I didn’t mean to victimise you by calling you a sufferer - but I didn’t know how else to put it.  "A person with CAH" seemed rather long and clumsy but I’ll use that in future if you’d prefer.  I referred to it as a taboo subject meaning that it used to be, but then so were loads of other illnesses; I know that.  And I know that there is research going on now - I wanted to know when it started.  You said your uni began it in 1873 - thanks, that’s all I wanted to know.

I never meant to come on here and cause anger, but it seems that everything I’ve done and said since my first post has upset you even if I agreed with what you said, so I don’t really know what to do to apologise because I’ve done that and then you made fun of me.  I don’t hate male doctors or women or anything like that, I’m just a 20 year old girl who’s trying to learn about something she has no knowledge of.

I’m not "after" anyone as you said - once again, I *know* that I am only referring to a very few people and I’ve put that in my essay - it was just an example and I’ve said that it’s an extreme case, I never implied that everyone with CAH is affected in this way.

"First off sex and gender has everything to do with the brain but what I think about that doesn’t really matter : ) " - I agree with you there, it has a great deal to do with the brain, and also culture, and society.  That’s a crucial part of my essay.  Of course what you think about that matters a great deal!  If you want to say anything more along those lines, be my guest; I need all the help I can get for the rest of my essay, but I didn’t expect to find it here!!

And lastly, "You’ll use this condition and you will get an A" is just as misguided as I’ve been.  I’m not "using" this condition - I’m referring to it, briefly, in one paragraph.  It’s not the focus of the essay and that’s why I won’t be "using" it any more than anyone "uses" anything they refer to in an essay, a novel, a play, whatever.  And I can tell you now that I won’t get an A, because the tutors for my course are harsh markers!!  You said it’s idealistic and wrong to connect feminism and CAH and maybe you’re right, but if you feel that way then I lay the blame entirely on me not explaining properly, and I don’t think that I’ll ever be able to, really, when you are biased because you have CAH and I am biased because I wrote the essay, so it’s a bit of a dead end, really!  Like I said in my first post, my brother suffers from Tourette’s - so if you think I don’t know about people assuming certain things, not understanding, and only picking on one aspect of an illness (usually the swearing issue, in the case of Tourette’s), then you can think again - I’ve dealt with it for 17 years.

I don’t really know what else I can say on this subject.  I have listened to what you’ve said, even though you seem to think I haven’t, and I’ve tried to be polite but you’ve thrown it back in my face.  If I say that I appreciate that you must have found it so difficult dealing with this all of your life and that I really respect you for it (which is true), then you’ll just ask me if I feel the same way about everyone else who also has some sort of illness, and why am I picking on a person with CAH to say this about?  To which I would say yes, I do feel the same way about everyone else, but it’s only CAH which I’m trying to learn about today.

I’m not a bad person (I don’t think so, anyway!) and I obviously made a big mistake bringing this discussion here.  I was naive in thinking it wouldn’t cause a stir, when it has.  I get the impression that this is years of anger at people misunderstanding and misrepresenting CAH, and it’s coming out directed at me; if this is the case, then I’m backing out of the firing line and I promise I won’t bother you again!

I’m sorry that I came into your community and disturbed the peace, and I’m sorry that you think I’m sick, or disgusting, or whatever else it was you called me.  I’m sorry that you think I don’t understand and I’m sorry that you think I’m "raping" CAH for my own needs.  I’m sorry that what should have been just a little inquiry about a fact has turned into a big long debate, I’m sorry that you think I’ve just reinforced your beliefs that the rest of the population doesn’t have a clue, and above all I’m sorry for offending you, but then every time I say that you tell me that I’m not offending you, when I obviously am, so I’m sorry, ok?  I’m sorry.  I really am.