Should Intersex be taught in schools and universities ? And it is being taught anywhere at the moment ?

Answer 1

I hope you don't mind, I saw your other question and also posted this response, so, this is cross posting with extra added ^_~

Yes, the institution of education should include proper information about human bodies, ALL human bodies. I don't know about lower level education, except in biology, we learn that snails and worms are hermaphrodites, there are over 36,000 sexes of mushrooms..etc but intersexes are not "hermaphrodites" and mushrooms certainly aren't human ^_~ As far as post secondary education, I did attend one Sociology class that talked about intersexes briefly. As for resistance, I am in Student Govt. and recently proposed an event for International Intersex Solidarity Day (nov. th) before the Executive Counsil and was shot down faster than a nuclear missile heading to WA DC. because they didn't know what i was talking about. They suggested i hand it off to the rainbow club. I was livid!

Intersexes are either genital shapes and sizes not congruent with current dominant standards of genital shape and size preferences.

Intersexes are also people whose chromosome patterns might not be xx or xy (such as xxy or xxxy, or xxxo, or xo, or mosaic meaning a mix of chromosome patters across different cells)

Intersexes are also a mix of both of the above two options.

The thing about labeling someone intersex, is that when people from the medical community are deciding whether or not to label someone intersex, they often fluctuate as there is not set standard of criterion across the board.

Some use size standards, such as a phallus that is larger than .9cm is too large for a female, therefore if the doctor feels that the [infant] should have been female according to the doctors preferences looking at genitals and /or chromosomes etc the doctor might trim the phallus or remove it (social construction of the female sex)

And if the phallus is smaller than 2.5cm and/or the doctor feels that the [infant] would be unable to stand while urinating as an adult, on an [infant] the doctor feels should have been male according to the doctors preferences looking at genitals and/or chromosomes etc, the doctor might choose to do genital reconstructions and possibly hormone replacement therapy to construct the [infant] as a female regardless of chromosomes etc.

Sex is on a spectrum, you see, where the categories of male and female are not static, meaning, not absolute categories, but rather made up of cultural preferences, they are invented labels put on varrying places on the sex spectrum in order to validate a cultures claims of categories of sex, to perpetuate the segregation of human beings.

Intersexes are often marginalized or stigmatized by societies in order to preserve the western binary gender and sex systems which declare that there are only two sexes, and only two corresponding genders, that both are biological, and that the placement of certain sex and gender labels on human bodies mean something, signify something, often socially and religeously. For this reason, many intersexes are subjected to cosmetic surgery, isolation, shame, discrimination, invalidation, and less access to vital medical care and information about their bodies. And often when they are given medical care or information, it is in such a way that highlights cultural preferences/standards for "male" and "female" and downplays the validity of a natural human body which does not conform to these cultural preferences.

Answer 2

Should intersex be taught? I don't know exactly what that means. Certainly students should be aware that bodies come in different varieties, and be taught to understand and respect intersexed individuals. As a subject, it could be taught, probably as a part of gender studies. I'm sure they still get some attention in these classes.

I don't know of any place that actually teaches it as a sole subject, though.

Answer 3

judging by the other answers it shows that the community
just dose not know enough
a person born between the genders has a difficult choice
weather made by the parents or by the person them self's
intersex is what the I stands for in the GLBTI for those that do not know
i am surprised that yahoo has missed that when setting this site up
intersexuality is had enough for the people involved they should teach it at school for that Little bit education and the helping of the understanding of their lives
i feel intersex is the way humans are trying to involve in evolution
i don't understand the way doctors try to treat it
it just shows the the narrow minds of the society towards gender

Answer 4

Intersexed people are those born with ambiguous genitalia, or aspects of both male and female genitalia and internal sex organs.

This should be taught in high school and college/university. Maybe then people would have a basis for understanding it when they encounter it in their friends.

Answer 5

It definitely SHOULD be taught. At my college, you don't hear about it unless you catch the right professor in the right course. I even had a teacher give me resistance when I mentioned after class that it's inaccurate to refer to gender (or sex) as a dichotomy: she said she knew about what I meant in each case, but pretty much didn't care.

Answer 6

Yes. absolutely. maybe if kids knew more about it there would be less teenage suicide. they're taught that its weird or they're not taught about it at all. all cos of the bloody bible. i mean come on, what a load of bull.

Answer 7

What is intersex? I have never heard of it. Is it something new? ( New age or something?) I looked it up in my dictionary and the word is not there.

Answer 8

Yes, definitely.

Answer 9

Hell yes it should be taught.

Answer 10

explain 'intersex'