Milton Diamond
Encyclopedia
Milton Diamond is a retired professor
of anatomy
and reproductive biology
at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa. He has had a very long and productive career in the study of human sexuality
. Dr Diamond retired from the University in December 2009 but continues full-time with his research and writing and also continues to travel extensively consulting in his field.
with a B.S. in biophysics
in 1955, after which he spent three years in the Army
as an engineering officer, stationed in Japan
. On returning to the United States, he attended graduate school at University of Kansas
from 1958–1962 and earned a Ph.D.
in anatomy and psychology
from that University. His first job was teaching at the University of Louisville
, School of Medicine where he simultaneously completed two years toward an M.D., passing his Basic Medicine Boards, and in 1967 he moved to Hawai'i to take up a post at the recently-established John A. Burns School of Medicine
. Milton Diamond had a long running feud with the psychologist Dr. John Money
. In the early seventies, Diamond and Money were attending a conference on transgenderism in Dubrovnik
. According to the book 'As Nature Made Him: The Boy raised As A Girl' (p.174) at this conference Money initiated a loud and aggressive argument with Diamond. One witness claims that John Money punched Diamond; however, Diamond himself said that he could not recall any physical contact during this encounter.
, a boy raised as a girl after a botched circumcision. With the cooperation of Dr. H. Keith Sigmundson, who had been Reimer's supervising psychiatrist, he tracked down the adult Reimer and found that John Money
's sex reassignment of Reimer had failed. This case, which Dr. Diamond named that of "John/Joan" to protect Reimer's privacy, has become one of the most cited cases in the literature of psychiatry
, anthropology
, women's studies
, child development
, and biology of gender
.
The major tragedy of the decision to raise David Reimer as a girl is that it was popularized as a success. This was unfortunately accepted by physicians as a model for how to deal with infants with intersex conditions. Dr. Diamond was the first to alert physicians that the model was faulty. He recommended that physicians (1) do no surgery on intersexed infants without their informed consent; (2) assign such infants in the gender to which they will probably best adjust; (3) refrain from adding shame, stigma and secrecy to the issue, by assisting intersexual people to meet and associate with others of like condition. Dr. Diamond encouraged considering the intersex condition as a difference of sex development, not as a disorder
.
and family planning
, pornography
, intersexuality, transsexuality, and other sex-
and reproduction-related issues for professional sex and legal journals, as well as lay periodicals. He is frequently interviewed for public media and legal matters, and often serves as an expert in court proceedings, and is known for his research on the origins and development of sexual identity
. Although he has retired from teaching, he continues to research and consult concerning transsexuality, intersexuality and pornography.
, now at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, from 1967. He was appointed Professor of Anatomy and Reproductive Biology in 1971, and from 1985 until his retirement he was Director of the Pacific Center for Sex and Society within the School of Medicine.
In 1999 Dr. Diamond was appointed as President of the International Academy of Sex Research
, and in 2001/02 as President of the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality
.
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of anatomy
Anatomy
Anatomy is a branch of biology and medicine that is the consideration of the structure of living things. It is a general term that includes human anatomy, animal anatomy , and plant anatomy...
and reproductive biology
Reproductive biology
Reproductive biology is a study mainly involving the reproductive system and sex organs. It is closely related to reproductive endocrinology and infertility. also is miotosis and miosis...
at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa. He has had a very long and productive career in the study of human sexuality
Human sexuality
Human sexuality is the awareness of gender differences, and the capacity to have erotic experiences and responses. Human sexuality can also be described as the way someone is sexually attracted to another person whether it is to opposite sexes , to the same sex , to either sexes , or not being...
. Dr Diamond retired from the University in December 2009 but continues full-time with his research and writing and also continues to travel extensively consulting in his field.
Early career
Milton Diamond graduated from the City College of New YorkCity College of New York
The City College of the City University of New York is a senior college of the City University of New York , in New York City. It is also the oldest of the City University's twenty-three institutions of higher learning...
with a B.S. in biophysics
Biophysics
Biophysics is an interdisciplinary science that uses the methods of physical science to study biological systems. Studies included under the branches of biophysics span all levels of biological organization, from the molecular scale to whole organisms and ecosystems...
in 1955, after which he spent three years in the Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
as an engineering officer, stationed in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. On returning to the United States, he attended graduate school at University of Kansas
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas is a public research university and the largest university in the state of Kansas. KU campuses are located in Lawrence, Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City, Kansas with the main campus being located in Lawrence on Mount Oread, the highest point in Lawrence. The...
from 1958–1962 and earned a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in anatomy and psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
from that University. His first job was teaching at the University of Louisville
University of Louisville
The University of Louisville is a public university in Louisville, Kentucky. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one of the first universities chartered west of the Allegheny Mountains. The university is mandated by the Kentucky General...
, School of Medicine where he simultaneously completed two years toward an M.D., passing his Basic Medicine Boards, and in 1967 he moved to Hawai'i to take up a post at the recently-established John A. Burns School of Medicine
John A. Burns School of Medicine
The John A. Burns School of Medicine is a public, co-educational institution of the University of Hawaii at Mānoa in Honolulu, Hawaii and is one of the leading medical education institutions in the United States. In 1992, Harvard University identified the John A...
. Milton Diamond had a long running feud with the psychologist Dr. John Money
John Money
John William Money was a psychologist, sexologist and author, specializing in research into sexual identity and biology of gender...
. In the early seventies, Diamond and Money were attending a conference on transgenderism in Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik is a Croatian city on the Adriatic Sea coast, positioned at the terminal end of the Isthmus of Dubrovnik. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations on the Adriatic, a seaport and the centre of Dubrovnik-Neretva county. Its total population is 42,641...
. According to the book 'As Nature Made Him: The Boy raised As A Girl' (p.174) at this conference Money initiated a loud and aggressive argument with Diamond. One witness claims that John Money punched Diamond; however, Diamond himself said that he could not recall any physical contact during this encounter.
The "John/Joan" case
Dr. Diamond is known for following up the case of David ReimerDavid Reimer
David Reimer was a Canadian man who was born as a healthy male, but was sexually reassigned and raised as female after his penis was accidentally destroyed during circumcision. Psychologist John Money oversaw the case and reported the reassignment as successful, and as evidence that gender...
, a boy raised as a girl after a botched circumcision. With the cooperation of Dr. H. Keith Sigmundson, who had been Reimer's supervising psychiatrist, he tracked down the adult Reimer and found that John Money
John Money
John William Money was a psychologist, sexologist and author, specializing in research into sexual identity and biology of gender...
's sex reassignment of Reimer had failed. This case, which Dr. Diamond named that of "John/Joan" to protect Reimer's privacy, has become one of the most cited cases in the literature of psychiatry
Psychiatry
Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the study and treatment of mental disorders. These mental disorders include various affective, behavioural, cognitive and perceptual abnormalities...
, anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
, women's studies
Women's studies
Women's studies, also known as feminist studies, is an interdisciplinary academic field which explores politics, society and history from an intersectional, multicultural women's perspective...
, child development
Child development
Child development stages describe theoretical milestones of child development. Many stage models of development have been proposed, used as working concepts and in some cases asserted as nativist theories....
, and biology of gender
Biology of gender
Biology of gender can have different meanings, depending on the meaning of gender.* In medicine and biology it usually refers to the biology of sexual dimorphism, e.g...
.
The major tragedy of the decision to raise David Reimer as a girl is that it was popularized as a success. This was unfortunately accepted by physicians as a model for how to deal with infants with intersex conditions. Dr. Diamond was the first to alert physicians that the model was faulty. He recommended that physicians (1) do no surgery on intersexed infants without their informed consent; (2) assign such infants in the gender to which they will probably best adjust; (3) refrain from adding shame, stigma and secrecy to the issue, by assisting intersexual people to meet and associate with others of like condition. Dr. Diamond encouraged considering the intersex condition as a difference of sex development, not as a disorder
Disorders of sex development
Disorders of sex development , sometimes referred to as disorders of sex differentiation, are medical terms referring to "congenital conditions in which development of chromosomal, gonadal, or anatomical sex is atypical." Lee et al...
.
Current work, appointments and awards
Dr. Diamond has written extensively about abortionAbortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
and family planning
Family planning
Family planning is the planning of when to have children, and the use of birth control and other techniques to implement such plans. Other techniques commonly used include sexuality education, prevention and management of sexually transmitted infections, pre-conception counseling and...
, pornography
Pornography
Pornography or porn is the explicit portrayal of sexual subject matter for the purposes of sexual arousal and erotic satisfaction.Pornography may use any of a variety of media, ranging from books, magazines, postcards, photos, sculpture, drawing, painting, animation, sound recording, film, video,...
, intersexuality, transsexuality, and other sex-
Sex
In biology, sex is a process of combining and mixing genetic traits, often resulting in the specialization of organisms into a male or female variety . Sexual reproduction involves combining specialized cells to form offspring that inherit traits from both parents...
and reproduction-related issues for professional sex and legal journals, as well as lay periodicals. He is frequently interviewed for public media and legal matters, and often serves as an expert in court proceedings, and is known for his research on the origins and development of sexual identity
Sexual identity
Sexual identity is a term that, like sex, has two distinctively different meanings. One describes an identity roughly based on sexual orientation, the other an identity based on sexual characteristics, which is not socially based but based on biology, a concept related to, but different from,...
. Although he has retired from teaching, he continues to research and consult concerning transsexuality, intersexuality and pornography.
Appointments
Dr. Diamond was based at the John A. Burns School of MedicineJohn A. Burns School of Medicine
The John A. Burns School of Medicine is a public, co-educational institution of the University of Hawaii at Mānoa in Honolulu, Hawaii and is one of the leading medical education institutions in the United States. In 1992, Harvard University identified the John A...
, now at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, from 1967. He was appointed Professor of Anatomy and Reproductive Biology in 1971, and from 1985 until his retirement he was Director of the Pacific Center for Sex and Society within the School of Medicine.
In 1999 Dr. Diamond was appointed as President of the International Academy of Sex Research
International Academy of Sex Research
The International Academy of Sex Research is a scientific society for researchers in sexology. According to John Bancroft, retired director of the Kinsey Institute, IASR "can claim...most of the field's leading researchers." IASR is unique among sexology organizations in that individuals must...
, and in 2001/02 as President of the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality
Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality
The Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality , formed in 1957, is a non-profit, professional membership organization that says it is "the oldest professional society dedicated to the advancement of knowledge about sexuality." It reports to have more than 1,000 members and has a quarterly...
.
Awards
Awards which have been made to Dr. Diamond include:- 1999: the British GIRES Research Prize;
- 2000: the German Magnus Hirschfeld MedalMagnus Hirschfeld MedalThe Magnus Hirschfeld Medal is awarded by the German Society for Social-Scientific Sexuality Research for outstanding service to sexual science, granted in the categories "Sexual Research" and "Sexual Reform"...
for sexual science;
- 2005: the Norwegian Diversity Prize for his research efforts on behalf of transsexual and transgenderTransgenderTransgender is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to vary from culturally conventional gender roles....
people worldwide;
- 2008: the first of a proposed annual award made by the German Intersex Society (Intersexuelle Menschen e.V.) "for his decades-long commitment to the benefit of intersexIntersexIntersex, in humans and other animals, is the presence of intermediate or atypical combinations of physical features that usually distinguish female from male...
people";
- 2009: the Regents' Medal for Excellence in Research by the University of Hawai'i;
- 2010: the Kinsey Award for 2011, made by the Midcontinent Region of the Society for the Scientific Study of SexualitySociety for the Scientific Study of SexualityThe Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality , formed in 1957, is a non-profit, professional membership organization that says it is "the oldest professional society dedicated to the advancement of knowledge about sexuality." It reports to have more than 1,000 members and has a quarterly...
.
Publications
- Sexual decisions (1980) - ISBN 0-316-18388-1
- Sexwatching: Looking into the World of Sexual Behaviour (1992) - ISBN 1-85375-024-7
- Sexual Behavior in Pre Contact Hawai’i: A Sexological Ethnographyhttp://www.hawaii.edu/PCSS/online_artcls/historical/PreContactHawaii.htmhttp://www2.hu-berlin.de/sexology/BIB/DIAM/pre_contact.htm