"We should rethink the tyranny of dualism"
- Intersexuality is “the diversity of bodies” for García Dauder. “A lesson”, in his words, to demonstrate that beyond the scheme of men and women there are other bodies. In particular, it faces this dualistic logic, both in the field of militancy and in the field of academia. It wants to show diversity since childhood, to end the dualistic view of society.
What do you call dualism? Society
has built the naturalization of the sexes. To say that there are only two sexes per se is a myth that does not correspond to the existing diversity.
Feminism has made it increasingly recognized that gender is built. In the case of sex, however, it is considered natural and there are only two. Feminism,
at one point, made a distinction by saying that there is biology and that there is a social construction of women. As a result, the social aspect of biology itself has been forgotten. We cannot distinguish biological from social. [Anne] The main contribution of studies by Fausto-Sterling and other feminist biologists has been to prove that biology is much more varied than this dualism, and that it's not so clear on what to base biological women. Feminism has often been based on biological characteristics that are not common to all women.
What is that diversity of biology? The diversity of chromosomes, for example, is
not limited to the possibilities of XX and XY, there are many more genetic combinations, and also, a person with XX doesn't have to feel like a woman or feel like a man with XY. With hormones the same thing happens and with the genitals: we often forget that the penis and clitoris come from the same structure and, therefore, they are the same; it will do depending on the amounts of testosterone. We can also see it in concrete things, in hair, in voice, in muscles. We tend to limit everything to two grids, but diversity is much broader. Sexual pressure, however, is very strong, and in the end, diversity ends up adapting to that dualism.
One of the ways to adapt to this dualism is surgical interventions, and it's curious, what normalizes gender construction, and the body is what adapts to that gender.
According to the starting point of feminism, sex is natural and gender is what is constructed. In cases of intersexuality, however, the opposite occurs. Through hormones and deer it is easier to change bodies than to change dualistic norms. In this way, instead of promoting the recognition of body diversity by society, people prefer bodily changes to wait for there to be a social change that, of course, causes them discomfort. In the end, bodies are changed and social norms are normalized.
Genitalia are associated with gender identity. You are opposed to this idea.
Yes, that is the key, among other things, for parents to understand that a child who is educated as a girl can develop as such without questioning their identity, as it is a clitoris that is shaped like a penis. And the key is that we stop thinking that transsexuality necessarily implies rejection of our own genitalia. That is, it may happen that for a person, their gender identity does not match that assigned to them at birth, but does not feel any rejection towards their genitals. In fact, identity doesn't depend on the genitals.
Many, precisely, relate intersexuality to transsexuality, but they are not the same.
Transsexuality is a matter of identity: I was appointed in one way at birth, but I feel something else. In intersexuality, you can agree with the identity you've given yourself at birth, but you have a body that supposedly doesn't correspond to the body to which that identity belongs.
Feminism is committed to the empowerment and strengthening of the female subject. Intersexuality, on the other hand, would like to dismantle dualism. Are they compatible? These are two
political strategies, and the key is not to give up both, deciding in each context what is most appropriate. Both must be worked on since childhood. It's often thought: let's put girls and boys into sports together, and that's how we end up with dualism. But then we see that in those cases, the girls are bullied and they don't participate. Therefore, what was supposed to end dualism has an opposite effect. The key is not to give up either strategy. It may be paradoxical, but we have nothing else.
What is the way to end dualism?
It is something that affects us all, and it is a dualistic view that causes all the damage. We should rethink the tyranny of dualism. I've talked about diversity pedagogy. We have to show diversity, both in the media and in society. Like medicine, the right should know that the sex a doctor assigns at birth will always be temporary. We should make it easier for people to work, because the obstacles to changing sex or name are enormous. It is a question of undertaking in many areas. Schools must be involved and the diversity that has existed since childhood must be shown. It's structural work.
“Ekintzaile feminista eta psikologo soziala naiz. Hain zuzen, arlo horretako irakasle gisa dihardut, Madrilgo Errege Juan Carlos Unibertsitatean. Sexu eta genero dualismoak eragiten duen indarkeria ikustaraztera bideratu dut nire pedagogia eta ikerkuntza ibilbidea. Zientzietan emakumeek izandako papera azaleratzen ere jardun dut, eta horri buruzko bi liburu idatzi ditut. Intersexualitateen Nazioarteko Erakundearekin aritu nintzen, eta intersexualitate ezaugarriak dituztenenganako babes taldeetan ibili naiz. Gaiari buruzko liburuetan parte hartu dut, eta intersexualitateari buruzko material andana idatzi dut”.
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