Youth's Lives Every Day
What is intersex?
Intersex is an umbrella term for people born with internal or external reproductive or sexual anatomy that doesn’t seem to fit into society’s typical definitions of female or male. It is a socially constructed category to reflect very real biological variations that have always existed in humans. So, while in the United States presently, we often categorize people as male or female, nature isn’t so simple. Our sexual and reproductive anatomy can naturally vary in shape, size, and morphology, and our chromosomes and hormones can also naturally differ from society’s expectations.
Does intersex mean you have both sexual organs?
A common misconception is that to be intersex you have to have both ovarian and testicular tissue. While this is a natural biological occurrence, it is not the only kind of variation that counts as intersex. One person may be born with an outer appearance of male, but have mostly female-typical internal anatomy. Another person may be born with genitals deemed to be in-between the society’s ideas of male and female genitals. An individual that has both XX and XY chromosomes is also intersex. All of these, and more, are intersex.
Is intersex strictly a birth condition?
Although intersex is often spoken about as an inborn condition, intersex anatomy does not always show at birth. Sometimes a person may not show signs of being intersex until they reach puberty — or even later in life, particularly if they experience delayed puberty, difficulty conceiving, hormone testing, or lab work that may reveal chromosome variations. There are people that live and die with intersex anatomy without anyone ever knowing, not even themselves.
How common is intersex?
“How many intersex people are born each year?” is a hard question to answer. It is not required to track who is intersex, but the data we do have shows that being intersex is very common.
About 1-in-1,500 to 1-in-2,000 people are born with genitalia that specialists determine as a sex differentiation. Many more than that are born with subtler forms of sex anatomy variations, and some people are born with variations that won’t become present until later in life. Data suggests that in all its variations — from subtle to noticeably atypical — 1-in-100 births result in a differentiation from society’s expectations for standard male or female bodies.
To picture the data, intersex people make up about 1.7% of the population — about the same number of people born with naturally red hair. So if you know a redhead, you likely know someone who is intersex.
Frequently asked questions about intersex
Question 1: Is intersex the same thing as transgender or nonbinary?
Answer: While they both challenge the common myth that gender is dependent on body parts, and even have overlapping issues, intersex and transgender persons are not the same. Intersex is a term that describes a spectrum of physical traits — different ways that bodies can develop — while transgender and nonbinary usually describes a person’s experience with their gender identity.
Intersex people are born with variations in their chromosomes, genitals, or reproductive anatomy that differ from society’s typical expectations. Intersex is about sexual and reproductive anatomy. Transgender and nonbinary are gender identity labels. A transgender person is someone whose gender is different from what they were assigned at birth. Nonbinary is a word that often describes someone whose gender identity exists outside the male or female binary understanding and this label can fall within the transgender community. Someone who is intersex can be transgender or nonbinary (or any gender identity), but the sex and gender identity are not directly related.
Question 2: Can you be intersex and still live a sexually healthy life? Can intersex people have children?
Answer: Intersex persons can absolutely have a happy and healthy sex life. When it comes to being able to reproduce, fertility is different for each and every person. For intersex individuals, there are intersex variations that can cause infertility, but not all intersex people experience this challenge.
Question 3: I think I might be intersex, but how do I know?
Answer: It is certainly possible for a person to be intersex without knowing or without a medical diagnosis. Not all intersex people will notice differences in their genitalia, but there are ways for a person to know if they have intersex traits. The interACT organization outlines these four common ways that a person may notice their body is different:
- When another person sees genital differences at birth.
- When puberty changes happen too early, in unexpected ways, or not at all.
- When infertility or other problems reveal internal differences in adulthood.
- When learning that adults may have covered up childhood medical interventions.
Even though many people won’t ever learn the word intersex, they may find clues to whether they are or aren’t are intersex in their bodies and past experiences, even outside of medical experiences.
Question 4: Is intersex the same thing as being a “hermaphrodite?”
Answer: No. “Hermaphrodite” is not a term that is or should be used to describe intersex people. While the term has been reclaimed by some intersex individuals, the term is still largely considered a slur and birthed from the mythology that a person can have both a fully developed male and female genitalia.
Question 5: Is genital surgery on intersex infants done for their health?
Answer: Often, no. Our friends at interACT explain that many intersex surgeries are non-lifesaving procedures intended to change natural variations in genital appearance or reproductive anatomy. Unnecessary intersex surgeries can cause emotional and physical health complications. Organizations such as the American Academy of Family Physicians and the United Nations have denounced the practice of infant intersex gential surgery because of the lasting harm. All intersex people deserve the power to decide what happens to their bodies.
Finding community as an intersex person
If you are intersex, you are not alone. InterConnect is a community of intersex individuals and allies to educate, support, and connect with one another. There are also many support groups out there that you can find on social media platforms like Facebook, Discord, and more.
Additionally, interACT offers a youth advocacy program for young intersex individuals ages 13–29, including a dedicated Discord server that provides a space for intersex youth to connect and support one another. If you are a young intersex person seeking peer support, community, and connection, consider joining interSPACE.
Additional resources for understanding & supporting people on the intersex spectrum
- Every Body
- interACT: Advocates for Intersex Youth
- Intersex Society of North America
- I Think I May be Intersex
- The Mental Health and Well-being of LGBTQ Youth who are Intersex
- Intersex: Not Invisible
- Smosh Alike: I spent a day with Intersex People
- IntersexEdu
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