# Hermaphrodites
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hermaphrodites/114123
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [June 14, 2002, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hermaphrodites/114123 "2002-06-14T23:21:10Z")
**Posts on this page:** 7
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Blalron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blalron)
#### Post date: [June 14, 2002, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hermaphrodites/114123/1 "2002-06-14T23:21:10Z")
Someone earlier brought up a thread about transexuals and their legal rights. Which got me wondering about another ambiguity…
What about hermaphrodites? Since they have both male and female organs, are they allowed to marry whatever sex they chose? What about the draft? Can they enter any restroom without getting into trouble?
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### Author:  [@capybara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capybara)
#### Post date: [June 15, 2002, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hermaphrodites/114123/2 "2002-06-15T00:49:46Z")
Are there really many adult hermaphrodites running around these days (contrary to what odd porn sites would have one believe)? I thought in the moden age doctors typically re-assigned them shortly after birth, usually as female, in the same afternoon that they spend lopping off tails and 6th toes. I think the examples who fall through the gender-assignment cracks probably choose a gender and stick with it and don’t want any undue attention, so who knows if the question has ever come up.
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### Author:  [@Kaio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaio)
#### Post date: [June 15, 2002, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hermaphrodites/114123/3 "2002-06-15T01:01:18Z")
[http://www.isna.org/](http://www.isna.org/)
[http://www.isna.org/faq/](http://www.isna.org/faq/)
There ARE adult intersexuals out there, as well as a growing movement to discourage genetal surgery on infants. A lot of the legal issues (marriage etc.) haven’t made their way through the courts yet, so we don’t really know about how that would work out.
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### Author:  [@lee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lee)
#### Post date: [June 15, 2002, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hermaphrodites/114123/4 "2002-06-15T03:53:46Z")
A lot of doctors will re-assign to female infants whose erectile organ is in their opinion too short to be a penis or are intersexed in some way. If the infant has testicles, they will insist that they be removed as likely cancerous. They will do this even over the parents protests saying it is best for the infant. There are a lot of individual quite disgruntled over this practice.
IMHO Nothing that could function or is not obviouly impairing health should be chopped. Find out how the child identifies before making the decision for him/her.
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### Author:  [@Critical1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Critical1)
#### Post date: [June 15, 2002, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hermaphrodites/114123/5 "2002-06-15T06:23:44Z")
there was a huge case of a kid who got his package chopped off and clearly had a male personality growing up, the now adult man has gone through tons of surgery and therapy and has basicly a dildo in place of his penis.
sorry its late I think it was a readers digest I read in a doctors office somewhere, hmmm.
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### Author:  [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)
#### Post date: [June 15, 2002, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hermaphrodites/114123/6 "2002-06-15T23:52:12Z")
[As Nature Made Him](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0060929596/qid=1024184838/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/104-4063919-1487157) - botched circumsision leads to “gender reassignment”
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### Author:  [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)
#### Post date: [June 15, 2002, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hermaphrodites/114123/7 "2002-06-15T23:56:52Z")
This guy’s story was on _Nova_. All through this guy’s tortured life, the doctor refused to admit he was wrong. Very sad.