Is It a Boy or a Girl? Discovery Channel
1.	We are each a unique combination of male and female depending upon the unique hormone bath that we were exposed to before birth. The chromosomes initially determine whether the gonads will become testicles or ovaries, but the remaining steps are driven by hormones, not chromosomes. The hormones can override genetic sex. The penis and clitoris are derived from the same undifferentiated tissue. The outer labia and scrotum are derived from the same undifferentiated tissue (see handouts distributed in class). A timetable of prenatal sexual differentiation was also distributed in class. The release of testosterone at about 8 weeks prenatally masculizes the undifferentiated tissue. The absence of testosterone leaves the genitalia feminine, even if the chromosomes are XY. One in every 2,000 births are children born with ambiguous genitalia. Surgery to "correct" ambiguous genitalia is performed five times a day in the United States.
2.	The video is amplification of the Intersexed and Transgendered reading in Chrisler (94-109).
3.	Key words: Cheryl Chase, true hermaphrodite, congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), and androgen insensitivity syndrome (AIS).
4.	Frequency of 5-Alpha-Reductase in some families in the Dominican Republic.
5.	Cheryl Chase, Howard DeVore, and other activists believe cosmetic surgery should not be done on babies and children who are not able to choose for themselves. Early surgery is the standard practice in the United States, even when surgery is not medically necessary. Cheryl Chase's clitoris and capacity to feel pleasure was removed. The physicians even recommended that her parents hide her original sex assignment by moving to another town and hiding any documentation. At the age of 19 Cheryl researched her medical records and learned of the name change and that she was born a true hermaphrodite. The experience was such that she was suicidal and unable to talk about it until the age of 35. Then she began to seek out other intersexuals. Individuals with AIS only partially respond to testosterone. When vaginaplasty is done it is destructive. Before surgery the skin did lubricate, but lubrication did not occur after vaginaplasty. Cheryl Chase said that a "big step" would be to tell parents that there is no reliable evidence that the surgery improves the situation. When a child is old enough, he or she should be able to request or deny surgery.
6.	Howard Devore is a clinical psychologist. After 16 surgeries for hypospadias, he still has leaks, infections, and fissures. It has been an incredible effort pass as a male. In over 1,000 case he has reviewed none wished that the surgery had been done to them. The questions remains: "What decisions are best for the child to make."
7.	Individuals with 5-Alpha-Reductase appear to be female at birth, but at puberty testicles descend, one's penis grows, and the individual begins feeling like a male.
8.	Gender is a work in progress for all of us. None of us is Madonna, not even Madonna. None of us is Rambo, not even Rambo.
Recommended Readings
Coventry, M. (October/November 2000). Making the cut. Ms., 10-6, 52-60.
Fausto-Sterling, A. (2000). Sexing the body: Gender politics and the construction of sexuality. Basic Books.