sterling writes, "Before 24 hours pass, the child must leave the hospital "as a sex", and the parents must feel certain of their decision. How can parents feel certain of their decision if this is all dealt with in 24 hours?

Caroline makes a great point when she brings up the social issues that will arise if we have more than 2 genders. Creating more then 2 genders will bring about a completely new movement, but this time it will be for the fight for rights of intersex beings. Caroline raises a good point when she states how issues would arise with sports. Are they going to have another Title IX to make equal opportunities for intersex students? I feel as if creating another gender would create more social instability and problems among our society.

Sterling argues that intersex is not a rare deformity and in fact doctors are lying when they say that there is nobody whom the parents consult because it is so rare. Why do the doctors feel the necessity to make such a statement? Is it because they do not keep a tight network of who was born as an intersex? Is it because it is against the social norm to be born this way so they feel as soon as they complete surgery, they should forget that the baby had a deformity? I think that instead of creating a new gender, we need to acknowledge the fact that intersex births are not as rare as we think, and we need to find a way to make it more socially acceptable, so that surgeries and decisions aren't rushed, and the child can have a better future.