Contesting Intersex: The Dubious Diagnosis

An elucidating study of the medical management of intersex diagnoses and the political engagement of intersex activists.

When sociologist Georgiann Davis was a teenager, her doctors discovered that she possessed XY chromosomes, marking her as intersex. Rather than share this information with her, they withheld the diagnosis to “protect” her gender identity; it was years before Davis would see her own medical records as an adult and learn the truth. Davis’s experience is not unusual. Historically, medical practices that uphold conventional notions of the male/female sex binary have led to secrecy about being intersex. Yet, the rise of intersex activism and visibility in the U.S. has caused a major shift in thinking, calling into question the practice of classifying intersex as an abnormality, rather than a mere biological variation. In this book, Davis draws on interviews with intersex people, their parents, and medical experts to explore the evolution of thought in regard to intersex visibility and transparency in medical and activist communities. A personal and scholarly journey into medical and social activism, Contesting Intersex presents a unique perspective on how medical diagnoses can affect lives profoundly.

Winner, 2017 Sex and Gender Distinguished Book Award, presented by the American Sociological Association

Winner, 2016 Donald Light Award for the Applied or Public Practice of Medical Sociology, presented by the American Sociological Association

© 2023 NYU Press (Ebook): 9781479891993

Release date

Ebook: 21 November 2023