Dear Judy,
You certainly burst out of the shadows with great explosive force! It makes
a world of difference and a difference to the world to have people like you
who have strong believes and passion for what they believe in. Welcome back!
I have sort of rationalizes my grapevine, ie the people I forward
interesting bits to that I stumble accross, and I hope that it will become
dialogue, rather than monologue. Now that you have become visible again, I
would like to add you to this grapevine. Also I would like to post your doco
from hell if that is ok with you.
Give us a wave Judy, rgds John
----- Original Message -----
From: Judy Singer <[log in to unmask]>
To: Disability Research <[log in to unmask]>
Cc: OZAdvocacy <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, August 24, 2000 10:55 PM
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
>
>
>
>
>
>
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