For the intersex community, ‘Every Body’ exists on a spectrum

Intersex advocate Alicia Roth Weigel discusses the nature of intersexuality and challenges faced in a society adhering to rigid gender binaries, as documented in Julie Cohen’s film ‘Every Body.’

Defining intersex: Intersex individuals are born with physical characteristics that fit neither the typical ‘male’ or ‘female’ categories.
* Alicia Roth Weigel, born with androgen insensitivity syndrome, discusses her condition in the context of societal misconceptions about binary gender norms.
* Intersexuality is not widely understood yet by society and exists on a spectrum like sexuality and gender.

Personal account: Weigel opens up about her personal experiences and the physical and psychological impact of forced medical intervention during her childhood.
* As an infant, Weigel had her testes removed due to an overstated risk of testicular cancer, leading to complications later in life.
* The experience led to a loss of body hormones and a sense of shame and isolation that affected her self-perception and mental health.

The broader picture: The film’s inspiration came from the story of David Reimer, a man forced to live as a girl due to a botched circumcision in infancy.
* Despite reassigned gender during childhood, Reimer eventually developed a male gender identity.
* This case highlights the psychological distress caused by forced gender assignments and has significant implications for the intersex community.

Current challenges: Current laws aimed against the trans community directly impact intersex individuals.
* There are laws that deny surgeries and hormones to trans people who consent to them but continue to enforce the same on intersex children without their consent.
* Weigel emphasizes the need for lawmakers and society to expand their understanding about intersex individuals to protect and support them.

View original article on NPR

This summary was created by an AI system. The use of this summary is subject to our Terms of Service.

Contact us about this post

Posted

in

by

Tags:

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *