OII-USA Director Hida Viloria was interviewed live on May 16th for BBC News Radio, regarding the groundbreaking lawsuit by the Crawford family for their intersex son, who was castrated at the age of 16 months, before they adopted him.  The lawsuit is the 1st of its kind in the US, & we commend the lawyers who took it on (AIC,  SPLC, & 2 legal firms) & the Crawford parents for standing up for their child & all intersex children!

Note: The interviewer got OII’s definition wrong — saying we are the largest advocacy organization in the US, rather than the world– but it was not clarified due to the tiny time allotted.  Also, we usually say that doctors do these surgeries with good intentions, but this time, with the brief time available, Viloria instead pointed out that the American Pediatrics Association has been aware of intersex adults’ reports that these surgeries harmed them for decades, and they simply haven’t been listening. She also noted that  the idea that castrating a boy with a small phallus to make him a girl is deeply problematic, as it assumes that girls will be fine with highly diminished sexual sensation.

The segment begins 44 minutes in, with Mr. Crawford, and Viloria’s interview begins 48:20 in.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0188d3z