INTERSEX 101
Everything you need to know!

“Intersex” refers to people who are born with a range of characteristics
that may not fit traditional conceptions about male and female bodies.
The word intersex is an umbrella termthat refers to people who have one ormore of a range of variations in sex
characteristics or reproductive anatomy.
Intersex people may have variations intheir chromosomes, genitals, hormones, orinternal organs like testes or ovaries. Someintersex traits are identified at birth, whileother people may not discover they haveintersex traits until puberty or later in life.

People with intersex traits
have always existed, butthere is more awarenessnow about the diversity ofhuman bodies.
People with intersex bodies, like anyone who
may be seen as different, sometimes facediscrimination, including in healthcare
settings (as early as infancy).

Intersex people are more common than you think!
Experts estimate that as many as 1.7% of people worldwide are born with intersex traits –that’s about the same as the entire populations of Russia or Mexico. People with intersex
traits aren’t all the same, and some people may not even know they are intersex unlessthey receive genetic testing (this may happen, for example, with athletes). Intersex people
are not that uncommon — we just have been mostly invisible. But that is changing.

Some intersex children undergo unnecessary andirreversible surgeries — without consent.
For many years, the medical establishment has viewed babies born with atypical sex characteristics as having bodies thatneed to be “fixed.” As many as 1/2000 are subjected to unnecessary medical intervention at an early age. Some intersexbabies and older youth have undergone extensive, involuntary surgeries for no other reason than to make their bodies
conform to traditional notions of what it means to be male or female. The vast majority of these surgeries are not
medically necessary when performed on young children, and could instead be delayed until the intersex individual can
decide whether surgery is right for them. In some instances, intersex individuals grow up without ever having known
about the medical procedures they underwent as children. Others report being told that surgery was necessary only tofind out later that this was not the case.
Evidence is increasingly showing the harms of these surgeries when performed without informed
consent, which can include physical pain, loss of genital sensitivity, scarring, and even sterilization,
as well as significant psychological consequences and the risk that the sex assigned will not matchthe individual’s gender identity. Because of these risks, intersex genital surgeries are now
considered human rights abuses by groups like the United Nations, the World Health Organization,
the American Bar Association, and the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association, the world’s largest andoldest association of LGBT healthcare professionals. This has led some countries, such as Malta andGreece, to outlaw non-consensual medical interventions to modify sex anatomy. In the UnitedStates, public and professional opinions are shifting, and a groundbreaking policy banned theseprocedures in New York City's public hospitals. But the procedures are still not directly addressedby any law, and are performed by a small group of specialists to this day.

Intersex people should enjoy autonomy over their bodies.
Unfortunately, parents may feel pressured into making irreversible decisions about their children’s bodies
before the child can meaningfully participate and choose what, if any, medical procedures they desire.

INTERSEX 101
Everything you need to know!
Most intersex people
experience manydifferent harms.
Many intersex youth and adults today talkabout the consequences suffered as a result of
unwanted surgeries, including poor selfesteem, depression, anxiety, and issues withtrust and intimacy in relationships. Whileparents and doctors may act with the best
intentions, rushing to "fix" a child's bodily
difference most often does much more harmthan good.
Most people think biological sex is either“male” or “female,” but it can actually be more
complicated. This misunderstanding can makeintersex people feel alone and unnecessarilyashamed of their bodies.

Don’t make assumptions andlet people share their own stories.
If you meet someone who you think may be intersex
or who has shared they are intersex, let them sharethe information they wish to share. Don’t ask about
their bodies or what procedures they’ve undergone.
Respect their privacy!
Intersex people may identify as male, female, nogender or multiple genders—and they may express
their gender in different ways. Similarly, intersex
people, like all people, may be straight, gay, lesbian,bisexual, asexual, or identify in another way.
Some (but not all) intersex people may choose to use
gender pronouns other than “he” or “she,” like “they”
or “ze”. Always allow intersex people to identify what
pronouns they’d like you to use.

Being intersex is not the same as being transgender
A person who is intersex was born with a variation in their internal or external sex characteristics.
A person who is transgender identifies with a different gender than they were assumed to be atbirth, but they are not generally born with sex characteristics that fall outside of traditional
conceptions of binary male or female bodies.
Intersex people and transgender people may face similar barriers to accessing appropriate medicalcare and may experience similar discrimination based on gender identity and expression. Bothcommunities can be harmed by healthcare and athletics bans that try to enforce an impossible sex
binary. We have a shared interest in autonomy and decision-making authority over our own bodies.
While intersex individuals are frequently forced to undergo unwanted and unnecessary surgeries
during infancy, transgender individuals are often denied necessary medical treatment inadolescence and beyond. Transgender people may also be required to undergo surgery they don’t
want in order to update the gender marker on their identity documents. By better understanding
the similarities and differences between these communities, we can be better allies to both!

There are many ways to be an ally
Educate friends and family about intersex people through social media.
Oppose unnecessary and non-consensual surgeries on intersex babies and children.
Support nondiscrimination protections that include intersex people.
Oppose laws that make it illegal for people to use restrooms or play on sports teams that don’t match the gendermarker on their birth certificate.
Support changing regulations and laws around identification so that not every adult intersex person has to choose amale or female gender marker.
Treat intersex people with respect by not asking invasive questions and using their preferred pronouns.
Sign up for emails to advocate for intersex rights at interactadvocates.org
Donate to interACT today!

365 Boston Post Road Suite 163 Sudbury, MA 01776 | info@interactadvocates.org | 707-793-1190