Regina Barber

And in 2018, the American Academy of Family Physicians issued a statement opposing medically unnecessary surgeries on intersex children, basically saying this is harmful and we shouldn't do it anymore. But Eileen says there's still a huge information gap when it comes to intersex bodies and medical treatment. Faisal specializes in this kind of treatment. And here he is again.

Yeah. Faisal says that if you're short, there could be a bunch of reasons why. Like it could be that your parents are short or it could be a nutrition problem or a genetic condition. And depending on how short you are and the society that you live in, it might or might not pose a problem. Right. When I was talking to Faisal, he drew this comparison of urinal heights in Japan versus in Europe.

Yeah. Faisal says that if you're short, there could be a bunch of reasons why. Like it could be that your parents are short or it could be a nutrition problem or a genetic condition. And depending on how short you are and the society that you live in, it might or might not pose a problem. Right. When I was talking to Faisal, he drew this comparison of urinal heights in Japan versus in Europe.

Yeah. Faisal says that if you're short, there could be a bunch of reasons why. Like it could be that your parents are short or it could be a nutrition problem or a genetic condition. And depending on how short you are and the society that you live in, it might or might not pose a problem. Right. When I was talking to Faisal, he drew this comparison of urinal heights in Japan versus in Europe.

And that's the thing that's key, Gina. Even though a lot of these metrics for determining sex are based in science, the way we interpret them is rooted in society. All of the scientists that I talked to agreed. Biological sex is definitely not as simple as two separate categories. And we lose a lot of nuance and knowledge when we pretend that it is. Here's Anne Fausto-Sterling again.

And that's the thing that's key, Gina. Even though a lot of these metrics for determining sex are based in science, the way we interpret them is rooted in society. All of the scientists that I talked to agreed. Biological sex is definitely not as simple as two separate categories. And we lose a lot of nuance and knowledge when we pretend that it is. Here's Anne Fausto-Sterling again.

And that's the thing that's key, Gina. Even though a lot of these metrics for determining sex are based in science, the way we interpret them is rooted in society. All of the scientists that I talked to agreed. Biological sex is definitely not as simple as two separate categories. And we lose a lot of nuance and knowledge when we pretend that it is. Here's Anne Fausto-Sterling again.

She's the biologist that we heard from at the very beginning of the episode.

She's the biologist that we heard from at the very beginning of the episode.

She's the biologist that we heard from at the very beginning of the episode.

Human biology and all its possible variations are overwhelmingly complex. One might even say too complex to fit into a 15-minute episode.

Human biology and all its possible variations are overwhelmingly complex. One might even say too complex to fit into a 15-minute episode.

Human biology and all its possible variations are overwhelmingly complex. One might even say too complex to fit into a 15-minute episode.

So while biological sex is scientific, the way that medical experts and scientists determine it is more complicated than I thought. Although saying so has become increasingly politicized. We heard that at the start of the episode, right? And how much media coverage this topic has gotten recently. And I saw the effects of it in my reporting.

So while biological sex is scientific, the way that medical experts and scientists determine it is more complicated than I thought. Although saying so has become increasingly politicized. We heard that at the start of the episode, right? And how much media coverage this topic has gotten recently. And I saw the effects of it in my reporting.

So while biological sex is scientific, the way that medical experts and scientists determine it is more complicated than I thought. Although saying so has become increasingly politicized. We heard that at the start of the episode, right? And how much media coverage this topic has gotten recently. And I saw the effects of it in my reporting.

I reached out to 11 experts for this story, Gina, and less than half of them agreed to talk to me. Some people who declined, they cited fear for their jobs or their institutions. It feels like a reminder that science doesn't happen in a vacuum.

I reached out to 11 experts for this story, Gina, and less than half of them agreed to talk to me. Some people who declined, they cited fear for their jobs or their institutions. It feels like a reminder that science doesn't happen in a vacuum.

I reached out to 11 experts for this story, Gina, and less than half of them agreed to talk to me. Some people who declined, they cited fear for their jobs or their institutions. It feels like a reminder that science doesn't happen in a vacuum.

Newstape at the top of the episode was from the following outlets, KSNT, KPAX, KCCI, WDAL, and CBS News.