Adelaide Herculine: Alexina Barbin

Introduction

Current day intersex individuals are mistreated and sometimes even lack certain basic human rights. However, this is nothing compared to the treatment of these people during the Victorian age. Adelaide Herculine “Alexina” Barbin, who lived from 1838 to 1868, was the first known intersex person to have been studied in the western world. At the time, intersex was grotesque and taboo and thusly she was socially ridiculed and alienated. Although she experienced great conflict, Barbin ignited a social revolution regarding intersex and gender variance which is still occurring today. Without her body having been used as an examinatory specimen, the wider cisgender view of intersex bodies and minds would currently be the same as it was

What is the proper way to address and talk about intersex people? Who was Alexina/what is her story? Which intersex condition did Alexina possess? How did she impact the public view on gender variance now? How did she impact the medical/scientific basis of intersexuality? How does her life story reflect the treatment of intersex people then? Now? Offensiveness of Hermaphrodite. People in her life: Michael Foucault. 3rd genders in society (western society saw it negative)

Conflict: Negative behavior towards intersex people/religion. Compromise: Accepting self and today’s views of it all/majority level of acceptance

Our topic has changed many times and since the start of this project we have had difficulties finding how to tie our project to a modern day impact. Finally we have decided on a topic that is quite relevant to modern day society with the topic of transgender and intersex people starting with the first widely studied intersex person: Adelaide Herculine “Alexina”

At this appointment with her doctor it would be discovered that she had undescended testicles and a micropenis. Once the news of this discovery was shared her life had gone from normal to a major change that would affect her entire life. Alexina was legally forced to change her gender to a male and forced her to use the name Abel. The convent that Alexina had worked at heard the news of the discovery and fired her immediately. After being fired from her teaching position Alexia was still in need of work and with no other options she moved to Paris in search of a man’s factory job. Alexina began to write memoirs of her painful experience and her depression became apparent. She had been forced away from her life, job, and love all at once because of this new discovery and it had ruined her life. Following this time in Paris she would commit suicide. After her suicide Alexina’s body would be dissected by pathologists and would become the first body to provide a medical record of an intersex person. The thought of an intersex person was still one which was viewed as a phenomenon and the public discovery of her intersexuality had brought her great