This paper is a phenomenological case study analysis of the hormone testosterone as narrated in medical education textbooks. This analysis demonstrates that these accounts of testosterone depend on three elements of what Judith Butler terms the “heterosexual matrix,” binary sex, naturalized masculinity, and heteronormativity. Those whose sex-assigned-at-birth is inaccurate will mostly receive care on the male/female model of medical practice; likewise, the sexual health of trans, queer, and non-binary populations is poorly represented in medical education, leaving individual practitioners to rely solely on their heteronormative training. In both cases, there is a strong likelihood that patients will receive inadequate care.
Steven Burgess (Wed,) studied this question.