Between seeing and not seeing

an analysis of the medical images of intersexuality

Abstract

This paper aims to analyse the role of medical imaging in (re) definitions of sex and gender in the context of health care offered to intersex people. The instruments of visualization - visual scales, photographs, imaging examinations - used at various times of this assistance are intended to be a supposedly neutral tool for revealing “true sex”. The argument to be developed is that the medical visual perspective, rather than revealing “sex”, departs and reinforces traditional notions of gender and sexuality, leading to a strictly pathological apprehension of the variations of sexed bodies. In the case of images produced by medicine on intersexuality, other expectations coexist, such as the control of gender norms and sexuality. The material analyzed consists of bibliographical research on the subject (medical articles and manuals), and interviews with health professionals. Through the material analyzed, I gather clues to answer the question of how medical images compete for the pathologization of the genitals of intersex people.