I love you, Katie! Good luck, but you won't need it.

You are such a strong and beautiful woman. I think A.D. said it best freshman year at Haverford, "...because we all already love you!"

Katie is one of the brightest (in every way) women I have ever met. I am so proud to know her and proud of her for shining her light.

-RH

Malarca, Im proud of you, I KNEW you were amazing I'm excited that your going to be on the show...
Karen McGee

I want to thank all the cool, brave women who shared their experiences on this show. I consider myself well informed about most things, but this one was an awakening for me. Congrats to all of you for your fortitude and your vailidations of yourselves. This includes you, Jen. All of you are beautiful, and I want to thank you for an eye opening experience. My very best wishes to you all.

thank you!

jen

I find it interesting that on the show, the woman was able to say she wouldn't change being intersexed for anything. When will we acheive the same acceptance for those on the Autism Spectrum? I have yet to see any shows, with higher-functioning people on the Autism spectrum, where they can say they're happy with who they are and wouldn't want someone to change them.

I can't wait to see the show on intersex. And THANKS to the 3 ladies who spoke on our

behalf. Great job. I'm 52 years old and only found out myself 5 years ago that I'm intersex.
My parents (who are both still alive didn't even know) I am CAIS grade 7 and had the hernia as a child and the testes and of course the male xy chromosomes. I had the operation when I was 47 (orchidectomy) but the doctors would not tell me that I was intersex or indeed anything at all! I had to find it out myself late one night
at work on the computer! Had they been upfront with me, I would never have had the operation!!!
I feel cheated and betrayed by them and to this day do not trust doctors any longer. (There could
be another whole show on this alone) ! But I'm happy that at least the young girls coming behind
me will be better educated and informed and not be made to feel ashamed.

Debbie in Canada

I'm the mother of a 10 1/2 year old girl with the mosaic form of Turner Syndrome (45x/46xy) and is intersexed. She is very aware of her condition, why she requires growth hormones (now) and estrogen therapy (later). She is looking forward to adoping children later in life and accepts that her body is different, but that is normal for her.

As well adjusted as she seems to be at the moment, I'm struggling with whether or not she is too young to view today's program. Any thoughts?

Thanks,

Doreen.

i at 36 have come to realize that i have a large clitoris and labia and found out this year i have high testosterone levels and my hair is thinning and get facial hair now so i'm not sure why i am in this:-(

No one knows your daughter more than you do. Do you think she's mature enough? Are you prepared to answer all of her questions? If so then maybe it will do her some good to know she's not alone in the world. That there are other people just like her in the world.

-Lynnell

GREAT SHOW!!!!
thank you for bringing this topic out into the open. Oprah you rock.

We are talking about intersex people in my Gender and Women's Studies class at college. It is very interresting that people have been told that there are really only two options like girl, boy, white, black, good, bad, feminine, masculine, and these dualisms are just silly when in real life it is more of a combination of both and shades of grey. People are much more complex then that. Also you must know the difference between sex and gender. Then know that much of gender is socially constructed. And if you add in if that person is straight, lesbian, bisexual, gay, queer, questioning, or label free and it takes you into another area altogether. So much more complex.

Other great books to read on this topic is "Sexing the Body" by Anne Fausto-Sterling which talks about intersex and other related subjects and "TransLiberation: Beyond Pink and Blue" by Leslie Feinberg dealing more with gender. Both worth reading.

Why weren't there any men represented?

to tracywwjd why did it take you so long to notice the difference.

I can understand why Hedi, did not want to be changed. My problem is my clitoris is too small.
I say the bigger the clitoris the happier the woman.

I must disagree about one point that Dr. Alice Dreger made regarding her view on the difference between being intersex and transgendered. Yes NOT ALL transgendered people are intersex . Actually transgendered is an umbrella term for variations of gender expression such as drag queens, female and male impersonators, crossdressers, transgenderists transsexuals to name a few. What Dr. Dreger failed to acknowledge is that there are a diminutive number that are. They are transsexuals or what is becoming more increassingly known as Harry Benjamin Syndrome sufferers. For these sufferers they DO HAVE biological markers. To be exact the BSTc region of the hypothalamus which is located in the brain is structured exactly as a person's felt gender. In other words the brain structure is hard wired as one sex while the genitalia and secondary sex characteristics are the opposite. There are many scientific studies that have revealed this. Harry Benjamin's Syndrome (transsexualism) is becoming increasingly accepted as an intersex condition as well which Dr. Dreger either refused to acknowledge or is unaware of.

I have been researching this topic for going on 5 years and have accumulated many scientific studies proving my theories as being correct. As a matter of fact these findings have been incorporated in my book titled "A Transition in Attitudes" which I am working on getting published at the present time. I wouild like to see Oprah's production team produce a show regarding this highly contoversial yet increasingly scientifically accepting topic. After all I'm a sufferer of this disorder as well and would like to educate not only the general public but also the medical community as well.

Ashley C. Rota