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中间性
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怎样对待中间性
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社会-文化的态度
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法律传统
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个人身份认证
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几乎在所有的国家里，法律承认只有两个性别——女性和男性。在各自的出生证、教育和健康登记册、驾驶证、身份证和护照等的官方档案里登记的要么是一个性别，要么是另一个性别。至于在法律记载中，一个人要么是女性，要么是男性。别无选择。
虽然这种传统的简单而严谨的男女区分对于绝大多数人会有用，它却给少数族群带来了麻烦。真真切切，在某些西方国家，法律现在允许有性别的例外认证：变性者(transsexuals)在成功实施外科性别改换手术以后，可以有自己的个人身份证件(中国大陆目前也有少数变性者变换身份档案的事例，但是只是通过民政部的行政解释作出的决定，而尚无法律的正式条款认证身份改变。——译者注)，但是仍旧是这样，这种性别改变只是从女性改变成男性，反过来也是这样。在澳大利亚仅有唯一的例外，在那里有一位中间性者曾经成功地获得了记录有“X”性别的护照， 既不是女性也不是男性(“”——译者首创的汉字，即这个中间性者的代称，发音和他/她相同。在这里作代词用，是否合适？倒是值得考虑。所以，译者不妨创用新的代词指称这种第三性别的人，中文可以考虑用“男”和“女”字简化为偏旁部首，作上下结构，保留“也”字，置右侧，所以译者不妨在此创用“”。至于英文怎样对应创用这个代称，需要英语语言文字学家思考——译者注。)这个先例也许证明有助于其他中间性者，不过是否会成为对所有的中间性者实用的解决方案，则颇为令人怀疑。顾及到中间性的宽泛的性象谱，人们可以推测他们中大多数人完全满足于在男女性别之间作出选择。他们的性健康担忧(concern)有些许差别：既然许多中间性不被认可或在出生的当口被误诊，并且以他们后来拒绝的性角色被抚养，那么，他们就愿意作出决定：他们的性别按照自己的性别认同来确认，而不是按照其生理性别来确定。在往后的青春期或成人期再来选择自己的性别，即使想就生物学上的状况作出某种改变，那也会太迟了；生物学上的特征不应该是决定性别的唯一标准。应该被考虑的是作为女性或男性的内心信念。如果据此需要对所有的个人档案中的性别登记加以变更，现在应该要变得更加容易。换一句话说，大多数中间性者不是抱怨要么选男要么选女的如此过少余地的选择，而是批评不能申请对自己的性别认证作出改变。如果法律在改变性别认证方面有更多的回旋余地，这可能对许多中间性者会有所帮助，(因为)他们现在仍然遭受着不必要的困扰。 |
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Intersexuality - Dealing with Intersexuality
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Socio-cultural Attitudes - Legal Traditions
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Personal identification
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 In virtually all countries, the law recognizes only two sexes - female or male. Either one or the other is recorded in the respective official documents – birth certificates, educational and health records, drivers licences, identification cards, passports, etc.
For the law, a person is either female or male. There is no other option.
While the traditional simple and strict distinction is helpful for the vast majority of people, it can create problems for a small minority. Indeed, in some Western countries, the law itself has now allowed an exception: Transsexuals may have their personal papers changed after a successful surgical sex reassignment, but again, the change is only from femaleness to maleness or vice versa. There has been only one unique case in Australia, where an intersexual person succeeded in obtaining a passport recording his sex as “X” i.e. neither female nor male. This precedent might prove helpful to some others, but whether it would be a practical solution for all intersexes is more than doubtful. Considering the wide spectrum of intersexualities, one can assume that most of them are quite content with the choice between female or male. Their concern is somewhat different:
Since many intersexes are unrecognized or misdiagnosed at birth and raised in a gender role that they may later reject, they want one factor to be decisive: Their sexual self-identification, not their physical sex. Even if, in late adolescence or adulthood, it is too late to do anything about the biological status, it should not be the sole criterion. What should be considered instead, is the inner conviction of being female or male. If this then requires a change in all personal documents, it should be made easier than it is today.
In other words, most intersexes do not resent the narrow female/male alternative as such, but rather its inflexible application. If the law were to allow more leeway in these matters, many individuals could be helped who are now still encountering unnecessary problems. |
