, ▁from ▁social ▁norm s . ▁The ▁writer ▁also ▁deb ates ▁our ▁not ions ▁of ▁" human " ▁and ▁" less - than - human " ▁and ▁how ▁these ▁cult ur ally ▁im posed ▁ideas ▁can ▁keep ▁one ▁from ▁having ▁a ▁" vi able ▁life " ▁as ▁the ▁biggest ▁concerns ▁are ▁usually ▁about ▁whether ▁a ▁person ▁will ▁be ▁accepted ▁if ▁his ▁or ▁her ▁des ires ▁differ ▁from ▁normal ity . ▁She ▁states ▁that ▁one ▁may ▁feel ▁the ▁need ▁of ▁being ▁recognized ▁in ▁order ▁to ▁live , ▁but ▁that ▁at ▁the ▁same ▁time , ▁the ▁conditions ▁to ▁be ▁recognized ▁make ▁life ▁" un liv able ". ▁The ▁writer ▁propos es ▁an ▁inter rog ation ▁of ▁such ▁conditions ▁so ▁that ▁people ▁who ▁resist ▁them ▁may ▁have ▁more ▁possibilities ▁of ▁living . ▁ ▁In ▁her ▁discussion ▁of ▁inter sex ▁issues ▁and ▁people , ▁Butler ▁addresses ▁the ▁case ▁of ▁David ▁Re imer , ▁a ▁person ▁whose ▁sex ▁was ▁med ically ▁" re ass igned " ▁from ▁male ▁to ▁female ▁after ▁a ▁bot ched ▁circum c ision ▁at ▁eight ▁months ▁of ▁age . ▁Re imer ▁was ▁" made " ▁female ▁by ▁do ctors , ▁but ▁later ▁in ▁life ▁identified ▁as ▁" re ally " ▁male , ▁married ▁and ▁became ▁a ▁step father ▁to ▁his ▁wife ' s ▁three ▁children , ▁and ▁went ▁on ▁to ▁tell ▁his ▁story ▁in ▁As ▁Nature ▁Made ▁Him : ▁The ▁Boy ▁Who ▁Was ▁R ais ed ▁as ▁a ▁Girl , ▁which ▁he ▁wrote ▁with ▁John ▁Col ap into . ▁ ▁Re imer ▁died ▁by