Before reading Middlesex I did not know much about intersexuality and how difficult this could be. I did not know that intersexuality or people that are born as Pseudohermaphrodites were many. I feel like there is a lack of understanding on this issue. For as long as I can remember, in my household we have never discussed about intersexuality. I think many people might be ignorant to the topic of intersexuality. I have the feeling that maybe it has become a taboo because it is not normal. Since a young age we are taught to have clear view on what a female has and male has. According to this feature one is supposed to fulfill a role that society has already set for us. However, intersexuality challenges this way of thinking. One does not belong to one place or the other. Like Callie says in her book she found herself unable to unite her gender and what she felt. When she finally did her name changed from Callie to Cal.
It seems like anything that seems to challenge this already established way of thinking in our society is suppressed and it becomes the silent taboo. While no one says is bad talking about intersexuality not many feel comfortable talking about it because again is not normal. If you are a boy then you play with cars and if you are a boy you play with babies. These dichotomies that are created by our society limit the variety and complex nature of humans. Callie, who was born a girl but he identify himself as a men because her body and mind told her so. It becomes much harder for them to say what gender they are. This just makes me wonder if we should be willing to have a third gender. What happen when you are not a man or a woman according to society’s strict definition? People that are intersexual seem to be excluded and left out in the national statistic and other data that may come down to gender.
While this book did a great job at explaining the struggles that people that are intersexual go through it create some mistaken or false ideas on intersexuality. In the book Callie was the result of the sin that her grandparents made. They were brother and sister but they conceived a child. Throughout the story it makes it seems as if people that are intersexual have a pretty sinful or dark family tree. When in reality there are more reasons that could be contributed to being intersexual.
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I agree with the statement that intersexuality is not a topic that is ever discussed, one that is seen as taboo. Perhaps as a result, that is why we fear it and misunderstand it. In order to accept intersexuals and accept more broad definitions of gender and sex, we need to educate children so that they grow up understanding the diversity that exists around them, even if they do not realize it or it is hidden.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that Middlesex may be creating a negative image of the intersex community by suggesting that the disorder only presents itself as a result of inbreeding. While it is not Eugenides responsibility to fully enlighten the reader in a work of fiction, it seems that more causes of transmission could have been mentioned in order to clarify this.
This blog was well put and I feel exactly the same on the issue. Before reading Middlesex, I was unaware of the complexities of intersexuality. I did not know any of the information about intersexuality until we were assigned Middlesex and the other course work for this unit. I also feel as though people are ignorant about intersexuality. As children, we are taught to act either as a girl or as a boy. There is no gray area or inbetween. Our society has constructed the view that there are only two acceptable ways to act. Reading Middlesex was great as it put the reader into the mindset of what it is like for someone that is intersex. Being intersex is not seen as 'normal' in our society and I agree that this is the reason why it is not talked about openly or frequently. I think that with Middlesex and the other articles there are out there about intersex, maybe it could start being discussed more and not be seen as 'weird' or 'not normal'. The social contructs of 'female' and 'male' cause the discussion of intersexuality to be suppressed. We need to get rid of these two distinct categories in order to accept the idea of intersexuality as maybe even a third gender.
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