Blir det en flicka eller en pojke? - En diskursanalytisk undersökning av biopolitik och "normaliserande" medicinska ingrepp på barn med intersexvariationer

Sammanfattning: Every year children are born with variations of sex characteristics that do not fit in the typical definitions for female or male bodies. Because of sex assignment procedures, intersex children are investigated, diagnosed and in many cases “treated” with surgical and hormonal interventions, sometimes irreversible and given without the individual’s consent. These procedures pinpoints the ambivalent relationship between the state and the individual. The aim of this study is to examine the discourse about political and medical regulation of intersex children in Sweden and the motives of gender-“normalizing” interventions, focusing on the trade-off between biopolitics and the individual’s autonomy. The study uses Michel Foucault’s understanding of discourse and his ideas about the construction of the subject and biopolitics. Judith Butler’s heterosexual matrix adds another dimension to the analysis. The practical implementation of the discourse analysis is inspired by Ulf Olsson’s dissertation and conducted on two official reports ordered by the Swedish Government and two documents used by medical professionals, published between 2007-2017. The study finds that intersexuals are understood as deviant and sick, and sex assignment is constructed as necessary and in the child’s best interest. The concluding discussion shows that “normalizing” interventions are a requirement to gain recognition as a human being and receiving Swedish citizenship, a sanction applied for threatening the heterosexual matrix.