Article posted in Skepchick by Amy Buzalsky on January 26, 2015

Editor’s Note: Check out Amy’s other pieces on what being intersexed is all about. Today’s post is about the different ways in which being intersexed has been featured in the media. 

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Last summer at CONvergence/SkepchickCon, I attended a break out session called “Not Men or Women: Everyone Else in Fiction.” The panel members explored the gender binary and ways to incorporate these types of characters mostly into fiction writing. Being intersexed, I was enthused to attend this panel to learn more about the subject. What I found was a room full of people interested in using characters in their writing that fell out to the gender norm and they wanted to do it right. Little did I know that in the months to come there would be more use and awareness of intersexed characters in the media.

The first major news was that the MTV network introduced one of the characters in their teen drama Faking It as being born with Complete Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome (CAIS). The exciting thing for the intersexed community was that MTV approached Kimberly Zieselman for consultation on the show, who is the executive director of Advocates for Informed Choice (AIC)—a legal advocacy group for those with differences of sexual development. They also collaborated with some of the youth who work with AIC to do educational pieces in social media to explain what Intersex was after started introducing it on the show. The producers of Faking Itwanted to develop this part of the character right. They collaborated with Kimberly to learn what it was actually like to be born with CAIS, and how it affects our lives.

I have been watching Faking It (mostly on Hulu, as I get behind on my shows) and would highly recommend it. This is the second season of the show, so I was a bit unsure about hopping into a teen drama on MTV, since, obviously, I am not the target demographic. The premise of the show is that two teen girls (Karma and Amy, who are best friends), went along with an assumption they were a lesbian couple because it helped them gain popularity and social status in their school. It wasn’t long before the truth came out, but Amy ended up questioning her sexuality and remained in love with her best friend, Karma. The more I watched it, the more I gave them credit for putting gender issues out there, despite some of the dramatic quirks in the plot.

Editor’s Note: Check out Amy’s other pieces on what being intersexed is all about. Today’s post is about the different ways in which being intersexed has been featured in the media. 

*****

Last summer at CONvergence/SkepchickCon, I attended a break out session called “Not Men or Women: Everyone Else in Fiction.” The panel members explored the gender binary and ways to incorporate these types of characters mostly into fiction writing. Being intersexed, I was enthused to attend this panel to learn more about the subject. What I found was a room full of people interested in using characters in their writing that fell out to the gender norm and they wanted to do it right. Little did I know that in the months to come there would be more use and awareness of intersexed characters in the media.

The first major news was that the MTV network introduced one of the characters in their teen drama Faking It as being born with Complete Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome (CAIS). The exciting thing for the intersexed community was that MTV approached Kimberly Zieselman for consultation on the show, who is the executive director of Advocates for Informed Choice (AIC)—a legal advocacy group for those with differences of sexual development. They also collaborated with some of the youth who work with AIC to do educational pieces in social media to explain what Intersex was after started introducing it on the show. The producers of Faking Itwanted to develop this part of the character right. They collaborated with Kimberly to learn what it was actually like to be born with CAIS, and how it affects our lives.

I have been watching Faking It (mostly on Hulu, as I get behind on my shows) and would highly recommend it. This is the second season of the show, so I was a bit unsure about hopping into a teen drama on MTV, since, obviously, I am not the target demographic. The premise of the show is that two teen girls (Karma and Amy, who are best friends), went along with an assumption they were a lesbian couple because it helped them gain popularity and social status in their school. It wasn’t long before the truth came out, but Amy ended up questioning her sexuality and remained in love with her best friend, Karma. The more I watched it, the more I gave them credit for putting gender issues out there, despite some of the dramatic quirks in the plot. Click here continue reading.