Morland, Iain - Intersex: A Manifesto Against Medicalization

Intersex: A Manifesto Against Medicalization

Author: Iain Morland

Genre: Non Fiction, Essay

Pages: 296

Publisher: Columbia University Press

Release Date: December 16, 2025

Format: Paperback

Size (in cm): 21.6 (height) x 13.8 (width) x 1.7 (depth)

ISBN: 9780231221771

Synopsis:

When children are born with sex attributes that do not fit expectations about male and female anatomy, it is standard medical practice to make their bodies look as “normal” as possible. Doctors seek to reduce or remove intersex characteristics through early childhood surgery—cutting down clitorises, remaking penises, and even performing sterilizations. For decades, intersex medicine has sparked outrage from patient groups, lawmakers, intergovernmental organizations, and scholars. It has been condemned for causing trauma, scars, nerve damage, and the loss of bodily autonomy. Yet it continues.

Iain Morland, an intersex scholar and advocate—and a former patient—explores why medicalization is so embedded in contemporary society and how to challenge it. He provides breakthrough accounts of the traumatic effects of surgery, the consequences for attachments between children and parents, and the paradoxes of the pursuit of normality. Weaving together theoretical analysis with autobiographical insights, Morland grapples with the complexity of dismantling intersex medicine. Accessibly written and passionately argued, this book exposes the contradictions of the medical management of intersex. With a bold mix of critical theory, psychology, queer theory, and philosophy, it provides fresh insights for scholars of intersex, gender, sexuality, and science, as well as for activists and their allies.

LGBT Themes:

• Intersex
• Gender

Relevant Tags:

Non Fiction, Essay, Intersex, Gender, Gender Theory, LGBT, Queer, Sexuality, Science Activism