Gender Identity

    Your gender identity can be determined by someone other than yourself. That's what many doctors believe at least.  Sally Lehrman's Going beyond X and Y sheds light on the despair inflicted upon "intersex" individuals by the assumptions of insensitive doctors. Although it may come as shocking to many unfamiliar with the medical field, "a baby's genitals might not match the reproductive organs inside" (Lehrman 1). In an attempt to define sexual normalcy, Lehrman   strives to prove that "sex hormones do not drive neural development and behavioral differences of their own"  (Lehrman 2). The focal point of the article; however, is the need to modify the vocabulary used to categorize the "disorder of sexual development" (Lehrman 2). This stance, unassailable by even the most conservative minds, is unquestionably the most efficient way to raise awareness and impede the suffering of transgender individuals. 

    Ambiguously sexed babies ultimately suffer through discrimination and intolerance. With simple changes to one's vocabulary, the pain will be decreased exponentially. Words such as "pseudohermaphrodite" and "hermaphrodite" are "vague and hurtful" to the effected individuals (Lehrman 2). Some people mistakingly believe the unscientific words don't cause pain and others are insensitive enough to give no thought to their words. Precise scientific terms give the ambiguously sexed individuals exactly what they deserve: an opportunity to avoid social scrutiny. The term disorder of sexual development (DSD) serves as accurate medical terminology that "avoids humiliating intersex individuals" ( Lehrman 2). To truly understand the heartache of discrimination, we must try to see from the eyes of an intersex individual.Cheryl Chase, an intersex woman, has experienced firsthand the agony of damaging intersex nomenclature. Failing to recognize mixed sex characteristics as a lifelong medical condition, one of Chase's doctors referred to her as a "formerly intersex" individual (Lehrman 2). This seemingly innocent use of words left an indelible scar on Chase. With a slight word adjustment, the doctor could have spared Cheryl Chase from pain. 

    The next time you sling a word around that could possibly offend someone, imagine that your child is the one suffering from a lifelong medical condition. In order to spare intersex individuals from anguish, we must empathize and make a small adjustment to the names commonly used. This is a miniscule change to make in order to ensure to them what all people deserve: happiness. 

Works Cited

Lehrman, Sally. "Going Beyond X and Y."  Scientific American. May 2007. 24 Feb. 2009 sciam.com=going-beyond-x-and-y>.

Hey guys, 

I recently had an assignment in class regarding society's expectations of people to fit into certain groups. The category I chose to write about was being a liberal. The American political system, ravaged by bipartisanship,  is advertised as the shining beacon of freedom throughout the entire world. In reality, it is only as empowering as the American people (liberals and conservatives) allow it to be. My poem both stresses the expectations of being a liberal by society and emphasizes the often hostile relationship between liberals and conservatives. 

Liberal Diagnosis

Wear jeans with holes in them; don't clean them before the week is over; hug trees repeatedly during your daily nature walk; pick flowers while marveling at the beauty of the world; don't you dare spit your gum out on the ground; think about the amount of pollution created by the factory that produced that gum; think about the big picture for once; be considerate you self-absorbed bastard; disagree with those close-minded conservatives about their concrete beliefs; agree completely with the abolishment of the death penalty; didn't that guy murder seven children? He might be innocent; you have to regard eccentric individuals with an open-mind; vote for the Democratic candidate even if you disagree with him on most things; smoke weed daily to fight for its legalization; but I care more about my lungs; you must think about the greater good; volunteer for a soup kitchen and fight for the rights of the poor; protest against laws you find unconstitutional; ignore the tear gas, because it is a small price to pay for your freedom; This is how you show the love for your country; honorable men died for your right to vote: don't become a complacent fool; you must vote every chance you get; protest against unjust wars even if you mentally damage our own troops in the process; be sure speak daily about the your disgust with former President Bush's blunders in the Middle East; don't listen to the right-wing nonsense that the American people elected him twice; blame Republicans for all that is wrong in the world, focusing especially on the catastrophic recession in America; they let big businesses grow out of control; therefore, the hardworking liberals are being punished for their greed; fight against the NRA's attempts to legalize personal gun use; guns kill children; you must respect and love people of different race, creed, and sexual-orientation; you must fight for their rights the way you would for your own; show those bigoted Republicans how forward-thinking you are; be sure to fight for the rights of gay, lesbian, and transgender couples; equal rights must be given to everyone; refuse to say the Pledge of Allegiance; religion must be kept out of all public spaces; ultimately, you must believe in the government to protect our civil liberties and human rights; one man alone is not capable of this.