“Frankly, we are sick and tired of being lied to and being fobbed off with the same old denials, excuses and cheap promises”

«A Gonad For A Gonad, A Lust Organ For A Lust Organ» - Garry L. Warne (left) at the main entrance of '3rd EuroDSD Symposium', Lübeck 20.5.11 “3rd EuroDSD Symposium” Lübeck, May 21, 2011    –> Open Letter
(Center: Garry L. Warne, Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne)

For 60 years now, the practice of cosmetic genital surgeries on little children with “atypical” genitals continues. In all these years and decades, the endocrinologists, surgeons and other clinicians responsible for these surgeries couldn’t be bothered to gather evidence for the alledged beneficience of these surgeries, or even to do consistent follow-ups or only disclose statistics, but continue to operate on mere anecdotal evidence.

For 20 years now, survivors of these surgeries oppose them publicly, and consistently criticise them as “immensely destructive of sexual sensation and of the sense of bodily integrity”. For 20 years now, the clinicians concerned refuse to listen, let alone acknowledge these grave concerns.

“There is a serious ethical problem here: risky surgeries are being performed as standard care and are not being adequately followed-up. Intersexuals are understandably tired of hearing that ‘long-term follow-up data is needed’ while the surgeries continued to occur.”

There are also many reports and statements by Human Rights Advocacy Groups (e.g. Terre des Femmes 2004, CEDAW 2009, Amnesty Germany and Amnesty Switzerland 2010) and publications by experts in these fields (e.g. Hanny Lightfoot-Klein 2003, Fana Asefaw 2005, Nancy Ehrenreich/Mark Barr 2005) clearly stating that non-consented cosmetic surgeries on children gravely violate human rights (particularly the Right to Physical Integrity) and who underline the similarities and parallels between these surgeries and the practice of female genital mutilations.

>>> Full Text: Open Letter of Concern to “3rd EuroDSD Symposium – From Gene to Gender” (Zwischengeschlecht.org) 

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