Anne Fausto-Sterling

"Of Gender and Genitals" is the third chapter of Sexing the Body by Fausto-Sterling. The chapter starts with a case study description of sickle cell anemia, including hemoglobin and the risk of having hemoglobin-S crystallize, which leads to intense pain and potential paralysis in times of stress. The lecture on sickle cell anemia ends with two simple conclusions: the first is that a slight alteration to a DNA sequence will leave major changes to the DNA on the whole; the second is that traits and defects cannot be easily predicted. Fausto-Sterling's data goes on to state that genes alone do not decide phenotypes; phenotypes are instead decided by the environmental and developmental history of the person, in addition to their total genetic endowment. In the same regard, behavior is not solely decided by only genetics.[9] The data further goes on to state that while the number of nerves is decided in the former half of pregnancy, cellular interconnection continues to multiply and grow throughout the first four years of life. In addition, the mind and temperament of an adult is shaped by the environment he or she is raised in. Factors included, physical fitness, nutrition, and interpersonal relations with other people. Through these studies and analytical work, the following four gender development theories of biological determinist, psychoanalytic, social learning, and cognitive development have been devised.[10]

Following a summary of the prior, Fausto-Sterling shows her points on the gender development theories by noting how XY and XX chromosomes stay identical up until the 6th week of development in the womb. During these six weeks, the XY/XX embryos develop an indifferent gonad, an extra layer that isn't affected by the chromosome embryo due to their indistinguishable similarity at the time. This external process develops in a similar manner to the various male and female reproductive organs that later develop within the body. By the end of the first month and a half, all embryos would've developed, regardless of gender. In addition, the chromosomes within the cells will have developed different sets of mesonephric ducts that are indifferent to gender. A set of ducts ultimately becomes the aforementioned reproductive organs based on the sex of the fetus. Once the Y chromosome in the XY embryo triggers, an extensive and lengthy process is detailed on the development of male fetuses. Conversely, far less is known on the development of XX fetuses. What is known about the female XX is that the fetuses produce approximately the same amount of estrogen in comparison to the testosterone production in the male XY. Later down the line of fetus growth, the originally identical genitalia of the two types of fetus will differentiate on the eighth week. In some cases the XY fetus will initially begin to develop female genitals instead of the male penis and scrotum due to a deficiency in dihydrotestosterone.[11] After detailing the opinions of John Money and Julianne Imperato-McGuinely on gender identity, Fausto-Sterling concludes with the three influences that affect gender – genetic regulatory information, intrusion from outside the womb, and "chance variation" in development – and two points on sexual development."

Sex and gender are two separate characterizations of people and a standard model exists for both sex and gender. Biology characterizes sex by dimorphism. In other words, people are either male or female and nothing in between. Surgical procedures ensure that people are assigned to one of the two accepted sexes. Gender, separate from sex, is socially constructed by culture. People determine the definition of gender by assigning roles to each gender. For example, generally, males are expected to work and women are expected to stay home and care for their family. By assigning a specific role to a gender, we have created a standard model of what it means to be male or female. In essence, the standard model characterizes by masculinity and femininity and separates nature and nurture.

In chapter three of Sexing the Body, "Of Gender and Genitals", Fausto-Sterling criticizes the standard model and the way it impacts those both neither male nor female. She explains that doctors surgically assign infants male or female when they are not born with "normal" genitals. Fausto-Sterling believes that as children grow and become either more masculine or feminine "nurture matters a great deal more than nature" because it affects the child's inclinations towards becoming hetero- or homo- sexual.[12] When doctors studied the spectrum of genders, Fausto-Sterling criticized that "they never questioned the fundamental assumptions that there are only two sexes, because their goal in studying intersexual was to find out more about normal development."[13] The doctors' motives for the research of intersexual show that they promote the standard model for sex and are unwilling to accept the fact that there are different variations of sex.[14] Fausto-Sterling strongly believes that doctors are unethical in that they do not allow variations of sex and immediately assign a sex within a few hours of birth because there is not a way of telling whether the infant will be content with their assigned gender. Furthermore, "whatever treatment they choose ... physicians ... decide how to manage intersexuality act out of ... deeply held beliefs about male and female sexuality [and] gender roles."[15] Fausto-Sterling argues that the consequence of performing sexual reassignment surgery on intersex infants "[develops] a language that reinforces the idea that lurking inside the mixed-sex child is a real male or female body."[16] She claims that this is unacceptable because now that society vehemently believes that only males or females should exist,[17] a window to a spectrum of genders closes.[18] Even more so, those who are born intersex are forced to live unhappy lives full of surgery and scrutiny because they did not fit the standard model. In order to change the standard model, Sterling suggests that we should question, "Should there be only two sexes?"

In chapter three of the book Sexing The Body, titled "Of Gender and Genitals", Fausto-Sterling details the sexing of the human body. When an intersex child is first born, a "medical emergency" is called. Gender reassignment surgery is relied upon in order to "fix the problem" because the body must have a specific sex. Deciding whether to call a child a boy or a girl, then, employs social definitions of the essential components of gender. Fausto-Sterling describes the "Phall-o-metrics", the measurement technique used to determine medically acceptable penis or clitoris. Fausto-Sterling implies that the body is sexed and this sexing comes from the standards that society has placed on what a male and a female are supposed to look like and be. These definitions are primarily cultural, not biological.[19]