Want to Be Like Nature Made You ?

Intersex people in the United States are subjected to medical practices that can inflict irreversible physical and psychological harm on them starting in infancy, harms that can last throughout their lives. Many of these procedures are done with the stated aim of making it easier for children to grow up “normal” and integrate more easily into society by helping them conform to a particular sex assignment. The results are often catastrophic, the supposed benefits are largely unproven, and there are generally no urgent health considerations at stake. Procedures that could be delayed until intersex children are old enough to decide whether they want them are instead performed on infants who then have to live with the consequences for a lifetime.

This report is the result of a collaboration between interACT and Human Rights Watch. The primary field research was conducted by Dr. Suegee Tamar-Mattis, an intersex person and family physician in California working as a consultant to Human Rights Watch, and Kyle Knight, a Human Rights Watch researcher based in New York. Kimberly Zieselman, executive director of interACT, and Anne Tamar-Mattis, legal director of interACT, provided outreach support and analytical guidance throughout the research process.

Rashima Kwatra, intern in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights program at Human Rights Watch conducted foundational background research that led to this project. Cristian Gonzales, intern in the LGBT rights program, provided legal research in the early stages of the project. Kyle Ranieri, LGBT program intern, helped with data searches and analysis. Aditi Shetty, program coordinator at Human Rights Watch, provided research assistance. Sylvan Fraser, staff attorney at interACT, drafted several of the legal sections of the report.

The report was edited by Anne Tamar-Mattis, Alesdair Ittelson, deputy legal director at interACT, Sylvan Fraser, and Kimberly Zieselman. Graeme Reid, director of Human Rights Watch’s LGBT rights program edited the report as well. The report was reviewed by Michael Garcia Bochenek, senior children’s rights counsel, Maria McFarland Sanchez-Moreno, co-director of the US program, Amanda Klasing, senior women’s rights researcher, Megan McLemore, senior health and human rights researcher, and Kriti Sharma, disability rights researcher. Mauro Cabral Grinspan, a member of the Human Rights Watch LGBT program advisory committee and executive director of GATE, reviewed the report and offered feedback. Dr. Susan Stred, MD, professor of pediatrics at SUNY-Upstate Medical School reviewed and commented on the report.

Chris Albin-Lackey, senior legal adviser, and Joseph Saunders, deputy program director, reviewed the report.

Production assistance was provided by Olivia Hunter, publications coordinator; Fitzroy Hepkins, administrative manager; and Jose Martinez, senior coordinator.

Human Rights Watch and interACT would like to thank:
All interviewees, named and unnamed, The AIS-DSD Support Group, Arlene Baratz, MD, Georgiann Davis, PhD, the interACT staff and board of directors, and Bo Laurent.