LETTERS

Whole Earth is a conversation. Compliments, cavils, and corrections are welcome. Letters and e-mail may be (reluctantly) edited for space or clarity.

The Real Green Parties

The "Greens"--those trying to make a dent in the two-party system--are ever plagued by the extremeleft/Bookchin anarchist group of a few hundred members known as "Green Party USA." Alas, the press always confuses their Left-Green platform (e.g., abolish the US Senate, tax the rich at 100 percent) with ours. Also, when Web browsers go to GreenParty they get THEM and think they're US!

"Us" is the Associated State Green Parties, the organization of state-level Green Parties (in twenty-four states so far), with hundreds of thousands of members. It was at our convention in Denver (not the tiny splinter group's earlier convention in Chicago) where Jim Hightower nominated Ralph Nader as our presidential candidate, and he accepted. Our Web site is www.gp.org. Nader has his own Web site: VoteNader.org.

Cheers,

Charlene Spretnak Moss Beach, CA

[See Charlene's "How About That Green Option?" in Whole Earth, Summer 2000 --Ed.]

Intersex Interlocution

Dear Dr. Bruce Bagemihl,

I write in regard to your article in the Spring 2000 issue of Whole Earth. We share your interest in bringing to light evidence of the variability of sex in the natural world. However, we would like to update your knowledge of human intersexuality.

I am an intern at the Intersex Society of North America (ISNA). ISNA is a leader in a growing social justice movement--our mission is to end shame, secrecy, and genital mutilation of people born with mixed sex anatomy. Intersexuality is fairly common; at least one in two thousand people is born with an anatomy that defies easy classification as male or female (see www.isna.org/frequency.html). Less extreme variations are considerably more common.

The photograph you [Not Bruce. It was Whole Earth's selection. Bruce had nothing to do with it. --Ed.] used to illustrate intersexuality accurately reflects the medical view that intersexuality is a medical problem and that it is freakish, rare, and shameful. ISNA is working hard to replace such representations with pictures of real people without their eyes blacked out, and with their real names attached.

You [Again, Whole Earth wrote the caption, not Bruce. --Ed.] also write that "male pseudo-hermaphrodites are all very attractive `women.'" I think that you have confused the term "male pseudo-hermaphrodite" with the diagnosis of complete Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome (c-AIS). The term "hermaphrodite" is misleading and stigmatizing, and we are working to replace it with the less loaded term "intersex" (see www.isna.org/hermaphrodite.html). In addition, c-AIS is one of the rarer forms of intersexuality; the diagnosis "male pseudo-hermaphrodite" covers anyone with testes and some physical sexual ambiguity. These individuals have bodies that may look anything from female to ambiguous to male. See "Hermaphrodites with Attitude: Mapping the Emergence of Intersex Political Activism," by Cheryl Chase, in GLQ: A Journal of Lesbian and Gay Studies, Spring, 1998.

On intersex, please refer to the ISNA Web site, www.isna.org. I encourage you also to consider purchasing our half-hour video, Hermaphrodites Speak! which can be ordered from the Web site.

Sincerely,

Mary Kelterborn. ISNA Intern Ann Arbor, MI

Dear Mary,

I completely agree with you that the photograph included with the article and the accompanying caption were inappropriate! If I had seen them, I would have objected most strenuously to that photograph and its caption on exactly the grounds you indicate. Such images look very much like (in fact, some of them are!) medical illustrations, and including them would perpetuate the medical/pathological model of intersexuality that I am trying to challenge. Doubly so for pictures of intersexual people's genitals, which would be dehumanizing, objectifying, and not at all appropriate in my opinion.

While I cannot speak directly on their behalf, I do not believe that the editors of Whole Earth intended any disrespect. Peter Warshall and the magazine were otherwise remarkably sensitive, open, and responsive to the issues and communities discussed in the article. Indeed, their decision to publish this piece was a courageous and controversial one that not many other magazines would have taken on, and they were my first choice for placement of this article because of their track record for intelligently and creatively presenting important topics to a broad audience.

Elsewhere I have been an outspoken advocate and supporter of trans rights and I continue to speak out against medical models of intersexuality against the pathologizing of transgender, and in favor of the right of gender-variant people to resist medical definitions of their lives and to determine exactly how much or how little surgery and other biotechnologies to allow in their lives. See, for example, my "GenderTalk Radio" interviews with Nancy Nangeroni and Gordene MacKenzie (available on the Web at www.gendertalk.com/real /gt216.html); and my keynote address to the Ars Electronica 2000 Festival of Art, Technology, and Society (www.aec.at/nextsex), where I speak about the impact of new biotechnologies on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trans people.

Cordially,

Bruce Bagemihl Seattle, WA

Editor's comment: We goofed, because we tried too hard to explicitly show the manner in which intersexuality has been presented, but did not make clear that it was everything Mary and Bruce state. We tried to get acceptable and non-objectifying photos to counterbalance the "medical model," and could not find any. The two photos on page too are ISNA's choices.

Intersex Polar Bears?

I would like to say that I really enjoyed Bruce Bagemihl's article, which dealt with transgender issues in a very open-minded fashion. However, as much as I appreciated the message I feel that there were some inaccuracies. [Bruce wrote, "... scientists frequently attempt to pathologize homosexuality and transgender--for example by ascribing them to the presence of "pollutants" irt the environment even when there is no evidence for such." --Ed.]

Polar bears eat a high fat diet in order to survive. Pentchloro-biphenyls (PCBs) are incredibly persistent manmade chemicals that have a high affinity for fat, and are thus within the food chain. PCBs have the ability to mimic estrogen and other hormones in mammals. The seals that polar bears eat have PCBs, and thus the polar bears have PCBs. So while I would like to believe that there are pristine places on this planet where life has not been affected by anthropogenic activities, there are not. I believe that it detracts from the reality of how much of a crisis the environment is truly in when we perpetuate a myth that there exist pristine areas or ecosystems.

Thank you,

Dr. Jennifer L. Holmes by e-mail

Get Off It. Hang in There. Inspire.

Sometimes it is easy for me to forget the most essential and important things and this loss of inspiration makes for soul-searching times. And then comes the next edition of Whole Earth. Reading your magazine never fails to inspire me. Reminds me to just get off it!

Reminds me that I am far from alone. Thanks to you all for hanging in there. Your work is appreciated.

Love and peace,

Mary Koopman Tucson, AZ

We Like to Call It Postmod

You asked for money, property, assets, or something like that. Well, is it possible to donate a deficit instead of an asset? I've never had much success with selling clay sculpture. I hope you do. Let me know so I don't burden you more than once (if you aren't interested, that is). Thank you Mr. Warshall for magic well done. The color issues, from aerial photos to microscope photos, showed me how feeble my attempts are. Good luck with revenue raising. If the sculpture doesn't sell, they fill holes in the driveway pretty well. Again, let me know if you are not interested in my type of donations and I won't send any more. (Had a clay drum sent your way too.)

Thanks,

Doug Stutes Lafayette, LA

Moments of Fame

As I am approaching 90, I was considering letting go of Whole Earth.

However, I remember the years when it was Co Evolution Quarterly. The founder, Stewart Brand, and I first met in San Francisco after the publication of a story I wrote, "The Great Gaming House." Brand had suggested it to Patricia Phelan as a theme for a fund-raising event. Some months later Ms. Phelan wrote to say that a fine site had been found, the Fireman's Fund building, and it was scheduled for September 24, 1983. As the time approached I complained as it appeared that I would never see the fulfillment of my dream. Soon an air ticket came to me, and soon I flew to the site ... but it played for one night, only.

One hears of single moments of fame and I am more than satisfied with mine! As I say, "For one day all San Francisco danced to my melodies!" All of this may have happened seventeen years ago but is still fresh in my memory.

So ... you will find my check, attached.

Kelly Yeaton State College, PA

We remember him most fondly! His piece was so terrific we hunted him down. He got us to put on the most extraordinary and creative fundraiser I've ever been to (a benefit for Planetree) with over 300 volunteers (and alas just under 300 guests).

Ryan Phelan [formerly Patricia Phelan --Ed.]

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