Faire avec une atypie génitale

Abstract

Variations in genital development are the subject of a controversy which opposes, on the one hand, doctors who, for a long time, had a monopoly on the medical qualification of the question, and, on the other hand, groups of individuals concerned. The latter are campaining for the recognition of intersex identities and the prohibition of surgical interventions that are still practiced on young children. Without ignoring the effects of this controversy, this article does not take it as a starting point for the analysis. Instead, we focus on the experiences of people with a variation in sexual development, who are often unaware of the controversy’s terms, and sometimes of its existence. Trying to remain as close as possible to the experience of the individuals interviewed, and to avoid projecting the analytical categories used in public debates, the article explores the ways in which these individuals qualify their bodily differences, act on them in some cases, and relate them to a sexual identity or not.

Keywords

• genital development
• intersex
• surgery
• gendered identity
• discredit