Pathologies of Sex and Gender

Photographed here is Del LaGrace Volcano, who identifies "hermself" as intersex--neither male, nor female.  Herm was born female, but upon puberty began to develop sexually ambiguous characteristics, including uneven breast development, masculine musculature, and male-patterned facial and body hair. Herm has not had gender reassignment.

Volcano is well known in the Queer community for herm's photojournalism.  Herm's work may be found online at: http://www.dellagracevolcano.com/

In the introductory volume of The History of Sexuality, Michel Foucault explores the ways in which (so-called) “deviant” sexuality has been historically criminalized, pathologized, and demonized. This text is commonly considered as foundational to contemporary Queer Theory, and it is certainly groundbreaking and pivotal in terms of exploring alternative manifestations of sexuality and sensuality in the field of Queer studies.  However, Foucault’s text has implications beyond sexuality for people of clinically ambiguous gender—historically known as hermaphrodite, intersex, and most recently reclassified in the DSM-IV as “disorders of sex development”.

As Foucault himself relates, people of ambiguous gender signify deviance of sexuality in the common imaginary. And during the historical period when sexuality was becoming inscribed as representative of the order of society—and deviance regulated by legal policy—the treatment of ambiguous sexuality was telling.  “For a long time,” Foucault observes, “hermaphrodites were criminals, or crime’s offspring, since their anatomic disposition, their very being, confounded the law that distinguished the sexes and prescribed their union” (893).  This ostensibly “natural” law was interpreted and enforced in Christian terms via sexuality’s generative, or reproductive capacity.  In this way, the policing of sexuality can be seen as intersecting with a capitalist agenda, insofar is the control of sexuality both regulates and channels excessive public energies toward productive avenues and reproduces and increases labor power (Foucault 894).

However, in America, where the mythologies of freedom and tolerance hold sway, particularly in the late 20^th century and beyond, the legal censure of sexual practice has diminishing authority.  Accordingly, sexual deviance is pathologized as mental illness or even chromosomal abnormality.  In Foucault’s construction, the medicalization of sexuality is a form of power and, while it may be construed as sympathetic, medicalization (as opposed to criminalization) does NOT imply acceptance.  Furthermore, medical pathology has slippery slope implications that could turn toward things like selective termination (chromosomal eugenics.)

All of this history is particularly relevant to the recent reclassification of intersex individuals as patients suffering from “disorders of sex development”.  From a theoretical standpoint, this reclassification is disturbing—stigmatizing and perhaps a backward step in terms of sociological integration of “deviant” individuals.  However, from a more pragmatic (and experiential) standpoint, this reclassification portends an innovation in terms of the medical treatment of intersex people: specifically with regard to gender assignment, hormonal replacement therapy, and cosmetic surgical procedures.  This debate merits further investigation.

Works Cited:

Foucault, Michel. The History of Sexuality, An Introduction. Vol. 1. New York: Vintage, 1990. Print.

Volcano, Del LaGrace. "Del LaGrace Volcano--Intersex Artist/Activist." Web. .