LOS ANGELES, Feb. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Human
Rights Activist Hida Viloria and
Biological Sciences Professor Maria Nieto PhD announce the release
of their new book: 'The Spectrum of Sex: The Science of Male,
Female, and Intersex' (February 21,
2020) that explains the true diversity of human sex. This
new book informs readers in a clear, scientific manner on the
genetic explanations of sex variation, and explains how societies
have acknowledged sex diversity for centuries. True stories written
by intersex individuals, including award-winning author
Thea Hillman, and illustrations by
Alex Law, make the book engaging and
accessible to all.
"The spectrum is enormous….This is purely biological," explained
Oprah Winfrey on The Oprah Winfrey
Show segment, "Growing Up Intersex" during an interview with
Hida Viloria.
Conversations about gender identity are popular now, but the
fact that sex itself is not exclusively male or female is almost
always overlooked. Many do not realize that intersex people exist,
and make up 1.7% of the population, which is more common than being
trans and equal to the number of redheads. When a child is born
intersex, their bodies do not fit the typical definitions for male
or female, previously called "hermaphrodites" (a term found
offensive by many today).
Co-Author and Biological Sciences Professor at California State University, East Bay, Maria Nieto
PhD explains, "Biologists have long known that humans are born with
numerous variations in sex traits that make them different from
what is considered male or female. This natural sex diversity is
sometimes likened to being born with more or less toes or fingers,
but having 12 toes doesn't force you to lie about who you are as a
living being, or pressure parents into removing children's body
parts which are vital to adult identity and sexual function."
To raise awareness that everyone deserves dignity and respect,
Maria Nieto PhD wrote the first biology-based amicus brief for the
Supreme Court of the United States
during California's Prop 8 marriage equality trial in 2013. Prop 8
stated that marriage can only occur between a man and a woman. As a
counter-argument Nieto wrote "tens of thousands of Americans do not
fit neatly into the binary categories of "man" or "woman." This is
because many in the population are non-binary with regard to their
sex, and yet thousands of these people, who appear in the
population to be typical men and women, are already married."
Co-Author Hida Viloria ('Born Both: An Intersex Life') is one of
the top spokespeople on intersex issues, who's consulted the United
Nations, Lambda Legal, and more. Viloria explains, "Doctors,
intersex people, and our parents have all cited a need for more
education to end social marginalization, prejudice and
recommendations for irreversible infant sex reassignment surgeries
on intersex infants which we would usually never dream of
subjecting babies to; 'The Spectrum of Sex' was written to address
this need."
Born in New York, Viloria feels
fortunate that her mother and father, an immigrant doctor from
Colombia, thought, "why operate
when she is healthy?" Viloria was raised female without unnecessary
cosmetic genital surgeries.
'The Spectrum of Sex' is a much needed resource to help end the
silence and ignorance around biology based variances, inclusive of
intersex people.
BOOK - Available Now for Pre-Order
The Spectrum of Sex: The Science of Male, Female and Intersex
(Jessica Kingsley Publishers, February 21,
2020)
By Hida Viloria and Maria Nieto PhD
with illustrations by Alex Law
https://www.amazon.com/Spectrum-Sex-Maria-Nieto/dp/1787752658/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=the+spectrum+of+sex&qid=1581468142&sr=8-1
WEBSITE
https://thespectrumofsex.com/
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Hida Viloria is a Latinx American
writer and pioneering intersex and non–binary educator. As former
chairperson elect of the Organization Intersex International (OII)
and founding director of The Intersex Campaign for Equality, they
have been a frequent consultant (United Nations, Lambda Legal,
Williams Institute...) radio and television guest (Oprah,
Aljazeera, 20/20, NPR, BBC...), and one of the most highly
published persons in the field (The Washington Post, New York Times, The Daily Beast, Ms. Magazine, The
Huffington Post, OUT, The Advocate, and more). Viloria's
groundbreaking memoir "Born Both: An Intersex Life" (Hachette
Books) received critical acclaim and a 2018 Lambda Literary Award
nomination. https://hidaviloria.com/about/
Maria Nieto PhD is a Professor in the Department of Biological
Sciences at California State University, East
Bay and an award–winning novelist. Her current scientific
interests have centered on the subject of sex and gender. In 2013
she submitted the first biology–based amicus brief submitted to the
Supreme Court of the United States
in support of marriage equality. Her two fiction novels
(Floricanto/Berkeley Press), "The Water of Life Remains in the
Dead" (2015) and "Pig Behind The Bear" (2012), have collectively
been awarded a Next Generation Indie Book Award (2016), an
Independent Publisher Award (2015) and International Latino Book
Awards (2015, 2016). https://pigbehindthebear.com
SOURCE Hida Viloria and Professor
Maria Nieto PhD