ABSTRACT
This chapter considers intersex from scientific perspectives, particularly the science behind sex/gender and the medical treatment of intersex, which has led to the medical erasure of intersex people who do not ‘fit’ into the sex/gender binary. First is an examination of the five aspects of sex differentiation and the various forms of intersex that occur when humans do not develop along what sexual dimorphism deems to be ‘female’ or ‘male’ lines. Next is an exploration of the medical treatment of intersex, including the history leading up to John Money and his ‘optimum gender of rearing’ model as well as the experiences of my interview partners regarding their own medical treatment. This chapter concludes by looking at how these personal experiences, as well as changing understandings of the science behind sex/gender, have led to calls for a new treatment paradigm and the end to medically unnecessary surgeries without the person’s consent.
