Chanter and Kessler

I. Descriptions
*Chanter’s “The Challenge of Transgendered Identity: The End of Gender as We Know It?”
Chanter’s introduction describes the changes in sexuality as technology has advanced. The author provides how cultures dictate gender. This text mentions what gender means in our culture by providing examples of our society color-coding clothing and rooms, the expectations we set for the male and female genders, our expectations of behavior, etc. Chanter discusses Ma vie en rose (My life in pink), a Belgian film by Alain Berliner. In this particular film, Ludovic, a seven-year-old boy wants to be female. “He identifies as a girl, he wants to wear dresses and look pretty, he wants to play Snow White in the school play, and he wants to marry Jerome.” Christine Delphy, a feminist theorist, asks “when we posit the distinction between sex and gender are we comparing something natural with something social or something social that also turns out to be social?” The text concludes with the thought that science is ideologically driven and that the definitions of the male and female genders are not clear through science. Rather, it is culture that interprets what it means to be male or female.

*Kessler’s “The Medical Construction of Gender: Case Management of Intersexed Infants”
In her text, Suzanne Kessler discusses her interviews with six medical experts, all of whom are in the field of pediatric intersexuality. The text brings forth the arguments about changing a child’s gender at birth based on what is already present and what doctors see as healthy for the baby. Kessler discusses the problems gender identity can pose immediately on the parents, the doctors and later in life with the children. The medical experts say doctors should be careful when telling parents about the gender identity problems of their child. Experts say that parents should not feel obligated to name their child (children) until after a gender is determined. The text also includes a discussion about how physicians should not include their personal thoughts into their job. Like Chanter’s text, Kessler suggests that society plays a role in determining gender identity and cultural meaning.

II. Terms
*Chanter
Transgender- a person appearing or attempting to be a member of the opposite sex, as a transsexual or habitual cross-dresser. (dictionary.com)
Hermaphroditism- The presence of both ovarian and testicular tissue in an individual. (American Heritage Stedman’s Medical Dictionary)
*Kessler
Pseudohermaphroditism- A state in which an individual possesses the internal reproductive organs of one sex while exhibiting some of the external physical characteristics of the opposite sex. Also called false hermaphroditism. (American Heritage Stedman’s Medical Dictionary)
Endocrinology- The study of the glands and hormones of the body and their related disorders. (American Heritage Dictionary)

III. Questions/comments
*Chanter
(page 3) “Gender is always already lived, gestural, corporeal, culturally mediated and historically constituted.” What is meant by this?
(page 4) It was interesting that the author pointed out Berliner’s film, but what should we take from that? What does the film teach us about society’s reactions to transsexuality?
(page 5) Delphy confused me – anyone care to translate?

*Kessler
What are the costs involved in gender reassignment?
I didn’t see any figures as to how many babies go through this. Did anyone see these?
(page 17) “In the care of intersexed infants, the physicians merely provide the right genitals to go along with the socialization.” What do you think this means? Why?
If a baby is born with a perfect penis and normal female reproductive gonads, why does it have to be a male? (page 20) “good penis equals male; absence of good penis equals penis.”
Interesting that this article looked at the concerns of the doctors and the ways they should phrase the problems/concerns to the parents.