Betsy
03-20-03, 01:10 AM
In case you haven't signed up for Bodies Like Ours e-news, here is our latest newsletter:
*****************************************************
BODIES LIKE OURS
NEWS LETTER/PRESS RELEASE
Contact:
Betsy Driver
Bodies Like Ours Outreach Director
mailto:betsydriver@<hidden>
www.bodieslikeours.org
908-832-7755
For Immediate Release
03/20/2003
*****************************************************
A message from the Executive Director of Bodies Like Ours:
Welcome to the latest edition of our electronic newsletter. It celebrates the ending of our inaugural year which was filled with accomplishments and milestones in helping to end the shame, secrecy and isolation of living with bodies like ours. We have met, mentored, and educated. We've provided community for people used to living alone, and we've empowered people to be who they are with pride.
This year holds new challenges, but we've remained focused on our mission:
To positively change the way we think about ourselves and the way society and the medical community view us.
We're also rededicating ourselves to helping our constituents and their families, because we understand the value that an organization like Bodies Like Ours brings to their lives.
Bodies Like Ours is honored that our work is making a tangible difference, and we thank you for your ongoing support.
Warmly,
Janet Green
Executive Director
Bodies Like Ours, Inc.
*********************************
It has truly been an exciting month in our world:
Redbook Magazine (March 2003) published a first hand account about growing up with AIS (Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome) that speaks of the lies and secrecy we often encounter. Unfortunately, this article is not available electronically but should be available at your local library.
"Doctor's Orders: Parents and Intersexed Children." Pp. 294-320 in The Subject of Care: Feminist Perspectives on Dependency, edited by Eva Feder Kittay and Ellen K. Feder. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, Inc. has been released.
Dr. Ellen K. Feder, of American University, has written an excellent and important chapter on parents and intersexed children in a volume on care and dependency. The work is significant in that it is the first account of intersex based on interviews with parents. Dr. Feder argues that the isolation of parents and medicine's failure to take account of their experiences is unfortunate; but more than that, parents' isolation and confusion are built into the treatment process itself. This article is not yet available electronically, however Bodies Like Ours has been given electronic rights to reprint it on our website. We'll be sure to let you know when it becomes available on-line.
Dr. Sheri Berenbaum, PhD. had two groundbreaking articles published this month. Dr. Sheri Berenbaum is a professor in the psychology department at Pennsylvania State University and noted researcher in the area of Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia. The first article, "Effects on Gender Identity of Prenatal Androgens and Genital Appearance: Evidence from Girls with Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia", written with co-author J. Michael Bailey, was published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism [88(3):1102-1106], concerns gender identity in CAH girls. This important article indicates that while a small, but not insignificant number of CAH girls transition to male at some point in their lives, most remain happily in the female gender. According to Berenbaum, the gender identity of CAH girls is not dependent upon the degree of virilization or whether or not early genital surgery is performed and the vast majority remain in a female gender identity. You can find a link to the article (which must be purchased for a nominal fee) at http://www.bodieslikeours.org/research/medicalresearch.htm
This particular article is important because it indicates that genital surgery is not necessary for girls with CAH to have a female gender identity. New parents are often told otherwise, and hopefully this article will help eliminate this fallacy.
The second article by Dr. Sheri Berenbaum out this month appeared in Growth Genetics & Hormones [19(1):1-6]. "Management of Children with Intersex Conditions: Psychological and Methodological Perspectives" examines the current upheaval concerning early genital surgeries on intersex babies. According to Berenbaum, sex assigment cannot be based upon assumption that gender identity is determined by nurture; there needs to be more research in the area and the lack of research must be made clear to parents; sexual function involves more than genital appearance and the ability to have intercourse; the parent is not the patient and ultimately the outcome of any surgical intervention needs to be from the patient's perspective and not the parent's; and that any surgical treatment of intersex patients must be evidence-based which currently lacking.
Her conclusions in this article mirror what intersex activists have been saying while they push for the adoption of a new-patient centered protocol for the treatment of intersex children and adults. This article is available electronically and you can find a link to it at http://www.bodieslikeours.org/research/medicalresearch.htm
For a new version of the protocol comparison, please visit http://www.bodieslikeours.org/protocol/patientcentered_v_concealmentcentered.htm (electronic reprint of this document is with the permission of ISNA--The Intersex Society of North America).
Born Between Two Sexes. The Online Sun. UK A candid interview with Melissa Cull, the founder of an UK CAH organization, was published early this month. This article is available on line and you will find a link on the Bodies Like Ours website at http://www.bodieslikeours.org/recent_news/news_splash.htm.
*************************************************
Bodies Like Ours and others have some exciting events coming up that we want to make sure you know about:
This weekend (March 21-22), several representatives of Bodies Like Ours will be at the True Colors X conference in Hartford, CT. We have several workshops planned for the weekend, including one exclusively for intersex youth and their partners. This workshop will be led by Caitlin Childs, her partner Aiden Chava, and Asher Taylor. These three youths are clearing the way in making it okay for their peers to identify as intersex and eliminating shame and secrecy in the lives of intersex youth. Bodies Like Ours would like to thank our supporters for helping us get Caitlin and Aiden to Hartford for this conference. We are also presenting a CEU (continuing education credit) course for teachers, and another for social workers and counselors. Dr. Nina Williams, PsyD. a member of the board of directors of Bodies Like Ours, and published author (http://www.bodieslikeours.org/research/williams_2002_apa.html) will share her experiences about her involvement in the psychological treatment of intersex. To learn more about the planned workshops and about True Colors, please visit http://www.bodieslikeours.org/upcomingevents/upcomingevents.htm.
Also this weekend, Bodies Like Ours member, DaleLynn Sims will be presenting a workshop at the IFGE(International Federation for Gender Education) in Philadelphia. Learn more about this conference (which will also feature a keynote by noted researcher Dr. Milton Diamond) at http://www.bodieslikeours.org/upcomingevents/upcomingevents.htm
Later in the month, Betsy Driver and Janet Green will be in Florida on a statewide speaking tour.
We start in St. Petersburg on Sunday 3/23 at the True Expressions Center. True Expressions is a non-profit center for GLBTI youth.
On Tuesday, 3/25, we will be presenting to several upper-level and graduate level courses at Florida International University in Miami. While these courses are not open to the public, special arrangements have been made to allow interested supporters to attend. If you are interested, please contact us via email at mailto:info@<hidden>
On Wednesday, we are attending the monthly meeting of PFLAG (Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) Palm Beach and will be talking with their members and interested community members. This event is open to the public.
On Saturday, 3/29 (all day) we will be doing workshops at a special statewide/regional meeting for SE US members of PFLAG in Orlando. Special guest, Jean Helms, the mother of an intersex child will join us in presenting at this important all day workshop. The goals of this workshop include acquainting members of PFLAG about intersex, and working with them to be inclusive of intersex members of their local community and their parents, friends and family. As we told you last fall, PFLAG recently adopted an important policy statement concerning their inclusion of intersexuality in their mission. You can read that policy statement at http://www.bodieslikeours.org/recentevents/PFLAG_2002.html The day's events are open to the public.
For more information about all of these Florida events, please visit http://www.bodieslikeours.org/upcomingevents/upcomingevents.htm
Also on Monday, March 24, XX Marks the Spot: Stories about Womanhood, a storytelling event being presented by Stories at The Moth on March 24 at the Players Club in New York City. This show will feature Max Beck, telling his story about growing up intersexed. Information (and ticket information) about this special event is available at http://www.bodieslikeours.org/upcomingevents/upcomingevents.htm
Looking forward to April, on Thursday, April 4, Janet Green and Betsy Driver will spend an evening speaking to medical students at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, NY. Kate Chittenden, a graduate student doing her dissertation on intersex will join us for this special evening sponsored by EAGLBT, the gay, lesbian, bi, and trans student and faculty association at the college. This free event is open to the public. For more information, visit the Bodies Like Ours website at http://www.bodieslikeours.org/upcomingevents/upcomingevents.htm
We have a busy month coming up and we hope you can make one of our many Bodies Like Ours events. It is always wonderful to meet our many supporters and members in person.
For further information about any of these events, please do not hesitate to contact us.
And please don’t forget:
Please Tell5!
Every time we speak, we ask each person in attendance to take our message and to tell 5 people they know what they learned. That is one for every child having their genitals surgically altered without their consent each day in the Unites States alone.
Please feel free to forward this news to your friends, families, and whoever else you think may be interested.
*****************************************************
Founded in 2002, Bodies Like Ours provides peer support and information for people born with atypical genitalia.
Our mission includes elimination of the shame and secrecy of intersex births through education, awareness, and community. Bodies Like Ours is a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation based in Hunterdon County, NJ.
To learn more about Bodies Like Ours, please visit our website at www.bodieslikeours.org
*****************************************************
To unsubscribe from the Bodies Like Ours mailing list, simply send a blank email to
bodieslikeours-unsubscribe@<hidden>
To change your email address (or to sign up), please visit http://www.bodieslikeours.org/Contact/contact_us.html
For general information about Bodies Like Ours, please write to mailto:info@<hidden> or call us at 908-832-7755.
*****************************************************
BODIES LIKE OURS
NEWS LETTER/PRESS RELEASE
Contact:
Betsy Driver
Bodies Like Ours Outreach Director
mailto:betsydriver@<hidden>
www.bodieslikeours.org
908-832-7755
For Immediate Release
03/20/2003
*****************************************************
A message from the Executive Director of Bodies Like Ours:
Welcome to the latest edition of our electronic newsletter. It celebrates the ending of our inaugural year which was filled with accomplishments and milestones in helping to end the shame, secrecy and isolation of living with bodies like ours. We have met, mentored, and educated. We've provided community for people used to living alone, and we've empowered people to be who they are with pride.
This year holds new challenges, but we've remained focused on our mission:
To positively change the way we think about ourselves and the way society and the medical community view us.
We're also rededicating ourselves to helping our constituents and their families, because we understand the value that an organization like Bodies Like Ours brings to their lives.
Bodies Like Ours is honored that our work is making a tangible difference, and we thank you for your ongoing support.
Warmly,
Janet Green
Executive Director
Bodies Like Ours, Inc.
*********************************
It has truly been an exciting month in our world:
Redbook Magazine (March 2003) published a first hand account about growing up with AIS (Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome) that speaks of the lies and secrecy we often encounter. Unfortunately, this article is not available electronically but should be available at your local library.
"Doctor's Orders: Parents and Intersexed Children." Pp. 294-320 in The Subject of Care: Feminist Perspectives on Dependency, edited by Eva Feder Kittay and Ellen K. Feder. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, Inc. has been released.
Dr. Ellen K. Feder, of American University, has written an excellent and important chapter on parents and intersexed children in a volume on care and dependency. The work is significant in that it is the first account of intersex based on interviews with parents. Dr. Feder argues that the isolation of parents and medicine's failure to take account of their experiences is unfortunate; but more than that, parents' isolation and confusion are built into the treatment process itself. This article is not yet available electronically, however Bodies Like Ours has been given electronic rights to reprint it on our website. We'll be sure to let you know when it becomes available on-line.
Dr. Sheri Berenbaum, PhD. had two groundbreaking articles published this month. Dr. Sheri Berenbaum is a professor in the psychology department at Pennsylvania State University and noted researcher in the area of Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia. The first article, "Effects on Gender Identity of Prenatal Androgens and Genital Appearance: Evidence from Girls with Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia", written with co-author J. Michael Bailey, was published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism [88(3):1102-1106], concerns gender identity in CAH girls. This important article indicates that while a small, but not insignificant number of CAH girls transition to male at some point in their lives, most remain happily in the female gender. According to Berenbaum, the gender identity of CAH girls is not dependent upon the degree of virilization or whether or not early genital surgery is performed and the vast majority remain in a female gender identity. You can find a link to the article (which must be purchased for a nominal fee) at http://www.bodieslikeours.org/research/medicalresearch.htm
This particular article is important because it indicates that genital surgery is not necessary for girls with CAH to have a female gender identity. New parents are often told otherwise, and hopefully this article will help eliminate this fallacy.
The second article by Dr. Sheri Berenbaum out this month appeared in Growth Genetics & Hormones [19(1):1-6]. "Management of Children with Intersex Conditions: Psychological and Methodological Perspectives" examines the current upheaval concerning early genital surgeries on intersex babies. According to Berenbaum, sex assigment cannot be based upon assumption that gender identity is determined by nurture; there needs to be more research in the area and the lack of research must be made clear to parents; sexual function involves more than genital appearance and the ability to have intercourse; the parent is not the patient and ultimately the outcome of any surgical intervention needs to be from the patient's perspective and not the parent's; and that any surgical treatment of intersex patients must be evidence-based which currently lacking.
Her conclusions in this article mirror what intersex activists have been saying while they push for the adoption of a new-patient centered protocol for the treatment of intersex children and adults. This article is available electronically and you can find a link to it at http://www.bodieslikeours.org/research/medicalresearch.htm
For a new version of the protocol comparison, please visit http://www.bodieslikeours.org/protocol/patientcentered_v_concealmentcentered.htm (electronic reprint of this document is with the permission of ISNA--The Intersex Society of North America).
Born Between Two Sexes. The Online Sun. UK A candid interview with Melissa Cull, the founder of an UK CAH organization, was published early this month. This article is available on line and you will find a link on the Bodies Like Ours website at http://www.bodieslikeours.org/recent_news/news_splash.htm.
*************************************************
Bodies Like Ours and others have some exciting events coming up that we want to make sure you know about:
This weekend (March 21-22), several representatives of Bodies Like Ours will be at the True Colors X conference in Hartford, CT. We have several workshops planned for the weekend, including one exclusively for intersex youth and their partners. This workshop will be led by Caitlin Childs, her partner Aiden Chava, and Asher Taylor. These three youths are clearing the way in making it okay for their peers to identify as intersex and eliminating shame and secrecy in the lives of intersex youth. Bodies Like Ours would like to thank our supporters for helping us get Caitlin and Aiden to Hartford for this conference. We are also presenting a CEU (continuing education credit) course for teachers, and another for social workers and counselors. Dr. Nina Williams, PsyD. a member of the board of directors of Bodies Like Ours, and published author (http://www.bodieslikeours.org/research/williams_2002_apa.html) will share her experiences about her involvement in the psychological treatment of intersex. To learn more about the planned workshops and about True Colors, please visit http://www.bodieslikeours.org/upcomingevents/upcomingevents.htm.
Also this weekend, Bodies Like Ours member, DaleLynn Sims will be presenting a workshop at the IFGE(International Federation for Gender Education) in Philadelphia. Learn more about this conference (which will also feature a keynote by noted researcher Dr. Milton Diamond) at http://www.bodieslikeours.org/upcomingevents/upcomingevents.htm
Later in the month, Betsy Driver and Janet Green will be in Florida on a statewide speaking tour.
We start in St. Petersburg on Sunday 3/23 at the True Expressions Center. True Expressions is a non-profit center for GLBTI youth.
On Tuesday, 3/25, we will be presenting to several upper-level and graduate level courses at Florida International University in Miami. While these courses are not open to the public, special arrangements have been made to allow interested supporters to attend. If you are interested, please contact us via email at mailto:info@<hidden>
On Wednesday, we are attending the monthly meeting of PFLAG (Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) Palm Beach and will be talking with their members and interested community members. This event is open to the public.
On Saturday, 3/29 (all day) we will be doing workshops at a special statewide/regional meeting for SE US members of PFLAG in Orlando. Special guest, Jean Helms, the mother of an intersex child will join us in presenting at this important all day workshop. The goals of this workshop include acquainting members of PFLAG about intersex, and working with them to be inclusive of intersex members of their local community and their parents, friends and family. As we told you last fall, PFLAG recently adopted an important policy statement concerning their inclusion of intersexuality in their mission. You can read that policy statement at http://www.bodieslikeours.org/recentevents/PFLAG_2002.html The day's events are open to the public.
For more information about all of these Florida events, please visit http://www.bodieslikeours.org/upcomingevents/upcomingevents.htm
Also on Monday, March 24, XX Marks the Spot: Stories about Womanhood, a storytelling event being presented by Stories at The Moth on March 24 at the Players Club in New York City. This show will feature Max Beck, telling his story about growing up intersexed. Information (and ticket information) about this special event is available at http://www.bodieslikeours.org/upcomingevents/upcomingevents.htm
Looking forward to April, on Thursday, April 4, Janet Green and Betsy Driver will spend an evening speaking to medical students at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, NY. Kate Chittenden, a graduate student doing her dissertation on intersex will join us for this special evening sponsored by EAGLBT, the gay, lesbian, bi, and trans student and faculty association at the college. This free event is open to the public. For more information, visit the Bodies Like Ours website at http://www.bodieslikeours.org/upcomingevents/upcomingevents.htm
We have a busy month coming up and we hope you can make one of our many Bodies Like Ours events. It is always wonderful to meet our many supporters and members in person.
For further information about any of these events, please do not hesitate to contact us.
And please don’t forget:
Please Tell5!
Every time we speak, we ask each person in attendance to take our message and to tell 5 people they know what they learned. That is one for every child having their genitals surgically altered without their consent each day in the Unites States alone.
Please feel free to forward this news to your friends, families, and whoever else you think may be interested.
*****************************************************
Founded in 2002, Bodies Like Ours provides peer support and information for people born with atypical genitalia.
Our mission includes elimination of the shame and secrecy of intersex births through education, awareness, and community. Bodies Like Ours is a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation based in Hunterdon County, NJ.
To learn more about Bodies Like Ours, please visit our website at www.bodieslikeours.org
*****************************************************
To unsubscribe from the Bodies Like Ours mailing list, simply send a blank email to
bodieslikeours-unsubscribe@<hidden>
To change your email address (or to sign up), please visit http://www.bodieslikeours.org/Contact/contact_us.html
For general information about Bodies Like Ours, please write to mailto:info@<hidden> or call us at 908-832-7755.