| dc.description.abstract | Binary classifications of sex and gender are omnipresent in our society and
inform the way we understand and organise the world around us. The classification of humankind into two categories – “F” (female) and “M” (male) – and
the entrenchment of those categories in identification documents, expose people
who do not fit neatly into those two categories to human rights breaches. Among
them, intersex persons are especially vulnerable.
Stereotypes hinging on the supposed dichotomy of gender as well as the medical
norms of so-called female and male bodies have allowed for the establishment of
routine medical and surgical interventions on intersex people, even when such
interventions are cosmetic rather than medically necessary, or when those concerned have not been adequately consulted or informed prior to these procedures.
Secrecy and shame around intersex bodies have permitted the perpetuation of these
practices for decades, while the human rights issues at stake have remained for the
most part unaddressed. | en_US |
