A couple of days ago I recapped the KRXQ issue. Today, June 11, the Rob, Arnie and Dawn show came on air to officially apologize for their crudely ignorant and dehumanizing remarks on transfolks and transgender children.
Arnie States, one of the hosts, apparently claimed ignorance in his apology, saying that he “didn’t realize that my words could really affect and hurt as bad and as negatively as they did,” which, I mean, makes sense, except for the fact that they advocated throwing shoes at children, which, in my case, seems like it could hurt.
Rob Williams, brilliant owner of the Rob, Arnie and Dawn show, apologized by saying that “our audience made it clear that we had actually made it seem as though we endorse or allow… or encourage the harming and abuse of children, the bullying and villifying of those who are different and singling out of transgenders * for harm and/or mocking.”
(*Transgender people is a more accurate term.. just a note.)
One thing that I think got completely swept under the rug was one of the hosts’ remarks about intersex individuals as “the real, literal freaks of nature.” No one necessarily apologized for this comment nor did any of the advocates that I saw actually say mention to defend intersex individuals.
Intersex does not always mean transgendered. Intersex individuals are those who are born with both sets of biological sex characteristics.
In the past, parents dealt with this issue by deciding on the sex of the child, removing the “null” biological parts, and moving on with their lives. Often times, the child grows up feeling distressed about gender identity. What if the gender the child feels does not match their biological characteristics? There has been extreme controversy in the past decade as to whether genital surgery on intersex infants is ethical or the right thing to do. One of the largest advocates for intersex people, the Intersex Society of North America, has found that the best possible way for parents to help their children with this condition is to assign a gender (withOUT biological surgery) and, with extensive therapy and counseling as well as peer-to-peer support, allow the child to figure out for his, her or their fluid self, which gender feels more appropriate for who they are as they get older and come more into their own.
This does run in the same line with transgender folks on this aspect, and while I think there is a lot inter-relativity, intersex individuals still get swept under the rug a lot when it comes to advocacy and education.
ISNA has done extensive research on the conditions of these individuals and can provide a TON of information for those looking to learn more on the issue.
2 responses so far ↓
Elizabeth Reis // June 13, 2009 at 9:13 am |
Thanks for this post. Regarding the interpretation of intersex people as “freaks,” I wanted to add that, sadly, this is nothing new. I just published a book that looks at the history of how intersex bodies have been seen by Americans since the 17th century. The book is called Bodies in Doubt: An American History of Intersex. It shows how in each era doctors (and others) were influenced by social concerns rather than strictly medical ones — and how the anxiety over uncertainty persisted throughout the centuries.
rawteeth // June 14, 2009 at 11:04 am |
Thanks for reading! I think it’s worth noting when marginalization occurs even in marginalized groups. I feel that even though we put an “I” in GLBTQQIA, Intersex people (and asexual, and bisexual, and even transgender people at some point) often get swept under the rug when it comes to advocacy or media representation, etc. etc.
Is it available at major bookstores or is there a way I can buy it online? I’d definitely love to give it a look.