From All Over: GenderNews Posted
March 23
1998

This report was provided by the Intersex Society of North America. Their March 7th press release came to us via the InYourFace on-line news service, and their text of the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association resolution came via AEGIS Internet News.


GLMA Passes Resolution on Intersex Surgery

[NY, NY: 7 Mar 98] THE BOARD OF THE GAY and Lesbian Medical Association (GLMA) today passed a resolution establishing a policy on genital surgery performed on intersex children. It calls for medical centers involved in the surgery to develop and conduct comprehensive research on the long-term physical and psychological effects of surgical intervention on children born with ambiguous genitals.

Intersex activists, who have been subjected to such surgical intervention, call it Intersex Genital Mutilation (IGM). They cite long-term physical and psychological damage done to them as a result of a cosmetic surgery they did not consent to. The GLMA policy is an outgrowth of activism by members of the intersex community and health care providers who are speaking out about IGM.

The GLMA policy calls for involvement of the intersex community with health professionals in formulating future procedures for the care of intersex children. It also encourages parents to fully consider various options before making any decision regarding genital surgery.

The resolution encourages medical providers "To counsel parents with full disclosure regarding the possible positive and negative effects of surgical intervention, reported risks, the lack of long-term research associated with surgical intervention, and options including no surgical intervention and peer support groups before recommending any such procedure on a child born with ambiguous genitals."

Said Cheryl Chase, founder of the Intersex Society of North America (ISNA), "We are very pleased that GLMA has recognized that IGM is a problem. ISNA will be working closely with GLMA to identify ways that the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender medical community can help us put an end to medical erasure of sexual difference."


GLMA's Resolution

Resolution: 105-98-105
Title: Call for Research and Disclosure Regarding Intersex Surgery
Author: Peter Sawires
Introduced by: Bob Cabaj, MD
Endorsed by: Policy Committee
Board Approval: March 7, 1998

WHEREAS, genital surgery has been practiced and encouraged for children born with ambiguous genitalia since the 1950's; and

WHEREAS, comprehensive research on the long term effects of intersex surgery has not been done; and

WHEREAS, the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association supports fully informed medical practice backed by solid research and ethical considerations and believes that reports of dissatisfaction with any medical procedure should be examined closely, and

WHEREAS, reports have recently surfaced of adults who are dissatisfied with the surgical interventions performed on them as children, citing both physical and psychological damage; and

WHEREAS, some adults who did not have surgical intervention during childhood are satisfied living without these interventions; therefore be it

RESOLVED: that the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association calls on medical centers involved in surgical intervention for intersex individuals to develop and conduct comprehensive retrospective and prospective research on the long-term physical and psychological effects, successes, and failures of surgical intervention on children with ambiguous genitalia; and be it further

RESOLVED: that the development and execution of these studies should involve the input and oversight of community representatives and psychiatrists and other psychological based clinicians involved in the intersex community; and be it further

RESOLVED: that GLMA encourages all medical providers to counsel parents with full disclosure regarding the possible positive and negative effects of surgical intervention, reported risks, the lack of long-term research associated with surgical intervention, and options including no surgical intervention and peer support groups before recommending any such procedure on a child born with ambiguous genitalia; and be it further

RESOLVED: that GLMA calls on physicians to encourage parents to fully consider various options before making any decision regarding how to proceed.

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