CR #6

In Judith Butler’s Gender Trouble, the critique of how biological sex and gender intertwine, becoming one of the main reoccurring themes throughout the text. One component where Butler impressively argues over Foucault’s theory on gender and biological sex is through Foucault’s own work in History of Sexuality when French hermaphrodite Herculine Barbin is analyzed. While Foucault critiques that Herculine is in a “happy limbo of a non-identity”, Butler argues that Herculine’s life does not fit this statement and Herculine reveals how complex biological sex and gender can be not because of their hermaphrodite status, but because Herculine’s choices with their sexuality (Butler 128).           

            Although Herculine was assigned as female at birth, due to later on confessing their physical status to doctors and priests, Herculine was later forced to change their sex to “male” (Butler 127-8). Due to this change, Herculine is also obligated to “dress in men’s clothing” and have the “rights of men in society” (Butler 133). While it is not clearly shown as to why Herculine was obligated to change their sex, this insight shows that biological sex intertwines with gender due to Herculine being forced to perform gender roles despite Herculine being a hermaphrodite. This act shatters the idea that biological sex is something that is not socially constructed. Furthermore, despite Foucault arguing that Herculine is a happy limbo state, when Herculine speaks of their interaction with a doctor who finds out about their condition, Herculine states, “I wished he were a hundred feet underground!” (Butler 143). This comment reveals that Herculine is not in a happy limbo state all the time, even though Herculine is a hermaphrodite, the social pressure to have a biological sex is still enforced upon. Thus, even though Herculine does not have a body that can be categorized in biological sex terms, the critique of their body’s treatment is being discussed as if their body were one.