Saturday, September 30, 2006

Alice Dreger: DSD - Silencing intersex voices - Switzerland

Message of solidarity from OII-Switzerland

Response to blog entry entitled: DREGER IN DENIAL

Dear team of the OII-USA:

Reading Alice Dreger's last message on her blog is very interesting both for what it contains, and for what it does not contain.

This message does not contain a single word about her own responsibility in the damage caused by the DSD consortium to intersexed children. This message does not contain a single word of regret for parents who are manipulated through the ideology of this consortium. It does not contain a single word of regret for the suffering the children will continue to endure because of the work of this consortium. It does not contain a single word of regret for the pain caused by this consortium, for the human consequences of the battle which is currently happening.

Alice Dreger writes this message as if all the struggle currently happening was only about terminology and as if the core of the content of the documents of the DSD consortium were not problematic. Actually, all this article is written in a way to describe a peaceful discussion about a topic of secondary importance. I seriously doubt that intersexed people will have the same perception.

This text is obviously patronizing, as several people did already notice it. But it is also a manipulation, like a "tour de passe passe". It tries to transform a struggle where the outcome is the sufferings of intersexed children and the recognition of their specific identity into a discussion about terminology. It tries to transform the struggle against homophobic and transphobic protocols into a discussion between activists who prefer to leave parents and children alone. It manipulates parents as if it was appropriate and ethical to lie to them. It manipulates readers as if all this struggle was only about terminology and not about the core of the content of these documents.

It obviously takes a lot of energy for the OII-USA team to counter such unethical actions. But this struggle is very important, for all intersexed children, for their parents, for the recognition of their specific identity all over the world and not only in the USA.

I am extremely impressed by the way you are able to document and publicly communicate the truth about the DSD Consortium. This work is impressive and it is important far beyond the borders of the U.S.A.

I would like to send you my gratitude for the countless hours of difficult work needed to do this.

Marie-Noƫlle Baechler
Belmont-sur-Lausanne / Suisse
http://www.vrais-visages.net/
Blog: http://oii-suisse.blogspot.com/

Other related links on the DSD controversy:

Saturday, August 26, 2006
Three intersex activists defend children against pejorative terminology
Monday, September 11, 2006
DSD - Is there really a consensus?
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Handbook for Parents is transphobic and homophobic
Friday, September 22, 2006
DSD Consortium: Homophobia and transphobia exposed
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Alice Dreger: Disorders of Sex Development
Thursday, September 28, 2006
DREGER IN DENIAL
DSD - Silencing Intersex Voices – International support letters:
Alice Dreger: DSD - Silencing intersex voices - United Kingdom
Alice Dreger: DSD - Silencing intersex voices - Canada
Alice Dreger: DSD - Silencing intersex voices - France
Alice Dreger: DSD - Silencing intersex voices - Switzerland


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