This medical treatment amounts to a policy of denial. Secrecy and taboo disrupt emotional development and stress the whole family. Many adult intersexuals have had to discover their history and status independently without emotional support of any kind. As a result, more than a few are estranged from their families. Surgery destroys genital anatomy and many intersexual children are subjected to repeated surgeries, over a dozen in some cases.
Genital surgery disrupts the infant's erotic development and interferes with adult sexual function.
Even at clinics which have specialized in treating intersexual children for decades, there is generally no program of professional counseling. Some physicians privately concede that they perform any needed counseling themselves during annual evaluations. From the point of view of the intersexual adolescent such a physician may be seen as allied with the parents against any trace of sexual difference or criticism of medical treatment, rather than as a trusted counselor and advisor. As a growing number of adult intersexuals have come forth to speak about their experiences, it is apparent that surgery has generally been more harmful than helpful. A few are now beginning to organize to oppose this silence.