The way we think about biological sex is wrong | Emily Quinn

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: Carol Wang

[This talk contains mature content]

〔本演說有成人內容〕

I have a vagina.

我有陰道。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Just thought you should know.

只是覺得應該要讓你們知道。

That might not come as a surprise to some of you.

有些人應該不會感到驚訝。

I look like a woman.

我看起來像是女人，

I'm dressed like one, I guess.

我想自己穿得也像女人。

The thing is, I also have balls.

重點是，我也有睪丸。

And it does take a lot of nerve

真的需要很大的膽量，

to come up here and talk to you about my genitalia.

才能走上這個舞台， 跟各位談我的生殖器，

Just a little.

只談一點點。

But I'm not talking about bravery or courage.

但，我不是要談勇敢或勇氣。

I mean literally -- I have balls.

我是說真的——我很「有種」。

Right here,

就在這裡，

right where a lot of you have ovaries.

就在許多人有卵巢的位置。

I'm not male or female.

我不是男性或女性，

I'm intersex.

我是雙性人。

Most people assume that you're biologically either a man or a woman,

大部分人都會假設， 你在生理上不是男性就是女性，

but it's actually a lot more complex than that.

但其實沒有那麼簡單。

There are so many ways somebody could be intersex.

有許多可能都會讓 一個人成為雙性人。

In my case, it means I was born with XY chromosomes,

就我來說，我出生時 就有 XY 染色體，

which you probably know as male chromosomes.

你們可能知道， 這就是男性染色體。

And I was born with a vagina and balls inside my body.

我出生時，身體裡面 就有陰道和睪丸。

I don't respond to testosterone,

我對睪丸素沒有反應，

so during puberty, I grew breasts,

所以，在青春期時， 我的乳房開始發育，

but I never got acne or body hair, body oil.

但我從來沒有過 青春痘、體毛、體油。

You can be jealous of that.

你們可以嫉妒一下。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

But even though I don't actually have a uterus --

但即便如此，我也沒有子宮， 我生來就沒有，

I was born without one,

so I don't menstruate, I can't have biological children.

所以我沒有月經，我不能生孩子。

We put people in boxes based on their genitalia.

我們用生殖器來把人分類。

Before a baby's even born, we ask whether it's a boy or a girl,

在寶寶都還沒生出來之前， 我們就問是男孩還是女孩，

as if it actually matters;

好像這點真的很重要；

as if you're going to be less excited about having a baby

說得好像如果你的寶寶 沒有你想要的生殖器，

if it doesn't have the genitals you wanted;

你的興奮就會打折似的；

as if what's between somebody's legs tells you anything about that person.

說得好像一個人兩腿之間的東西 能告訴你關於這人的一些事似的。

Are they kind, generous, funny?

他們會是仁慈的？ 大方的？有趣的？

Smart?

聰明的？

Who do they want to be when they grow up?

他們長大會想要成為什麼人？

Genitals don't actually tell you anything.

生殖器不能告訴你任何事。

Yet, we define ourselves by them.

但，我們卻用生殖器 來定義我們自己。

In this society, we love putting people into boxes

在這個社會，我們喜歡 把人分類，給彼此貼標籤。

and labeling each other.

It kind of gives us a sense of belonging

這樣可以給我們一種歸屬感，

and teaches us how to interact with one another.

並教導我們如何和彼此互動。

But there's one really big problem:

但，有個非常大的問題：

biological sex is not black or white.

生理性別並不是非黑即白，

It's on a spectrum.

它是一個範圍。

Besides your genitalia, you also have your chromosomes,

除了生殖器，你也有染色體，

your gonads, like ovaries or testicles.

也有生殖腺，比如卵巢或睪丸。

You have your internal sex organs,

你有內部性器官、

your hormone production, your hormone response

你的荷爾蒙生成、 你的荷爾蒙反應，

and your secondary sex characteristics, like breast development, body hair, etc.

以及你的第二性徵， 比如乳房發育、體毛等等。

Those seven areas of biological sex all have so much variation,

生理性別的那七個領域，

都有許多不同的可能，

yet we only get two options:

但我們卻只有兩種選項：

male or female.

男性或女性。

Which is kind of absurd to me,

對我來說蠻荒唐的，

because I can't think of a single other human trait

因為我無法想出 還有哪一種人類特性

that there's only two options for:

只有兩個選項：

skin color, hair, height, eyes.

膚色、頭髮、身高、眼睛。

You can either have nose A or nose B, that's it, no other options.

你只能有這種鼻子或那種鼻子， 就這樣，沒其他選擇。

If there are infinite ways for our bodies to look,

如果人類是千變萬化的， 不論是我們身體的外觀、

our minds to think,

我們大腦的思想、

personalities to act,

個性的行為，

wouldn't it make sense that there's that much variety

那麼生理性別也有許多種可能性，

in biological sex, too?

不是很合理嗎？

Did you know that besides XX or XY chromosomes,

你們是否知道， 除了 XX 或 XY 染色體，

you could have XX and XY chromosomes?

也可能同時有 XX 和 XY 染色體？

Or you could have an extra X -- XXY.

或者也有可能多一個 X —— XXY，

Or two extra -- XXXY.

或者多兩個—— XXXY，

Goes on from there.

以此類推。

And for those "normal" people with XX or XY,

那麼，對於那些有 XX 或 XY 的「正常」人來說，

what does that mean?

這意味著什麼？

I have XY chromosomes.

我有 XY 染色體。

If my DNA is found at the scene of a crime --

如果在犯罪現場發現我的 DNA ——

not saying it will, but, you know, we'll see.

並不是說會發生這種事， 但，誰知道呢。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

If my skeleton is discovered thousands of years from now,

如果在幾千年後發現我的骨骸，

I'll be labeled male.

我會被歸為男性。

Is that the truth?

那是真的嗎？

My balls would say so.

我的睪丸會說是。

But what about the rest of me?

但我其他的部分呢？

And what if a woman has ovarian cancer and has to have her ovaries removed?

如果一名女子得了卵巢癌 而把卵巢拿掉了呢？

Does she still qualify as a woman?

她還算是女人嗎？

What about other intersex people who are born without balls or ovaries

那麼其他的雙性人呢， 他們生來就沒有睪丸或卵巢，

or with just one or a combination of the two?

或只有一個，或有兩者的組合？

Where do they go?

他們算什麼？

Do you have to have a uterus to be a woman?

要有子宮才算是女人嗎？

There's a lot of us who are born without one.

我們有很多人生出來就沒有子宮。

And everyone's favorite part, genitalia:

至於大家最愛的部位，生殖器：

you either have one or the other, right?

你只會有這種或另一種，對吧？

You either have a six-inch-long penis that's exactly this thick,

你若不是有一根 六英吋的陰莖，就這麼粗，

jutting straight out of the body at a 90-degree angle,

以九十度的角度伸出你的身體，

or you have a vagina that's this wide internally

要不然就是有個陰道， 在體內有這麼寬，

and a clitoris that's half an inch above the vaginal opening

還有個陰蒂，在陰道開口 上方半英吋的位置，

and labia that look exactly like they're supposed to look like,

還有陰脣，有著它們應有的樣子，

according to that one porn video you watched that one time.

以你那次看過的色情片 為標準。你知道哪部的。

You know the one.

If you've been with more than one sexual partner in your lifetime,

如果你一生中有不止一位性伴侶，

and you line them up, one by one,

你讓他們排排站，

I guarantee you can identify them just by their genitalia.

我敢保證你光看他們的 生殖器就能認出誰是誰。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Think about it.

想想看。

Go on.

想吧。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

I see you.

我看到你了。

No judging.

沒有評斷。

Just notice.

只是注意到了。

All different, right?

都不一樣，對吧？

The sex and gender binary are both so ingrained in our society,

性和性別的二元性 在我們的社會中根深蒂固，

that we never stop to think about it.

深到我們從來沒有停止去想它。

We just automatically place each other into one box or the other,

我們會很自動就把彼此 歸到某一類或另一類，

as if it actually matters.

好像這真的很重要似的。

Until somebody comes along to make you question it.

直到有人來點你一下， 讓你質疑它。

And if you're thinking that I'm the exception, an anomaly, an outlier:

如果你們認為我是個例外、

異常特例、離群值：

intersex people represent around two percent of the population.

人口中大約有 2% 是雙性人。

That's the same percentage as genetic redheads.

遺傳紅頭髮的人也佔同樣的比例。

It's about 150 million people, roughly,

粗略來算，大約是一億五千萬人，

which is more than the entire population of Russia.

這比俄國的總人口數還多。

So there's a lot of us, needless to say.

所以，不用說，我們人數很多。

We're not new or rare.

我們不是新出現的或罕見的，

We're just invisible.

我們只是隱形了。

We've existed throughout every culture in history.

在歷史上，每個文化中 都有我們這種人。

Yet, we never talk about it.

但，我們從來沒有去談它。

In fact, a lot of people might not know that they're intersex.

事實上，很多人可能 不知道自己是雙性人。

Have you had a karyotype test to determine your chromosomes?

你可曾做過染色體核型測試， 來判斷你的染色體？

What about a full blood panel for all of your hormone levels?

或是做過完整的血檢， 包含所有的荷爾蒙含量？

A friend of mine found out last year, in his 50s.

我一位朋友去年才發現， 他已經五十多歲。

The executive director of interACT,

interACT 是美國居領導地位的 雙性人人權組織，

which is the leading organization for intersex human rights here in the US,

該組織的執行董事

she found out she was intersex at age 41.

在四十一歲時才發現她的雙性人。

Her doctors found out when she was 15,

她的醫生在她十五歲時就發現了，

but they didn't tell her.

但他們沒有告訴她。

They lied and said that she had cancer,

他們說謊，說她得了癌症，

because that seemed like an easier option

因為這個選擇似乎比較容易接受，

than finding out she wasn't "fully" a woman.

不用知道她並不是個 「完整」的女人。

This kind of thing happens a lot,

這種狀況很常發生，

where intersex people are lied to or kept in the dark about our bodies,

雙性人聽到謊言或是蒙在鼓裡， 並不知道他們身體的真相，

which comes as a surprise to a lot of people.

這點讓很多人感到驚訝。

But we live in a society that doesn't talk about sex or bodies at all,

但，我們所處的社會 完全不談論性或是身體，

unless it's to mock or shame each other.

除非是要嘲笑或羞辱彼此。

I found out I was intersex at age 10,

我十歲時得知自己是雙性人，

and for the most part, I was fine with that information.

大多數的情況下， 我都能接受這項資訊。

It didn't really faze me;

它並沒有煩擾我，

I was still developing my understanding of the world.

我還在探索、了解這個世界。

It wasn't until I got older

直到我長大些，

and realized I didn't fit society's expectations of me,

才發現，我並不符合 社會對我的期望，

that I didn't belong, that I was abnormal.

發現我沒有歸屬，發現我不正常。

And that's when the shame started.

那時，我開始感到羞恥。

How many times have you seen kids play with the "wrong" toys

你們有看過多少次，孩子拿 不符性別、「錯」的玩具來玩？

for their gender?

Or try on the "wrong" clothes?

或穿「錯」衣服？

All the time, right?

很常見，對吧？

Kids don't have these ideas about gender norm,

對於性別標準， 孩子沒有什麼概念，

they don't have shame about who they're supposed to be

他們不會因為 他們應該成為怎樣的人、

or what they're supposed to like or love.

應該喜愛什麼，而感到羞恥，

They don't care about any of this stuff.

他們完全不在乎這些。

They don't have shame until we put it on them.

他們沒有羞恥，直到我們 把羞恥加到他們身上。

I also had doctors lie to me.

也有醫生對我說謊。

At age 10, they told me that I would also get cancer

我十歲時，他們告訴我，

若不把我的睪丸移除， 我也會得癌症。

unless I removed my balls.

Then they proceeded to tell me that every year.

接下來他們每年都會這樣告訴我。

Until today, there are still doctors who want me to remove them.

至今，仍然有些醫生 會希望我把睪丸拿掉。

But there's literally no reason.

但其實並沒有任何理由。

If a typical XY male, like yourself, has testicles,

典型的 XY 男性，就像你們，

有睪丸，

and one is undescended,

若其中一個睪丸是隱睪，

there's a high chance of it becoming cancerous --

就有很高的可能性會致癌——

or a higher chance of it becoming cancerous.

或是有比較高的機會會致癌。

They need to thermoregulated.

它們需要溫度調節。

So they drop down away from the body to cool off,

所以它們會落下來， 遠離身體以冷卻，

or they shrink back up to get warm.

或是縮回去，以取得溫暖。

Mine don't need to do that.

我的睪丸不用這麼做。

They're not responding to testosterone, they're not producing sperm.

它們對睪丸素沒有反應， 它們不會產生精子。

They're fine right here inside my body.

在我的身體中，它們好好的。

Yet, because there's such a lack of information about intersex people,

但，因為關於雙性人的 資訊很匱乏，

my doctors never understood the difference.

我的醫生從來沒有搞懂這差別。

They never really understood my body.

他們從來沒有真的 了解過我的身體。

As I got older,

當我長大些， 有另一位醫生告訴我，

I had another doctor tell me that I needed to have surgery on my vagina.

我的陰道需要動手術。

She said that until I had an operation, until she operated,

她說，若我不接受手術， 若她不給我動手術，

I would not be able to have "normal sex" with my husband one day.

將來我就無法

和我先生有「正常的性交」。

Her words.

這是她的用字。

I didn't end up going through with the operation,

我最後沒有動手術，

and I'm incredibly grateful for that.

謝天謝地。

I'm not here to talk about my sex life.

我不是來談我的性生活的。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

But let's just say it's fine.

但，咱們就姑且說， 我的性生活很好。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

I'm fine, my body is fine.

我很好，我的身體很好。

You actually wouldn’t be able to tell the difference

你們其實根本分辨不出

我和其他人的差別， 除非我告訴你們；

between me and another person unless I told you;

you wouldn't be able to tell that I was intersex unless I told you.

若我沒說，你們不會 知道我是雙性人。

But again, because of the lack of understanding about bodies,

但，同樣的，因為缺乏 對身體的了解，

my doctor didn't understand the difference.

我的醫生不知道差別。

And for the most part, my sex life is fine.

大部分的時候，我的性生活很好。

The only issue that really comes up

唯一會出現的議題，

is that sometimes, sexual situations bring up memories of doctors touching me,

就是有時候，性情境會讓我

想起過去醫生觸碰我的記憶，

over and over again since I was 10.

從我十歲起，一而再 再而三地觸碰我。

I've been really lucky to escape --

我很幸運，我逃脫了——

I didn't think I would get emotional --

沒想到我現在還會 因此而情緒激動——

I've been really lucky to escape the physical harm

我真的很幸運， 逃離了身體的傷害，

that comes from these unnecessary surgeries.

沒有接受不必要的手術。

But no intersex person is free from the emotional harm

但，沒有一個雙性人 沒受到情緒的傷害，

that comes from living in a society that tries to cover up your existence.

這傷害來自於生活在一個 試圖掩飾你存在的社會當中。

Most of my intersex friends have had operations like these.

我大部分的雙性人朋友 都接受過這類手術。

Oftentimes, they will remove testes like mine,

通常，他們會把 跟我一樣情況的睪丸拿掉，

even though my risk of testicular cancer is lower than the risk of breast cancer

即使我得到睪丸癌的風險

比一個無易染病體質和家庭病史的

in a typical woman with no predisposition, no family history.

典型女性得乳癌的風險還低。

But we don't tell her to remove her breasts, do we?

但我們並不會叫她們 把乳房拿掉，對吧？

It's rare to meet an intersex person that hasn't been operated on.

很少會遇到沒有 接受過手術的雙性人。

Oftentimes, these surgeries are done to improve intersex kids' lives,

通常，這些手術的目的 是要改善雙性孩子的生活，

but they usually end up doing the opposite,

但通常結果卻是相反的，

causing more harm and complications,

手術造成更多傷害和併發症，

both physical and emotional.

包括身體上和情緒上的。

I'm not saying that doctors are bad or evil.

我並不是說醫生很壞或很邪惡，

It's just that we live in a society that causes some doctors to "fix"

只是我們所處的社會，造成 一些醫生會要「修好」我們這樣的人，

those of us who don't fit their definition of normal.

因為我們不符合他們對於正常的定義。

We're not problems that need to be fixed.

我們並不是需要修好的問題，

We just live in a society that needs to be enlightened.

我們只是生活在一個 需要被教導的社會中。

One of the ways I'm doing that

我的做法之一，

is by creating a genderless puberty guidebook

就是創造一本 無性別的青春期指南，

that can teach kids about their bodies as they grow up.

在孩子成長的過程中， 教導他們關於身體的知識。

Not their girl bodies or their boy bodies --

不是談女孩的身體， 或男孩的身體——

just their bodies.

就只是談他們的身體。

We often place unrealistic expectations on the things that our bodies do

我們身體能做什麼， 不是我們能控制的，

但我們對此通常會有不實際的期望。

that are outside of our control.

I mean, if one man can grow a full, luxurious, hipster beard,

如果一個男人可以長出 非常濃密的紳士鬍，

and the other can only grow a few mustache hairs,

另一個男人只能長出幾根鬍鬚，

what does that mean about who they are as men?

對這兩位男人是什麼人， 這有什麼意涵？

Nothing.

沒有。

It literally, most likely, just means

這唯一的意涵就是，

that their hair follicles respond to testosterone in different ways.

他們的毛囊對於睪丸素 有不同的反應方式。

Yet, how many times have you heard a man ashamed about something like this?

但，你可曾聽過多少次， 男人對此感到羞恥？

Imagine a world where we could live in a society

想像一個世界，我們所處的社會

that teaches us not to have shame

能教導我們不要因為我們的身體

about the things that our bodies do or do not do.

能做什麼或不能做什麼 而感到羞恥。

I want to change the way that we think about biological sex in this society --

我想要改變這個社會中， 我們對於生理性別的看法——

which is a lot to ask for.

這要求很多。

You could say it's ballsy, I guess.

我想，你可以說 這要求很「帶種」。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

But eventually we accepted the world as round, right?

但，最終我們都接受 地球是圓的了，對吧？

We no longer diagnose gay people with mental disorders

我們不再認為同性戀 是得了心理疾病，

or women with hysteria.

不再認為女人是歇斯底里的。

We don't think epilepsy is caused by the devil anymore, so that's cool.

我們不再認為癲癇 是魔鬼造成的了，那很好。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

We constantly change and evolve, the more we understand as a society.

我們不斷在改變和進化， 我們這個社會了解的越來越多。

And biological sex is on a spectrum.

生理性別指的是一個範圍，

It's not black or white.

它不是黑白二分法。

Not only could that knowledge save intersex kids

這項知識不僅能拯救雙性孩子，

from physical and emotional harm,

讓他們免受身體和情緒的傷害，

I think it would help everyone else, too.

我認為，它也能幫助所有其他人。

Who here has ever felt inadequate or ashamed

這裡有誰曾經感到過 格格不入或可恥，

because you weren't girly enough, you were too girly,

只因為你不夠像女孩、 你太像女孩、

you weren't manly enough, or too manly?

你不夠陽剛，或你太陽剛？

We constantly shame people for not fitting into a box,

我們常會因為別人不符合 某種類型，就讓他感到羞愧，

but the reality is,

但，現實是，我們 讓他們感到羞愧，

I think we shame others because it prevents them from seeing

是因為這樣做能預防他們發現

that we don't fit inside our boxes, either.

我們其實也不符合 我們所屬的類型。

And the truth is that nobody actually fits in a box,

事實是，沒有任何人 能符合一種類型，

because they don't exist.

因為類型並不存在。

This binary, this false male-female facade is something we constructed,

這種二元性，這種 錯誤的男-女假象，

是我們建立出來的， 我們建立了我們自己。

we built ourselves.

But it doesn't have to exist.

但它並不需要存在，

We can break it down.

我們可以把它打破。

And that's what I want to do.

那就是我想要做的。

Will you join me?

你們願意加入我嗎？

謝謝。

Thanks.

（掌聲）

(Applause)