Frequently asked questions: Intersex identities What does intersex mean? definition of "intersex." It is estimated that Intersex describes people’s bodies that do not fit about one in 2,000 children are born intersex, to invented categories of “male sex” and “female which healthcare providers often respond with sex.” There is no single "intersex body"; the term discriminatory and nonconsensual intervention. encompasses a wide variety of conditions that do not have anything in common except that How do you know a person’s “true sex”? they are deemed "abnormal" by the medical Medicine cannot determine a person’s "true community. What makes intersex people similar sex" because of the many variations and is their experiences of medicalization, not combinations that occur in chromosomes, anatomy. hormones, reproductive systems, and genitalia. Additionally, bodies do not determine gender. Generally speaking, intersex is not an identity Although some make a distinction between category. While some intersex people do reclaim “sex” and “gender,” both are socially "intersex" as part of their identity, most regard it constructed. In other words: science can as a medical condition or just a unique physical measure how large a clitoris is, but not the quality. Intersex people may be straight, cis, or significance of that measurement. That is a any of the identities in the LGBTQ umbrella. social interpretation.
What do intersex activists want? How do you know an intersex person’s In general, intersex activists are working to gender? replace the current model of intersex treatment We don't know a person’s gender until they are based on concealment with a patient-centered old enough to communicate it to us. We alternative. This includes ending coercive recommend that a person be given as much “corrective” surgery of intersex infants, respect opportunity as possible to determine their for all bodies, and healthcare based on consent gender for themselves. Some children may and patients’ desired outcomes. choose to undergo hormone suppression until they are able to make further decisions about Are intersex conditions harmful? their body and their gender. Most intersex conditions do not cause illness or pain. Some intersex conditions are associated What are the correct pronouns for with conditions requiring medical treatment. intersex people? However, surgically "correcting" the appearance Pronouns are not based on a person’s body, but of intersex genitals does not change these on what they prefer to be called. Do not call an underlying medical needs. intersex person "it": this is dehumanizing.
How common are intersex conditions? Are intersex people a "third gender"? It’s difficult to say exactly how many children are Many people with intersex conditions are born with intersex conditions because of the women and men. Some identify with non-binary secrecy and deception surrounding it, and also genders. There are some who identify as an because there are no concrete boundaries to the alternative gender, like some non-intersex
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people do. While we support everyone's right to intersex activists do reclaim and use this term to define their own identities, people with intersex describe themselves, it is not an appropriate conditions should not be expected to be gender- term to refer to intersex people in general. In nonconforming just because of their bodies. short, snails are hermaphrodites; humans are not. Is intersex part of the trans umbrella? While some people with intersex conditions also Also, please avoid using the word "intersexual" identify as transgender, intersex people as a as a noun; we prefer "intersex people" or group have a unique set of needs and priorities "people with intersex conditions/experiences." beyond those shared with trans people. Often these unique needs are made invisible or How can I support intersex people? secondary when "intersex" becomes only a You can help by talking to your friends and subcategory of "trans." family members about what intersex really means. The more people are aware of intersex For example, people who talk about intersex issues, the less likely they will accept surgery and issues only in the context of trans issues often silence as the only option when they or someone stress the risk of assigning a "wrong" gender as they know have an intersex child. an argument against “corrective” surgeries. While this is a valid concern, it overlooks the fact If someone tells you about their intersex status, that coercive intervention is unjust whether or make sure to respect their name and gender not one's gender identity is their gender identity as well as their privacy. Ask what they assigned at birth. It is for this reason that many need from you, if anything, and learn more prefer to have "intersex" spelled out explicitly about intersex issues so you can be as rather than consider it within the trans umbrella. supportive as possible.
What is the difference between Where can I find more about the intersex "hermaphrodite" and "intersex"? movement? In animal science, "hermaphrodite" means an Intersex Society of North America organism that has reproductive organs www.isna.org interpreted as both "male" and "female (such as Intersex Initiative snails and earthworms). In humans, there are no www.intersexinitiative.org actual "hermaphrodites" in this sense, although Bodies Like Ours doctors have called people with intersex www.bodieslikeours.org conditions "hermaphrodites" because intersex Pidgeon Pagonis bodies do not neatly conform to what doctors www.pidgeonismy.name define as “male” or “female” bodies. Check out the UW-Madison library database The word "hermaphrodite" is misleading, under keyword “Intersex” for a variety of books, mythologizing, and stigmatizing. Although some articles, and anthologies with more perspectives.
Adapted from “Intersex FAQ.” Intersex Initiative. June 28, 2008. Intersexinitiative.org/articles/intersex-faq.html.
Gender and Sexuality Campus Center 608-265-3344 • lgbt.wisc.edu • [email protected] 123 Red Gym, 716 Langdon St., Madison, WI 53706