Deplorable "House" episode

[Piaget]

This may be old news, but did any of you see or hear about the "House" episode where the kindly doctor called an intersexed girl with AIS a "MAN"? This shocked and saddened me and I am appalled that this crap came out of hollywood, supposedly a liberal place... any comments? Why can't we ever make any headway in this world?:interesti

[miriam]

http://www.bodieslikeours.org/forums/showthread.php?t=1659

Groeten, Miriam

[Wyn]

"House", episode "skin deep"
To: askfox@<hidden>
CC: hoze2idu@<hidden>

From: Wyn (an intersexed individual - PMDS (Persistent Mullerian Duct Syndrome) & PAIS (Partial Androgen Immunity Syndrome )

HOW DARE YOUR COMPANY PRESUME THAT CAIS INDIVIDUALS, WITH ‘XY’ CHROMOSOMES ARE 'MALE'.....THEY ARE NOT!!!! THIS IS SIMPLY A GROSS, AND FALSE ASSUMPTION THAT AN 'XY' KAROTYPE IS 'MALE'...
THEY ARE NOT!!!!!!!!

THIS IS MERELY A FALSE HYPOTHESIS THAT PRESUMES AN ARTIFICIAL SEX ASSIGNMENT, WITHOUT DELVING INTO THE NATURE OF HOW THE CHILD HAS DEVELOPED. IN POINT OF FACT, THE FOLLOWING QUOTE IS FROM A NOTED GENETISIST AND SEX RESEARCHER, DR. ERIC VILAIN, (link to full text provided)

http://12.31.13.50/healthnews/healthday/050218HD524056.htm
NOTE; THE TITLE OF THIS ARTICLE IS EVEN MORE MISLEADING AS IT SEEMS TO IMPLY THAT THE ‘SEX’ GENES ARE A SIGNIFICANT ASPECT OF SEXUALITY, WHICH IS NOT WHAT THE ARTICLE SAYS, AND IS ACTUALLY QUITE FAR FROM THE TRUTH.

"The biology of gender is far more complicated than XX or XY chromosomes, and may rely more on the brain's very early development than we ever imagined," genetics and sexual medicine expert Dr. Eric Vilain, said in a prepared statement. CONTINUE QUOTE; “Surgical sex assignment of newborns with no capacity to consent should never be performed for cosmetic reasons, in my opinion; we simply don't know enough yet about gender to be making surgical or legal assumptions," contended Vilain, an associate professor of human genetics, chief of medical genetics, and director of research in urology and sexual medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California, Los Angeles.

IT SEEMS THAT YOU PEOPLE ARE NOTHING MORE THAN SEXUAL MORONS, AND ARE FIXATED ON MALE AND FEMALE STEREOTYPES TO AN INORDINATE DEGREE. IT IS AN ABSOLUTE CRIME THAT YOU ARE FURTHER FIXATED ON THE IDEA THAT “XX” AND “XY” ARE ‘MARKERS’ OF A PARTICULAR ‘SEX’.

AS HAS BEEN DEMONSTRATED BY DR. VILAIN, AND OTHER GENETIC RESEARCHERS, THIS PRESUMTION IS SIMPLY WRONG, AND ONLY POINTS UP YOUR COMPLETE IGNORANCE AND PREDJUDICE AS RELATES TO THESE VERY COMPLEX BIOLOGICAL ISSUES.

THAT YOUR COMPANY CHOSE TO PROMOTE THESE IDIOTIC AND PRESUMPTUOUS IDEAS VIA A SO-CALLED ‘POPLULAR’ TELEVISION PROGRAM ONLY EXASERBATES AND ENFORCES FALSE IDEAS OF SEXUALLITY, ALONG WITH THE ISSUES SURROUNDING INTERSEX CONDITIONS.

THIS IS TRULY A DISSERVICE TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC, AND PROMOTES FALSE INFORMATION AND LIES REGARDING THESE CONDITIONS, IF NOT PREDJUDICE AND SERIOUS PSYCHOLOGICAL AND EMOTONAL HARM TO ALL THOSE WHO ARE BURDENED WITH THEM.

YOU ARE TRULY TO BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELVES, AND I CAN ONLY HOPE THAT THOSE WHO ARE AFFLICTED WITH THIS PARTICULAR CONDITION ARE NOT MOVED TO DO HARM TO THEMSELVES, WHICH, UNFORTUNATELY, IS ALL TOO COMMON AN OCCURRENCE, GIVEN THE COMPLETE BIGOTRY AND INTOLERANCE OF THE GENERAL POPULACE TO THESE, AND OTHER INTERSEX CONDITIONS, COMBINED WITH THE EXTREMELY COMPLEX SOCIAL ISSUES SURROUNDING THEM.

PERSONNALLY, IT IS MY SINCERE HOPE THAT IF THIS HAPPENS, YOUR COMPANY IS SUED TO THE POINT THAT IT CAUSES A COMPLETE COMPANY FAILURE, AND THAT THE COMPANY PRINCIPLES END UP EITHER BROKE, OR IN SERIOUS FINANCIAL DIFFICULTY.

To substantiate my viewpoint, I have attached a ‘technical analysis’ of what was done to me. (Not attached here)

What this article and this technical analysis point to, is that, regardless of a person’s karotype (xx, xy, or others (xxy, xyy, xx/xy, etc.), the developmental outcome of an individual is dependent on an infinite variety of factors, and is NOT necessarily related to the ‘sexual’ chromosomal makeup of that individual.

In the final analysis, your writers, and your technical consultants, need to perform MUCH better research on the covered topics and conditions, and have the ABSOLUTE responsibility to portray them in as accurate and sympathetic a light as possible.

In particular, they will need to examine the complex biological and social issues associated with them so as to avoid negatively impacting upon those who may be afflicted with said conditions. In so doing, you will not only lend authenticity and credibility to the final product of your collective creativity, but will promote a positive and healthy viewpoint of those that deal with the sometimes debilitating effects of the innumerable physical and emotional ailments that affect the populace as a whole.

Thank you for your time and understanding.

Wyn (complete name and address deleted)

[Priestess]

Hi Wyn,
Umm, it's not really within my rights to critique your letter, considering that you at least wrote it, which it something I didn't get around to doing. Though sometimes a calmer approach can better communicate one's thoughts and feelings, even if you must control your anger while writing it. And I've found that using all-caps doesn't necessarily go over well when talking to parties who are either hostile or apathetic. But still, it's a good thing for you to spread the word.

- Melissa

[Sophie338]

Hello :)

We have just heard about them planning to screen said episode here in the UK on our Channel 5 network. My gut reaction is to write a good steaming bit of libel about the producers of house, Let them get all upset about it and take me to court and then stand up and say something like.

"Well as someone with an intersex condition, who was treated like the person you portrayed as a child by the medical, and was sexually abused, does that mean children and adults born with these conditions are subject to one rule and you another."

No doubt they would laugh (Having been commissioned by the all powerful Murdoch clan at Fox).

But then when it is as offensive, as the House episode was, you do sort of end up wondering wether or not some of the more angry reactions are justified.

Either way I wont follow my gut instinct just yet. I will see how it develops, But I do feel similarly to a number of people. that is I am sick and tired of being treated as sub human by people in the media I actually regard similarly.

shalom

Sophie