ABSTRACT
The focus of this chapter is on intersex encounters with biomedicine. The chapter begins by expanding on the outline in Chapter 2 of different theories about the nature of intersex embodiment, comparing optimal gender theory and the current disorders of sex development (DSD) model. The next section assesses the significance of brain-sex binary research for those with intersex variations. The literature offering clinical recommendations on assignment of sex of children with variations of sex characteristics is contrasted with research on gender identity development of intersex people, looking for evidence in support of brain organisation theory. These two bodies of literature do not align closely. The next section outlines medical practices aimed at ‘curing’ the anomalous intersex body using medical technologies such as genital surgeries, sterilisation, and hormone therapy, and considers their probable impact on gender development.
