An interesting report on the BBC (thanks to Ennis) about a Nigerian soccer player who used to be a woman. James Johnson used to play for the women’s football team, till it was discovered that she was a hermaphrodite. Iyabode Abade, as she was known then, was dropped from the team. She worked as a coach, and eventually the Nigerian government agreed to fund a sex-reassignment surgery. Now known as James Johnson, he plays for the men’s teams.
According to the Intersex Society of America 1 in 1500 to 2000 babies are born with ambiguous genitalia, but if you count subtler variations the number is higher, not to mention chromosomal variations. However, the issues often become one of social and legal definition. 0.1 to 0.2 percent of infants born in the US undergo some sort of “normalizing” surgery.
Speaking of hermaphrodites, there is an urban legend that Jamie Lee Curtis was born a hermaphrodite!
Jul 04, 2006 @ 17:13:07
I may be mistaken, but I believe that the case of the gentleman of whom you speak was televised on the Discovery Channel. If this is the same young man I recall, he did indeed appear to be male and its probably only unfortunate for him that as he identified himself in that manner as well that he couldn’t have chosen to have the surgery at an earlier age due to financing. I do agree that in these cases it is best for the child to make the decision as to gender instead of the parents making it for them at birth as they can most definitely make the wrong choice.
As to Jamie Lee Curtis, I doubt that she was born a hermaphrodite as they are almost certainly sterile and I believe that she has carried pregnancies to term.