Intersex and the Case of Nikki Araguz

[Shana A]

Intersex and the Case of Nikki Araguz

http://www.houstonpbs.org/site/PageServer?pagename=pr_Houston8_221

Firefighter Thomas Araguz died in the line of duty on July 4th, but attention shifted from a fallen hero to his grieving widow Nikki. Who was this person, the Araguz family asked, and was she really a woman? If not - would the marriage still be valid? Who would get his pension? These questions prompted us to look deeper – how do we assign "sex" to the approximately 1 out of every 100 children born each year who differ from the standard "Male" or "Female"? How do we define marriage, and those eligible in the state of Texas? And when the rulings come down in the Araguz case – what will that do to our definition of "Man and Wife"?