Citizen Bodies, Intersex Citizenship

• Published in: Sexualities Vol. 10; no. 1; pp. 29 - 48
• Main Author: Grabham, Emily
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London, Thousand Oaks, CA and New Delhi SAGE Publications 01.02.2007; Sage
• Subjects: Activism; Body; Citizenship; Embodiment; Gender; Norms; Personality. Social role; Sex; Sex Role Identity; Sexual behaviour; Sexuality; Social Constructionism; Social psychology; Sociology; sexual citizenship; social flesh; citizen bodies; intersex; citizenship; Intimacy; Hermaphrodism; Sexuality; Body (Human); Citizenship; Norm
• ISSN: 1363-4607; 1461-7382
• DOI: 10.1177/1363460707072951

The aim of this article is to assess the use of sexual citizenship and intimate citizenship in articulating a concept of ‘intersex citizenship’. Intersex activism diverges in important ways from feminist, queer, lesbian and gay, and trans activism. Nevertheless, concepts of sexual and intimate citizenship help in thinking about the effects of family and kin structures on intersex corporeality, the impact of new technologies on intersex activism, and the advantages and disadvantages of consumer citizenship models for intersex claims, amongst other factors. As long as intersex issues are defined by medically disciplining techniques, there remains a need to think critically about how citizenship norms are constructed through responses to corporeality. Carol Lee Bacchi and Chris Beasley's concept of ‘citizen bodies’ provides a useful starting point both in attempting to theorize the norms underlying the hyper-embodiment of intersexual subjects, and in relating this hyper-embodiment to the construction of intersexual people as non-citizens.