CSI Miami Continues to Portray Intersex People as Psychopathic Killers
December 18, 2009
On Monday, December 14th, CBS aired a highly problematic episode of CSI: Miami, “Delko for the Defense,” in which they continued their trend of misrepresenting intersexuality as a motivation for homicidal attacks. The show previously broadcast defamatory implications about intersex people in their May 2007 episode “Born to Kill,” which also featured an intersex killer.
Monday’s episode involved the investigation of a man, Zach Finley, suspected of raping and then stabbing a rich heiress to death. A blood test of Finley reveals that he has Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome, a genetic condition in which chromosomally XY individuals are unable to respond to the androgens which cause typically-male sexual differentiation, according to the Intersex Society of North America. Since the detectives are only concerned with Finley’s physical ability to sexually assault the victim, the show reduces the complexities and realities of AIS into a simple lack of external male genitalia. In fact, AIS often manifests itself in feminine gender identity and expression, a possibility which the show erases with its portrayal of Finley as a stereotypical gender-conforming male.
The detectives eventually discover that Finley was working in tandem with a rapist, and Finley finally confesses that he would follow his partner’s assaults by fatally stabbing the victims to death because, in his words, “He could be with these women, but I couldn’t. Killing was the only way that I could get close to them… Closer than sex.” This ridiculous premise for homicide offends on many levels (not the least of which is its perpetuation of a heterosexist idea of sex and intimacy), but ultimately sends an unacceptable message that intersex conditions necessarily result in such psychosexual pathologies.
From the lab technician’s reaction of, “Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god” upon realizing that the suspect was intersex, to the poignant close-up shot of the Men’s bathroom sign where the detectives perform their visual confirmation of Finley’s anatomy off-screen, to repeated commentary about his “lack of equipment,” the episode oversimplifies and flippantly under-addresses the realities of intersexuality, all the while reinforcing the perception of people with AIS or other intersex conditions as inherently and genetically pathological.
Please contact CBS to voice your concerns about this defamatory portrayal:
Beth Haiken, Director of Publicity – CSI: Miami
Beth.haiken@cbs.com
GLAAD is in the midst of ongoing conversations with producers at CBS to improve the network’s overall coverage of LGBT issues. Please check back for updates, and notify us if you witness similar defamatory representations on this show, or any other, in the future.
Related Posts:UPDATE: Castor Semenya to Keep Gold Medal
November 19, 2009
This past August, Castor Semenya ran her 800-meter race in 1:55.45, faster than any other woman in the world this year. Her dramatic win and personal improvement elicited people to question her sex, which eventually led to an investigation. Reports of her gender-verification testing were leaked to the press saying that Semenya is intersex.
Today, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) announced that they will allow Semenya to keep the gold medal and prize money she won at the World Athletics Championships in Berlin, Germany. The IAAF also made it clear that her official gender-verification testing results will remain confidential.
In a statement on their website, the South African Sports Ministry said “We have agreed with the IAAF that whatever scientific tests were conducted legally within the IAAF regulations will be treated as a confidential matter between patient and doctor. As such there will be no public announcement of what the panel of scientists has found. We urge all South Africans and other people to respect this professional ethical and moral way of doing things.”
Now Semenya can be recognized as simply an amazing competitor and running superstar.
Related Posts:News Reports Speculate Results of South African Runner’s Gender Verification Testing; Some Use Problematic Terminology
September 11, 2009
South African runner Caster Semenya met unfair and premature speculation about her sex recently after the International Association of Athletics Foundation (IAAF) announced in August that Semenya would undergo gender-verification testing.
Semenya attracted international attention last month after the 18 year-old athlete shattered the defending world champion’s record in the 800-meter event, clocking a time of 1:55.45. USA Today reports that the young athlete’s astounding record drew questions about her sex.
But as former IAAF medical commission chairman Arne Ljungqvist told The Associated Press, “There is no simple, single lab test that can tell if you are a man or a woman. It is not black and white.”
Nevertheless, the Australian-based newspaper Daily Telegraph claims that test results prove Semenya is intersex. Official test results, however, have not yet been released.
Unfortunately multiple outlets including ABC News, CBS News, and the Agence France Presse (AFP) incorrectly apply the term “hermaphrodite” to describe Semenya’s sex. As noted in GLAAD’s Media Reference Guide, however, that term is problematic:
The word ‘hermaphrodite’ is an outdated, stigmatizing and misleading word, usually used to sensationalize intersex people.
It is important to note that the alleged results reported by the Daily Telegraph are premature and have not been verified by the IAAF.
If, in fact, tests conclude that Semenya has both male and female anatomy, the preferred term to describe her would be intersex.
Here is a relevant except from GLAAD’s Media Reference Guide:
Intersex: Describing a person whose biological sex is ambiguous. There are many genetic, hormonal or anatomical variations which make a person’s sex ambiguous (i.e., Klinefelter Syndrome, Adrenal Hyperplasia). Parents and medical professionals usually assign intersex infants a sex and perform surgical operations to conform the infant’s body to that assignment. This practice has become increasingly controversial as intersex adults are speaking out against the practice, accusing doctors of genital mutilation.
Time Magazine offered a comprehensive outlook on the overall story today including potential legal action by the South African government:
Speaking at a news conference in Pretoria on Friday, Sport and Recreation Minister Makhenkesi Stofile said he was “shocked and disgusted” at the treatment that Semenya has received from both the international media and the IAAF. He said lawyers were being consulted over possible human rights violations amid concerns that Semenya was tested without her consent.
GLAAD will continue to monitor this evolving story and work with media outlets to ensure that coverage stays within the bounds of fairness and accuracy. If you see stories that miss the mark or use problematic terminology please e-mail your concerns to nationalnews@glaad.org
Related Posts:Intersex Issues Slowly Gaining Visibility
December 11, 2008
Recently, a high-profile article ran in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution detailing the life of Danni Lee Harris, the Atlanta Police Department’s LGBT liaison. The article details Officer Harris’ very public announcement of her newly understood intersex identity, an identity she only learned of during the summer.
Officer Danni Lee Harris. Photo by Marcus Yam.
The article in the Atlanta-Journal Constitution, and the subsequent spread of online communication about her story is only the peak of the iceberg in the new wave of visibility surrounding intersex people and their stories. From Oprah to Good Morning America the stories of intersex people have been shared with growing accuracy and fairness.
On the heels of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s article came a new book by Katrina Karkazis surrounding the stories between doctors, parents, and adult intersex people.
Written by a medical anthropologist and Senior Researcher at the Center for Biomedical Ethics at Stanford University Fixing Sex: Intersex, Medical Authority and Lived Experience has a focus on intersex visibility. From an article in the Medical Center Report of Stanford’s School of Medicine:
“Karkazis has emerged from her research with the conviction that more attention needs to be paid to intersex individuals as complete people, rather than as specimens of unusual biology.”
Officer Harris’s s decision to share her story with the people of Atlanta coincides with some of Karkazis’ statements on the need for lifting shame and stigmatization. The online magazine Political Affairs profiled Officer Harris in early December. The magazine concludes that Officer Harris has:
“increased local and national discourse about intersex and minority gender constructs in a forthright and professional manner.”
Officer Harris was initially reticent to discuss her identity with the public. From the article:
“‘This was so personal… I felt vulnerable when I was presenting…[however] people have been very supportive. It’s been overwhelming. Both the personal and professional feedback have been welcoming and warm.’”
Officer Harris’ experience is exactly what Karkazis is hoping to achieve through her work, a welcoming community that sees an entire person. Karkazis, as quoted in the Medical Center Report:
‘We need to look at what contributes to the flourishing of human beings in general, and think about how to achieve that for these kids,’ she said, noting less than 1 percent of studies examining outcomes of treatment have looked at patients’ long-term quality of life.
She also thinks brand-new parents need to get the message that a baby’s intersex diagnosis isn’t a calamity. We need doctors, Karkazis said, who will tell these worried parents, ‘I’ve seen this before. It’s OK. There’s no reason your child cannot have a marvelous life.’”
You can learn more about the book by listening to a podcast between the author and Stanford’s Center for Biomedical Ethics’ Executive Director of Communications, Paul Costello.
