Sex Genetics and Personal Identity

Ingrid Holme
PhD student, University of Exeter

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     Last modified: June 15, 2005
     Presentation date: 07/14/2005 2:00 PM in ROZH 102
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Abstract
Session: Genomics and Identity Politics

Sex genetics is used by some communities to develop and support personal identities. Clearly, sex genetics can play an important part in forming both the biological basis of gender identity, and in supporting the current Western socio-historical context of binary gender identity. My PhD research explores how different communities understand and apply genetic sex knowledge, and this paper is an initial presentation of part of this research with reference to the Intersex community. Drawing upon content analysis of a variety of textual sources, including Intersex publications and mass media, I will show that sex genetics hn impact that stretches beyond gender identity and that it is a powerful resource for personal and group validation.

This presentation explores two prominent identities within Intersex communities, that of the patient and that of the activist. I will demonstrate that in the case of the patient, genetic sequencing can create a sense of having achieved an accurate diagnosis, which can be a valuable tool in revising medical records in those cases where they have been sabotaged by past doctors. This contrasts with what I term the activist use of sex genetics, which is primarily directed towards validating membership in the Intersex community. In the activist usage, sex genetics solidifies kinship within a community which is biologically and medically diverse. However, it also positions boundaries around the community by segregating ‘biological’ cases of ambiguous sex from ‘non-biological’ cases. Finally, through highlighting examples from popular science books such as ‘Adam’s Curse’ (Sykes, 2003), I will illustrate that the relationship between sex genetics and personal/group identity is not a unique phenomenon of the Intersex community, but is also found in current discussions of genetic kinship.

Multiple Paper Session:
Other papers in this session:
The Politics of Genomic Identity
‘Folk Biology and the Genetics of Race’
‘Provenance and the pedigree: The Pennsylvania Amish’
‘Jewish Identities: The Gogodala in Papua New Guinea’
Post Conviction DNA Testing in the American Criminal Justice System