By Nora Neus
Seven-year-old Rosie Lohman loves arts and crafts (especially any involving glitter), currently wants to be a DJ when she grows up, and happens to have been born intersex.
Intersex is an umbrella term used to describe people born with bodies that are perceived as differing from typical "male" and "female" categories.
She had two X chromosomes, so doctors considered her female, but she had external anatomy that appeared more traditionally male. "I knew that surgeries were common for intersex kids, but I didn't really understand how it would work," her father, Eric Lohman, said. "And so, my fear at the time was that they were going to take Rosie out of the room, and they were going to suggest doing the surgery" right away.
The couple had reservations about doing elective surgery on Rosie before she had the ability to have a say in the matter, but they decided to hear out the surgeons' arguments.
Rosie's mother, Stephani Lohman, said she felt extremely pressured by the surgeons to consent to surgery even after she voiced her concerns about the procedure, including the evidence that these surgeries can have devastating side effects including a loss of sexual function, psychological trauma and life-long pain. Read more via CNN