Helping To Understand Intersexuality And Transgendered Intersexuals

The American Boyz Policy On The Treatment Of Intersexuals

1. We acknowledge that sexual anatomy comes in a wide range of variations, and that this is part of the natural array of diversity in the world. Therefore, we acknowledge the right of all intersexuals to define their own sex and gender howsoever they prefer, at all stages of their lives.

2. No infant presenting with an intersex condition that includes ambiguous genitalia should undergo any cosmetic operation that removes or rearranges any sensitive tissue, except as a physical health emergency. The only operations that are acceptable in these situations are those which repair problems of function, such as bowel or bladder anomalies.

3. No parent of an intersex child should be given less than the full truth by the attending physician. This must include the difficulty of assigning any intersex child successfully to any gender and assuming that they will stay in that gender. Similarly, no parent should keep any part of the truth about their condition from the child in question, as soon as they are old enough to understand the situation.

4. We acknowledge that an unknown - but not inconsiderable - number of intersexuals do apply for sex reassignment later in life. Therefore, any putative assignment of gender to an intersex child must be considered temporary at best, until the child is old enough to make their wishes known. This is yet another reason to keep all sensitive genital tissue intact, as it is never a given as to how the intersexual child will prefer to have them arranged in adulthood.

5. No intersex child should be pressured to accept a particular gender based on chromosomes, ease of surgery, parental preference, or anything other than their own comfort.

6. Support groups for intersex children, and for parents of intersex children, should be encouraged and be suggested by medical personnel upon discovery of the situation. Intersex children and adolescents have the right to contact and discuss their conditions with adult intersexuals if they feel the need to do so. Parents should advocate for their children as they would for any other child with a slight handicap.

7. No intersex adolescent should be forced to accept hormone therapy against their wishes. If their health is threatened by the lack of hormone replacement therapy, their input should be considered with regard to their choice of hormones.

8. We acknowledge that genital surgery is experimental at best, and that the results cannot be guaranteed. Therefore, no adolescent should be pressured to accept surgery that they are not certain of. There is no cosmetic surgery that cannot be performed more easily in adulthood, when all tissue has ceased growth.

9. We acknowledge that some intersexuals do not choose to identify as male or female. We support their choices, and we feel that society's laws and customs should be altered to make their lives easier. There should be room on a driver's license for something other than F or M.

10. All physicians should agree to these guidelines. We realize that the main reason many surgeons mutilate intersex children in infancy is because they do not trust the parents of those children to be able to handle the situation or love the child when it is not unaltered, but we believe that most of these cases can be better served with education, frequent follow-ups, and therapy for families and children. If an intersexual adolescent or adult requests sex reassignment, they should be able to obtain it under the same guidelines as any non-intersex transsexual, with no bias against them for their intersexuality.

11. No intersexual child should ever be forced to regard their condition as a shameful secret to be kept at all costs. Similarly, no intersexual of any age should be made to be ashamed of what they are. We are human beings, and deserve the same respect for our needs as any other human being.