The discussion about sex and binary separation between men and women excludes hermaphroditism and its various forms. Talking about sex in legal, medical, and social terms, Fausto-Sterling (1993) presents a thesis that “sex is a vast, infinitely malleable continuum” (p. 21). The author considers adding three additional sexes – herm, merm, and ferm – to the categorization, but notes that the divisions between sexes should be ultimately abandoned for a just society.
The first supporting point for eliminating the binary lies in the statistics of intersex people. The article states that “intersexuals may constitute as many as 4 percent of births” (Fausto-Sterling, 1993, p. 21). Thus, although many of these individuals undergo surgery at a young age, their sheer existence requires society to rethink how it separates people into two strict categories. Surgeries and treatments may be done for young people to fit in, but they deny the potential for social change.
The history of hermaphroditism and its social persecution is also an argument that the writer makes. The world often believes that “without medical care hermaphrodites are doomed to a life of misery” (Fausto-Sterling, 1993, p. 24). However, this idea is contradicted by research on intersex people’s lives. The stories collected by Young in 1937 show many cases of intersexual individuals successfully navigating society without surgical intervention or strict role assignment. Thus, society should rethink how it perceives sexual categories.
Finally, the text discusses the scientific community’s failure to consider alternatives to the current model. Fausto-Sterling (1993) writes that intersex people’s socialization “[cries] out for more sophisticated analysis” (p. 24). The social and “cultural need to maintain clear distinctions” is a type of control (Fausto-Sterling, 1993, p. 24). Therefore, opposition to this system could become necessary to improve medical care for intersex people and introduce a “world of shared powers” (Fausto-Sterling, 1993, p. 24). To conclude, sex cannot be viewed as a binary system culturally and scientifically because of the existence and experiences of intersex people.
Reference
Fausto-Sterling, A. (1993). The five sexes: Why male and female are not enough. The Sciences, March/April 1993, 20-24.