Stories of Arab Intersex Individuals

Knowledge around intersexuality seems inexistent in the Arab world, with intersex individuals being subject to inhumane practices. A semi-structured interview with Helem, an LGBTQIA+ non-governmental organization in Lebanon, was conducted and three cases of intersex individuals were presented. Views on how to manage intersex individuals seem to differ from one physician to another, with many opting for sex-reassignment surgery due to sociocultural rather than medical reasons. Many physicians showed paternalistic approaches during the decision-making process. Moreover, intersex individuals who had been subject to surgery during their childhood showed high levels of psychiatric symptoms. Additionally, intersex individuals’ parents had high levels of stress and anxiety. To conclude, intersex individuals are being subject to abuse in the Arab world, with no medicolegal framework to protect them. Future efforts should focus on raising awareness about intersex issues, preventing unethical surgeries, and educating physicians on how to properly respond to intersex patients.

Content

Author and article information

Journal

Title: ScienceOpen Preprints

Publisher: ScienceOpen

Publication date (Electronic preprint): 24 March 2022

Affiliations

[1 ] Lebanese University, Faculty of Medical Sciences

Author notes

[* ]Email: alfredchabbouh.lu@ 123456gmail.com .

Author information

Alfred Chabbouh https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5491-5121

Article

DOI: 10.14293/S2199-1006.1.SOR-.PPXOCP4.v1

SO-VID: c2a70c5b-aea4-4f46-9e68-2c88090791d2

License:

This work has been published open access under Creative Commons Attribution License CC BY 4.0 , which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Conditions, terms of use and publishing policy can be found at www.scienceopen.com .

History

Date received : 24 March 2022

Data availability: Data sharing not applicable to this article as no datasets were generated or analysed during the current study.

ScienceOpen disciplines: Endocrinology & Diabetes,Urology,Medicine,Pediatrics,Surgery,Sexual medicine,Religious studies & Theology,General social science,Family & Child studies,Clinical Psychology & Psychiatry

Keywords: Intersex, Queer, LGBT, Arab, Genitals, Lebanon, Ethics, Experiences

References

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Zeeman Laetitia, Aranda Kay. A Systematic Review of the Health and Healthcare Inequalities for People with Intersex Variance. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. Vol. 17(18)2020. MDPI AG. [Cross Ref]
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Harris Rebecca M., Chan Yee-Ming. Ethical issues with early genitoplasty in children with disorders of sex development. Current Opinion in Endocrinology & Diabetes and Obesity. Vol. 26(1):49–53. 2019. Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health). [Cross Ref]
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Saade Riachy Carole, Nemr Elie. Medical professionalism in Lebanon: between doctors' perception and patients' satisfaction. International Journal of Medical Education. Vol. 11:171–172. 2020. International Journal of Medical Education. [Cross Ref]
Abdessamad Hasan M., Fattal Omar. Lebanese Medical Association for Sexual Health: Advancing Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Health in Lebanon. LGBT Health. Vol. 1(2):79–81. 2014. Mary Ann Liebert Inc. [Cross Ref]
Rosenwohl-Mack Amy, Tamar-Mattis Suegee, Baratz Arlene B., Dalke Katharine B., Ittelson Alesdair, Zieselman Kimberly, Flatt Jason D.. A national study on the physical and mental health of intersex adults in the U.S. PLOS ONE. Vol. 15(10)2020. Public Library of Science (PLoS). [Cross Ref]

Comments

Comment on this article

[1] . Guidelines for psychological practice with transgender and gender nonconforming people. American Psychologist. Vol. 70(9):832–864. 2015. American Psychological Association (APA). [Cross Ref]

[2] Vora Komal A, Srinivasan Shubha. A guide to differences/disorders of sex development/intersex in children and adolescents. Australian Journal of General Practice. Vol. 49(7):417–422. 2020. The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. [Cross Ref]

[3] Zeeman Laetitia, Aranda Kay. A Systematic Review of the Health and Healthcare Inequalities for People with Intersex Variance. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. Vol. 17(18)2020. MDPI AG. [Cross Ref]

[4] Behrens Kevin G.. A principled ethical approach to intersex paediatric surgeries. BMC Medical Ethics. Vol. 21(1)2020. Springer Science and Business Media LLC. [Cross Ref]

[5] Harris Rebecca M., Chan Yee-Ming. Ethical issues with early genitoplasty in children with disorders of sex development. Current Opinion in Endocrinology & Diabetes and Obesity. Vol. 26(1):49–53. 2019. Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health). [Cross Ref]

[6] Davis Georgiann, Wakefield Chris. The Intersex Kids are All Right? Diagnosis Disclosure and the Experiences of Intersex YouthGender, Sex, and Sexuality Among Contemporary Youth. p. 43–65. 2017. Emerald Publishing Limited. [Cross Ref]

[7] Saade Riachy Carole, Nemr Elie. Medical professionalism in Lebanon: between doctors' perception and patients' satisfaction. International Journal of Medical Education. Vol. 11:171–172. 2020. International Journal of Medical Education. [Cross Ref]

[8] Abdessamad Hasan M., Fattal Omar. Lebanese Medical Association for Sexual Health: Advancing Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Health in Lebanon. LGBT Health. Vol. 1(2):79–81. 2014. Mary Ann Liebert Inc. [Cross Ref]

[9] Rosenwohl-Mack Amy, Tamar-Mattis Suegee, Baratz Arlene B., Dalke Katharine B., Ittelson Alesdair, Zieselman Kimberly, Flatt Jason D.. A national study on the physical and mental health of intersex adults in the U.S. PLOS ONE. Vol. 15(10)2020. Public Library of Science (PLoS). [Cross Ref]