London: Hermaphrodites target Pedo Docs ['ISHID 2011']

Peaceful protest outside the Royal College of Surgeons of England, host of 'ISHID 2011',
just before the opening of the congress, London September 17th 2011
>>> More Pics of Protest #1 by Behzad @ demotix – Thanks!

>>> Video of Protest #3 by MenDoComplain - Thanks!
>>> Open Letter to 'ISHID 2011', RCS, GOSH and UCH
>>> Flyer A4 (PDF 1.7MB) - TRIGGERWARNING!
>>> Genital Mutilators Converging in London, Sparking Protests
>>> 13.9.11: Post on lesbilicious.co.uk - Thanks!

Press Release by Zwischengeschlecht.org, September 17, 2011:

Today marks the beginning of the 'IV. World Conference of Genital Mutilators in Children's Clinics' a.k.a. 'ISHID 2011' at the Royal College of Surgeons of England, picketed by survivors remembering the victims and commemorating 15 years of peaceful protests against their tormentors.

For three days, the ruthless docs will propagate and perpetrate their unethical, inhumane and illegal deeds, culminating in a whole day of 'Live Genital Mutilations' on Monday, beleaguered by some of their former victims. During their first peaceful vigil today, they will remember the first public protest by survivors against the mutilators organised by the Intersex Society of North America (ISNA), when 'Hermaphrodites with Attitude' took to the streets picketing the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Pediatricians in Boston on October 26th 1996. This first public protest by survivors was announced by a press release titled 'Hermaphrodites target Kiddie Docs' – a motto today unfortunately still as up-to-date as 15 years ago ...

On Sunday, the London protestors will hand in an Open Letter to the perpetrators of the 'IV World Congress of the International Society for Hypospadias and Intersex Disorders (ISHID)' and their local accomplices offering them hospitality and support, amongst others the Royal College of Surgeons of England and the Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital. The protests will continue on Monday in front of the University College Hospital Education Centre, where the 'Live Mutilations' will be televised for the 'ISHID 2011' pedo docs.

The human rights advocacy group Zwischengeschlecht.org demands the prohibition of cosmetic genital surgeries on children and minors and „Human Rights for Hermaphrodites too!“

Kind regards

Daniela Truffer / Zwischengeschlecht.org (President)
Mobile: +41 76 398 06 50

Markus Bauer / Zwischengeschlecht.org (Campaigns)
Mobile: +41 78 829 12 60

http://stop.genitalmutilation.org
http://humanrights.4hermaphrodites2.org

BACKGROUND

One to two in 1,000 children are born with 'atypical', 'ambiguous', or 'otherwise deemed unworthy' genitals. At least 90% of them are submitted to cosmetic genital surgeries and other invasive medical interventions in western children's clinics—without actual medical need, without evidence of any benefit for the children, but in blatant violation of their human rights. Survivors have been accusing these systematic, massive and irreversible practices as a gross violation of physical integrity and as Western Genital Mutilation for at least 20 years.

On September 17-19, perpetrators of 'cosmetic genital surgeries' on children with 'atypical genitals' will celebrate 'IV. World Conference', culminating in a 'live surgery' marathon — while their victims deplore non-consented removal of healthy genital tissue resulting in loss of sensation, and will be protesting 'gross human rights violations.'

The mutilators wax lyrical about 'clitoral reductions,' 'penile reconstructions' and other 'surgical challenges,' hellbent on 'correcting' what they deem 'too big clitorises' and 'imperfect penises' as quickly as they can, before the parents might start loving their children the way they were born. [1] [2]

The victims call it 'medical crimes' and 'western genital mutilation' [3], publicly protesting life long trauma, pain and/or loss of s*xual sensation, drawing parallels to female genital mutilation and child s*xual abuse [4]. Accusations, which during the last decade again and again have been backed by human rights experts [5] and honest clinicians alike, perhaps most notably by doctors from Middles*x/UCL [6].

Yet still the majority of pediatric endocrinologists and surgeons turn a blind eye to the victims' pleas, as well as to the mounting evidence-based data on the negative impact of the unwanted surgeries. Case in point: The 'IV World Congress on Hypospadias and Disorders of S*x Development' a.k.a. 'ISHID 2011.' [7]

Peaceful pickets lead by survivors will remind the perpetrators that it's not OK to mutilate defenceless little children. [8]

References

[1] Since 1950, western pediatricians have been advocating and practicing medically not necessary 'cosmetic genital surgeries' on defenceless toddlers the sooner the better, taking advantage of overwhelmed and ill-informed parents.
http://humanrights.4hermaphrodites2.org

[2] Until today, the mutilators never succeeded in clinically proving any alledged benefits for the actual 'patients', but nonetheless insist on continuing with uncontrolled medical experiments:
'There is a serious ethical problem here: risky surgeries are being performed as standard care and are not being adequately followed-up. Inters*xuals are understandably tired of hearing that “long-term follow-up data is needed” while the surgeries continued to occur. On this, see especially the guest commentary by David Sandberg, “A Call for Clinical Research,” Hermaphrodites with Attitude (Fall/Winter 1995-1996): 8-9, and the many responses of intersexuals in the same issue.'
Alice Domurat Dreger: '"Ambiguous sex" – or Ambivalent Medicine?', The Hastings Center Report May/June 1998, especially FN 40
http://www.isna.org/articles/ambivalent_medicine

[3] 'Many human rights bodies have condemned female genital mutilation, defined as the removal of all or part of the clitoris, inner labia, or outer labia.
"Feminizing genital surgery" reduces the size of the clitoris by removing parts of the clitoris. [...] Clitoral reduction surgery is thus clearly covered by the definition of female genital mutilation.'
ISNA's Amicus Brief on Intersex Genital Surgery
http://www.isna.org/node/97

[4] Parallels to Child Sexual Abuse, see:
Tamara Alexander: 'The Medical Management of Inters*xed Children: An Analogue for Childhood Sexual Abuse'
http://www.isna.org/articles/analog

[5] Parallels to Female Genital Mutilation, see:
Hanny Lightfoot-Klein: 'Children's Genitals Under the Knife: Cultural Imperatives, Secrecy, and Shame' (2007), Chapter Nine: Intersex Surgery: For the Good of Whom?, p 167-176

[6] Evidence based findings about outcomes of cosmetic genital surgeries from Middlesex/UCL, see:
Emi Koyama: Catherine Minto & Sarah Creighton Fan Page
http://www.ipdx.org/articles/minto-creighton.html

[7] 'IV World Congress on Hypospadias and Disorders of Sex Development' a.k.a. 'ISHID 2011'
ishidcongress2011.org

[8] Peaceful Protests + Info against 'ISHID 2011':
http://stop.genitalmutilation.org
Times and places:
http://stop.genitalmutilation.org/pages/London-Protests-ISHID-Genital-Mutilators

London, September 17-19, 2011:
PROTESTS AGAINST "ISHID" GENITAL MUTILATORS
+ Public Info Meetings September 15-16
On occasion of the "IV World Congress on Hypospadias
and Disorders of Sex Development" a.k.a. "ISHID 2011",
incl. "Live Surgeries"