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Hello friends of Intersex Initiative (ipdx),
I just finished teaching the third week of the four week long course on Intersex Studies at Portland State University. The enrollment was unfortunately much lower than the last time I taught the class, but the students I have in my class are really getting it and I'm very excited.
Thinking ahead: we'll be officially launching our "speaker's bureau" in September, which basically means we'll start actively promoting our presenters to local colleges and organizations. Do you have know of any teacher or group in Portland or surrounding area that might be interested in having us present about intersex? We're planning to do mailings and all, but the word of mouth is always the best promotion...
Also, we'll host our second training for speaker's bureau also in September! If you are interested in becoming a speaker, download and fill out the application at the web site below. You do not need to be an intersex person to be a good speaker--it is part of the goal of our training to help our non-intersex friends become effective allies. http://www.ipdx.org/speakers/index.html
On the news front, the State of Oregon has just joined 34 other states that mandate newborn screening for congenital adrenal hyperplasia. On the surface, this is a good news for children born with CAH because children with the severe form of CAH experience "salt-losing shock" which at worst could lead to death unless they are treated with medication. However, we're worried that it could be used to regulate aspects of CAH that aren't medical problems. For example, it is well documented that girls with CAH have a higher than average tendency to exhibit stereotypically masculine behaviors or identify as queer when they grow up. How can we know that some overzealous parents and doctors won't try to "prevent" or "cure" these completely healthy aspects of their children by over-medicating or psychologically manipulating? Newborn screening is generally a good idea, but we need to remain skeptical as to how it will be applied.
Below are links to this and other news and commentaries recently posted on Intersex Initiative's web site:
Intersex Information Censored at Public Libraries?
http://www.ipdx.org/news/000028.html
Oregon Begins Mandatory Screening for CAH
http://www.ipdx.org/news/000030.html
Double Standard and Eugenic Impulse in the Embryo Research Debate
http://www.ipdx.org/news/000029.html
Conjoined Twin "Tragedy": Was Ladan Bijani Murdered?
http://www.ipdx.org/news/000031.html
We welcome your responses and comments regarding these news commentaries. Go to one of the links listed above and click "Comments" to post your opinions--or, please feel free to email me at emi@ipdx.org.
Best,
Emi Koyama
Director, Intersex Initiative
http://www.ipdx.org/
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