Dear Judy,
I also saw that film last night and was concerned about how Joella was
being pushed into surgery. It was quite obvious that she wasn't interested
in the surgery. Imagine it, they even had another other little girl
demonstrate how she urinates from a tube in her abdomen for the camera and
Joella. (Joella was born without a bladder and has to wear a nappy). I also
found it rather extreme that the mother threw out all the blue clothing
when the doctors decided at age 12 months that she should actually be
raised as a girl instead of a boy as was registered on her birth
certificate. Towards the end of the film we saw her receive her female
birth certificate. Apparently it was quite a struggle to achieve this
recognition.
My lasting impression of the film though, was Joella at the end of the film
stating that she wouldn't have the operation to provide her with a bladder
and that she didn't want to change. If her friends couldn't accept her in
nappies then that was too bad. She was a vibrant and active child and
appeared to be happy as she was. My concern is that she will face
increasing pressures from the doctors as she approaches puberty to have
surgery to "fix the problem".
It's interesting that despite the zealous attempts of the film makers to
show this as a tragedy I couldn't see it because Joella was such a happy
child (except when shown in the doctor's rooms where she looked most
uncomfortable). The commentary did not match the footage. The tragedy was
in the film-maker's lack of perception as to what was really going on. A
true commentary could have exposed a major travesty which must be occurring
all over the place.
Rosemary
At 10:03 AM 8/24/2000 -0600, you wrote:
>Judy,
>Could I have your permission to forward this as a post on a medical
>anthropology discussion list I'm on? I know there will be some who might
>take the time to write to the broadcasting company and/or the segment
>producers. Lilah
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Judy Singer <[log in to unmask]>
>To: Disability Research <[log in to unmask]>
>Cc: OZAdvocacy <[log in to unmask]>
>Date: Thursday, August 24, 2000 7:00 AM
>Subject: Med Model Doco from Hell - "Joella's Story"
>
>
>>I'm so beside myself at an atrocious "Tragedy" model doco I just watched on
>>the ABC's Science Show "Quantum" that I must needs burst into email and
>>rejoin Dis-Res and OzAdvocacy just to vent on it. Excuse my incoherence, as
>>I'm feeling just a bit emotional about this
>>
>>You can see the blurb for this piece of s*&!% at
>>http://www.abc.net.au/quantum/qnewsgrp.htm
>>
>>Maybe I've been leading a sheltered life lately, but this simply horrified
>>me.
>>
>>Its about this 10 year old intersex child, raised as a girl, who is being
>>harried into various operations to make her "normal", though she doesnt
>want
>>to be and wishes people would like her the way she is. Her mother, who is
>>working class, is doing her best to hold out and buy some time for her,
>>against the dark and gloomy warnings of an assortment of emotionally
>>atrophied upper class Medical Specialists who keep warning her that her
>>child is going to have a tragic life if she doesnt consent to these
>>procedures.
>>
>>The voiceover is somthing atrocious as in,
>>
>> "It is believed that genetics may be to 'blame' for these 'terrible'
>>birth defects'
>>
>>I lost count of the times the word "to blame", "Tragic", "terrible"
>>appeared, in the hushed and mournful tones of the announcer
>>
>>despite the fact that the Joella herself was totallylively, charming, and
>>happy with her life, except when made to squirm by being put on the spot by
>>Mr Fish-Eyed Surgeon about "Hmm, you dont seem to want an operation do you.
>>Well you know you know your life will be a tragedy if you dont! (Some of
>the
>>surgery she'd had was necessary, but the supremely self-confident gall of
>>these nifty fingered old fogies determining how she was to be re-assigned
>>was something else).
>>
>>Another telling bit were these shots that we were meant to see as
>>heartbreaking, of a clothesline, with all denim and blue baby clothes, and
>>then it faded out and was replaced with all pink and white clothes, and the
>>mother talking about how it broke her heart to have to thow away the
>denims.
>>
>>In the YEAR 2000!??
>>
>>I can understand these film-makers never having heard of the Social Model
>>.... but never having heard of Feminism???
>>
>>Anyhow, see for yourselves if you're running low on adrenaline
>>
>>According to this show, abt 1 in 1000 people are born with some degree of
>>intersex - how astonishing that we have been able to suppress such a huge
>>population and cut them down to boring old M and F
>>
>>Apparently, the reason why this child needs surgery, is because she wont be
>>able to get a passport, as you dont get any other choices besides M and F,
>>and she was registered as M and sex changes are forbidden in UK law, and
>>therefore the only way out of these impasse is the knife.... I dont
>>understand either ...
>>
>>Oh well, now to compose some responsible sounding version of this rave to
>>send to the ABC ...
>>
>>Judy SInger
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>
>
=================================================
Rosemary Pynor
School of Behavioural & Community Health Sciences
University of Sydney
(02) 9351 9598 (02) 9351 9540 (fax)
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
|