Between XX and XY: Intersexuality and the Myth of Two Sexes

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On 10 October 1970, the day she was born, she was named Dorothy Maree Alaniz -- a baby girl. Curiously, though, no one filled out a birth certificate that day. When the certificate was finally filed on 5 November the name on it was Rudolph Andrew Alaniz. Within less than one month after her birth, this girl became a boy. Every year in the United States, over two thousand children are born with an intersex condition or disorder of sex development. What makes someone a boy or a girl Is it external genitalia, chromosomes, DNA, environment, or some combination of these factors Not even doctors or scientists are entirely clear. What is clear is that sex is not an either-or proposition: not girl/boy, XX/XY, switching between two poles like an on-off switch on a radio. Rather, sex is like the bass and treble knobs on that radio. Between XX and XY provides a fascinating look at the science of sex and what makes people male or female. There are people born XXY, XXXY, or XXXXY, or with any number of variations in X or Y chromosomes, but those who do not fit into society's preconceived notions about sex often face a difficult path in life. Dr Callahan explores why humans are so attached to the idea of two sexes, and examines our obsession with sex and sexual intercourse through the ages.

Reviews

"Callahan does a good job of exploring intersex individuals, who are neither male nor female, and argues that they need to be accepted for what they are and not viewed as defective." --Publishers Weekly
"Callahan's writing style is both accessible and engaging; it reads more like creative non-fiction, a la Malcolm Gladwell." --Ms. Magazine
"Immunologist Callahan takes a fascinating look at the biology and human experience of intersexuality, a state in between male and female." --Discover Magazine
"The book is really beautifully written, highly accessible, and visionary in its own right." --Feministing
"There are lots of interesting nuggets here--for example, Callahan's description of biological sex as a spectrum, not a binary system." --Double X
"This is a fascinating, easily understandable journey into why we are born male or female and examines our age-old obsession with sex." --Fort Collins Coloradoan

Author Bio

Gerald N. Callahan is a professor of immunology and publicunderstandingof science at Colorado State University with joint appointments in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology andtheDepartmentof English.