Intersex Activists in Israel: Their Achievements and the Obstacles They Face.

This article focuses on the dynamic between the medical policy on intersex bodies and intersex activists in Israel. Recently, in many countries changes have taken place in medical guidelines regarding intersex patients and laws that regulate medical practices and prohibit irreversible surgeries for intersex babies for cosmetic reasons and without the patient's consent. In Israel, intersex activists are limited by several factors. On the one hand, they are influenced by the achievements of intersex activism around the world but on the other, the pathologizing medical discourse and socio-medical practices, which include early diagnosis, early irreversible surgeries, and secrecy surrounding intersexed bodies, present obstacles to achieving bodily autonomy for intersex individuals and social recognition of different sex development. Nevertheless, intersex activists are attempting to find different social and media spaces in which to achieve public acknowledgement and future bodily autonomy for intersexed people and seeking medical professionals' cooperation. Recently, the Israeli Ministry of Health published a new circular for intersex/DSD patients, and while it does not clearly forbid irreversible surgeries, it provides information about the complexities of intersex people and their experience.

Gender Issues and Related Social Stigma Affecting Patients with a Disorder of Sex Development in India.

Children with disorders of sex development (DSD) manifest at birth with malformed genitalia or later with atypical pubertal development. Those born with malformed genitalia are often diagnosed at birth. However, in resource-poor countries like India, where not all births are supervised by healthcare workers, some of these children remain undiagnosed until puberty or even later. The aim of this study was to assess the gender issues and psychosocial problems of children with DSD. Participants included 205 children with DSD (103 with 46,XX DSD and 102 with 46,XY DSD). Both the children with DSD and their parents underwent semistructured interviews by a clinical psychologist. The birth of a child with DSD was perceived as a major medical and social problem by parents from all socioeconomic strata. Mothers were distressed as many believed the DSD condition was transmitted through the mother. Children who were not diagnosed and treated during infancy or early childhood experienced considerable social discrimination not only from relatives and friends but also from medical and paramedical staff in hospitals. Several patients had been operated during infancy without an etiological diagnosis and without provision of adequate information to the parents. Some children had problems related to complications of surgery. Most teenage patients with 5α-reductase-2 deficiency reared as females presented with gender dysphoria, while children with androgen insensitivity (except for one) or with gonadal dysgenesis developed a gender identity concordant with their gender of rearing. Parents of children with DSD preferred a male gender assignment for their children (if that was possible) because of the social advantages of growing up male in a patriarchal society.

The Islamic Perspectives of Gender-Related Issues in the Management of Patients With Disorders of Sex Development.

In Islam, the person with somatic sex ambiguity due to a disorder of sex development (DSD), such as 46,XX congenital adrenal hyperplasia or 46,XY androgen insensitivity, is recognized as khunsa. Two types of khunsa are distinguished: wadhih (discernible) and musykil (intractable). A recent fatwa (religious edict) in Malaysia decreed that it is permissible for male-assigned patients from these two groups to have gender reassignment surgery to female following diagnosis; however, the religious authority has yet to rule on the reassignment from female to male, if requested. The different schools of law in Islam agree on some aspects of gender-related issues like the position of khunsa in prayer congregations, but differ in their opinions on others such as property inheritance and bathing rituals. For purposes of illustration, this article includes three case reports on Muslim patients with DSD in Malaysia, focusing on issues of gender assignment: (1) a patient with 46,XX CAH, assigned as female, requesting reassignment to male; (2) a patient with 46,XX CAH, assigned female, and gender dysphoric, but undecided on the gender to be; and (3) a patient with 46,XY complete gonadal dysgenesis, raised female due to her phenotype at birth, diagnosed late, at age 18 years, and content to remain female. Gender-related issues from the perspective of Islamic jurisprudence are highlighted and discussed. To ensure holistic care, health-service providers involved in the care of Muslim patients with DSDs need to be aware of the Islamic perspectives on gender-related issues and involve expert religious authorities.

Challenging cisgenderism in the ageing and aged care sector: Meeting the needs of older people of trans and/or non-binary experience.

Recent Australian legislative and policy changes can benefit people of trans and/or non-binary experience (e.g. men assigned female with stereotypically 'female' bodies, women assigned male with stereotypically 'male' bodies, and people who identify as genderqueer, agender [having no gender], bi-gender [having two genders] or another gender option). These populations often experience cisgenderism, which previous research defined as 'the ideology that invalidates people's own understanding of their genders and bodies'. Some documented forms of cisgenderism include pathologising (treating people's genders and bodies as disordered) and misgendering (disregarding people's own understanding and classifications of their genders and bodies). This system of classifying people's lived experiences of gender and body invalidation is called the cisgenderism framework. Applying the cisgenderism framework in the ageing and aged care sector can enhance service providers' ability to meet the needs of older people of trans and/or non-binary experience.

It is more than sex and clothes: Culturally safe services for older lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people.

This paper outlines the development of culturally safe services for older lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people. It draws on a framework for cultural safety, developed in New Zealand which incorporates an understanding of how history, culture and power imbalances influence the relationship between service providers and Maori people. This has been adapted to the needs of older lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex Australians.

Body image and sexuality in Indonesian adults with a disorder of sex development (DSD).

In Indonesia, disorders of sex development (DSDs) are not well recognized and medical care for affected individuals is scarce. Consequently, many patients live with ambiguous genitalia and appearance. We compared reported outcomes on body image, sexual functioning, and sexual orientation of 39 adults with DSDs (aged 18 to 41) and 39 healthy controls matched for gender, age, and residential setting (urban, suburban, rural). Differences in gender and treatment status (treated or untreated) were also explored. On body image, adults with DSDs reported dissatisfaction with sex-related body parts. Compared to the matched controls, women with DSDs reported greater sexual distress, and men with DSDs reported lower erectile and ejaculation frequencies, and more dissatisfaction with sexual life but not with sexual desire and activities. Men with DSDs who had undergone genital surgery reported higher erectile and ejaculation frequencies than untreated men. More women than men in the DSDs group reported a nonexclusive heterosexual orientation. DSDs and infertility had a great impact on sexuality. Fear of ostracism complicated DSD acceptance. Findings were compared to those of Western studies. Based on these results, education about DSDs and their psychosexual consequences may help reduce the sexual distress and problems in adults with DSDs and improve quality of life.

[The banishment of the marvellous. Hermaphrodites and sexual mutants in Enlightenment Spain]. / El destierro de lo maravilloso. Hermafroditas y mutantes sexuales en la España de la Ilustración.

This article presents a historical synthesis in order to trace how the collective belief in the existence of hermaphrodites and sex-changes was slowly eroded in the changing medical and cultural context of Enlightenment Spain. In order to explain this change, three interlinked processes are outlined. First, the naturalization of the monster and the disappearance of the "marvellous" in Enlightenment science. Second, the consolidation of modern legal or forensic science and the rise of the medical specialist as the relevant authority in the determination of sexual identity. Third, the emergence of the notion of fundamental biological differences between the sexes. The article concludes by discussing the consequences of these shifts for early nineteenth-century Spanish medicine.

Undervirilization in XY newborns may hide a 5α-reductase deficiency: report of three new SRD5A2 gene mutations.

The observation of ambiguous genitalia in the newborn signals a medical, surgical and psychological emergency. The most crucial decision will be the choice of sex assignment. Rapid and precise diagnosis is thus essential. In XY newborns with normal/high plasma testosterone (T), partial androgen insensitivity syndrome (PAIS) is usually the first diagnosis evoked, which implies an androgen receptor (AR) defect. The diagnosis of steroid-5-alpha-reductase deficiency is rarely considered by the paediatrician. We report three new SRD5A2 gene mutations in four newborns from France, Morocco and Turkey. The newborns presented with ambiguous genitalia and normal plasma T values and the initial diagnosis\PAIS. In all four cases, normal sequences of the complete AR gene excluded this diagnosis and raised the hypothesis of 5α-reductase deficiency. The entire coding region (5 exons) of the SRD5A2 gene was assessed by PCR and direct sequencing analysis. For patient 1, we identified a new homozygous 2bp deletion in exon 1 (c.122_123delAG). Patient 2 had a known homozygous mutation, p.G115D, in exon 2. New compound heterozygous mutations in exon 4 (p.A215V) and exon 5 (p.X255Q) were found in patient 3. Patient 4 presented a new substitution in exon 1 (p.S14R) associated with a known polymorphism (p.V89L). Our data confirm our previous experience and clearly demonstrate that a 5-α reductase defect should be considered in all XY newborns with ambiguous genitalia and normal plasma T secretion, whatever their geographic area or ethnic group; moreover, this defect was not linked to specific phenotype. Early molecular diagnosis is indispensable for the crucial decision of the newborn's sex of rearing.

Disorders of sex development (DSDs), their presentation and management in different cultures.

The way disorders of sex development (DSD) are viewed and managed in different cultures varies widely. They are complex conditions and even well-educated lay people find them difficult to understand, but when families are very poor and lacking in basic education, and the health system is starved of resources, traditional beliefs, folk remedies and prejudice combine to make the lives of children and adults with DSD extremely difficult and sad. Rumour and discrimination isolate them from their communities and they become devalued. People with DSDs desire the same things in life as everyone else-to find someone who will love them, to be valued as human beings, to feel at home in their own bodies, to be able to have satisfactory sexual relations should these be desired, to be able to trust their medical advisers and to be integrated into the general community. Long term outcome studies have been published from many countries, but these studies have not necessarily been critical of the values that underpinned the type of treatment given to the patients. There is a need for standardized instruments that would allow a true comparison of the quality of outcomes from the patients' perspective. Much could be done to improve equity between rich and poor countries for the benefit of people with DSDs. A focus on developing cheap, robust diagnostic tests, making essential medicines available for all, training surgeons to do better operations, educating health professionals, families and the general community in order to break down prejudice against people with DSDs, and training mental health workers in this specialized field, would do much to alleviate the burden of the condition.

Intersexuality and alternative gender categories in non-Western cultures.

BACKGROUND: In the Western world, it is widely accepted as natural - and seen almost as a law of nature - that mankind is divided into two sexes or genders - males and females. In many cultures and societies, however, more than two sex and/or gender categories are recognized, which in some instances refer to the biological sex and in others to gender roles and social status. AIMS: To give an intercultural comparison of various ways of dealing with gender variance. METHODS: In the following paper, we review the anthropological literature during the last 100 years describing individuals who live neither as men nor women in various non-Western cultures. RESULTS: Only rarely, these individuals suffer from disorders of sex development in the modern medical or biological definition: in many if not all societies there have been individuals who are not covered by the gender category of male and female. CONCLUSION: There thus appears to be a cultural need for people with a special neither-male-nor-female status, which might be classified as 'gender variance'.

Beliefs and practices concerning twins, hermaphrodites, and albinos among the Bamana and Maninka of Mali.

The Bamana and Maninka of Mali greatly value twins, and have elaborated a range of cultural beliefs and practices to assure their survival. Rates of twinning among these two ethnic groups average from 15.2/1000 to 17.9/1000 births compared to 10.5/1000 births (without assisted reproduction) in the United States and Great Britain. Twins (flaniw) are regarded as extraordinary beings with unusual powers, and as a gift from the supreme deity. A small altar (sinzin) is maintained in the home of twins, and periodic sacrifices of chicken blood, kola nuts, millet paste and millet beer regularly made to assure their protection. Albinos (yéfeguéw) and true and pseudo-hermaphrodites (tyéténousotéw) are also considered twin beings. However, they are believed to be the result of aberrant parental social behavior. The Bamana and Maninka believe that all four groups (twins, albinos, hermaphrodites, and pseudo-harmaphrodites) are closely linked to Faro, an androgynous supernatural being who provides equilibrium in the world. Faro is the original albino and hermaphrodite who gave birth to the first pair of twins after self-impregnation. Whenever a twin dies, a small wooden statue is sculpted called a flanitokélé (twin that remains). This commemorative figure is kept close to the surviving twin, reflecting a belief in the inseparability of twins. Eventually, the surviving twin takes responsibility for the figure. When a surviving twin marries, another figure is often sculpted in the opposite sex from the deceased twin, and placed with the original sculpture. Such commemorative sculptures are not created upon the death of those who are albinos, hermaphrodites, or pseudo-hermaphrodites. In recent years, transformational belief patterns have evolved as increasing numbers of Bamana and Maninka embrace Islam. Traditional beliefs are often given Islamic myths of origin. However, even in this Islamic context, many practices that assure twin survival are maintained.

17 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 3 deficiency in the Mediterranean population.

Eighty-five males with 17 beta-HSD3 were identified among a highly inbred Arab population in Israel and 57 studied over a period of 25 years. The founders of this defect originated in the mountainous regions of present Lebanon and Syria, but most of the families now live in Jerusalem, Hebron, the Tel-Aviv area and, in particular, in Gaza, where the frequency of affected males is estimated at 1 in 100 to 150. Affected individuals are born with ambiguity of the external genitalia and reared as females until puberty. Thereafter marked virilization occurs, leading in many cases to the spontaneous adoption of a male gender identity and role. Adults develop a male habitus with abundant body hair and beard and the phallus and testes enlarge to adult proportions. Gender reassignment in infancy was only possible when enough erectile tissue was present at birth and developed into a normal size penis with testosterone. 17 beta-HSD3 deficiency can be reliably diagnosed by endocrine evaluation and mutation analysis. In adults the defect is characterized by markedly increased concentrations of androstenedione (A) with borderline low to normal testosterone (T) levels and a high A/T ratio. 5a-dihydrotestosterone (DHT) concentrations are moderately decreased, normal or high and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) levels are high. The estrogen pathway is also impaired, even though both estrone (E-1) and estradiol-17 beta (E-2) levels are high. Children have low basal levels of all androgens, but the defect may be demonstrated after prolonged stimulation with human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG). LH and FSH levels are very high after puberty and normal in childhood. 17 beta-HSD3 isozyme is encoded by the chromosome 9q22 17 beta-HSD3 gene and expressed exclusively in testes. A point mutation in exon 3, codon 80 of the 17 beta-HSD3 gene, R80Q, caused by a single base substitution from CGG ( arginine) to CAG ( glutamine) was identified in both alleles of 24 individuals from 9 extended Arab families from Gaza, Jerusalem and Lod-Ramle. Twenty-one homozygote males (46,XY) were MPH with testicular 17 beta-HSD3 deficiency whereas the three homozygote females (46,XX) were asymptomatic, had normal internal and external genitalia, normal sexual development and revealed no biochemical evidence of 17 beta-HSD3 deficiency. The molecular pattern is compatible with an autosomal recessive mode of inheritance, sex dependent.