2026/04/08 by Brian W. King · 1 voice
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Social Sciences · Psychology · #Sexual Differentiation and Disorders #Gender Studies in Language #LGBTQ Health, Identity, and Policy
paper · doi:10.1093/applin/amag030
Abstract This research underscores the power of direct clinician–patient interaction to both reproduce and disrupt biopolitical paradigms, offering insights for improving practice and policy in our responses to intersex variations. I examine how clinicians in Hong Kong give accounts of their professional talk about intersex variations of innate sex characteristics, foregrounding the role of language in shaping medical decision-making and biopower in healthcare. Drawing on interactional sociolinguistics, I show via close analysis of in-depth interviews the stancetaking processes through which interviewed clinicians negotiate social, institutional, and personal ideologies regarding intersex variations. I identify deficit and non-deficit framings in the accounts, with attention to gender, ableism, and cultural norms inflecting how embodiment is reportedly discussed with patients and families. By situating the findings within the Hong Kong context, the article challenges Western-centric theoretical models and demonstrates the global relevance of applied linguistics in healthcare settings. I explicate how language choices contribute to patient understanding and agency, the perpetuation or contestation of binary gender norms, and the broader management of bodily diversity.