What Is Intersex?
What Is Intersex?
Intersexuality
Intersexuality is simply an overarching term that refers to human bodies that fall outside of the strict male and female binary. Generally speaking, the term refers to the many different conditions—often present at birth—that can affect a person’s reproductive or sexual anatomy. As a result, they may not clearly be either male or female.
According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, these conditions might include being born with "female" anatomy on the outside such as a vaginal opening, but having "male" sexual organs on the inside.1
It might also present as a baby boy being born with a penis that, medically, is considered very small, or a baby girl being born with a large clitoris. Internally, an intersex person might have an atypical sequence of genetics where some cells have XX chromosomes (female) while other cells have XY chromosomes (male).1
These are only a handful of examples; the intersex umbrella encompasses a wide variety of conditions and nuances. Also, while many times these anomalies are detectable at birth, sometimes intersexuality isn’t discovered until later in a child—or even adult’s—life.
Intersex is considered a medical identification.
“When a baby is born, the delivery doctor will assign it a legal sex. In many states, this is either male or female,” says Rachel Wright, a New York City-based psychotherapist who specializes in topics of modern relationships, sex, and sexuality. "However, if a person’s genitals do not fall within the typical male or female anatomy scope, then the doctor might identify that child as intersex at the time of their birth."
However, if a person’s genitals do not fall within the typical male or female anatomy scope, then the doctor might identify that child as intersex at the time of their birth.
According to Planned Parenthood, in some cases surgery might be performed on the baby’s genitals so that they present more “normally” as male or female. Some children might also be given hormone therapy so they better “fit” into the binary.2 In cases where doctors and parents can't discern which side of the binary the child would most easily fit into, parents might ultimately choose to assign a sex to their child and raise them as such.3
There’s growing activism around this topic. Some people feel it is not emotionally or mentally advantageous to push a child into either the male or female box if they weren’t born as someone who is clearly binary. In addition, intersex surgeries may result in significant scarring and fertility issues later in life.4
As of June 2020, Portugal is the only OECD country that bans medically unnecessary treatments on intersex minors without their consent.5
While many intersex identifications are made at the time of birth, that isn’t always the case. It is not uncommon for someone to realize that they are intersex until later in life; this later identification seems to be more common around puberty or when trying to conceive.
According to InterAct, a person (or their parent) might discover they are intersex when they experience puberty changes too early, in unexpected ways, very late, or not at all. Adults who struggle with infertility might also come to realize they are intersex after medical assessment and identification.4
In some cases, a person might not ever realize that they are actually intersex. This is more common when intersex presents through chromosomes or internal organs versus outward anatomy.
Gender and Sexuality
Wright is careful to point out that, just like non-intersex people, the gender they’re identified as at birth isn’t always the gender identity that they’ll grow up to have.
Additionally, just like non-intersex people, their sexuality—as in who they’re attracted to sexually—can run the gamut.
Again, intersex strictly refers to a group of conditions in which one's sexual development (genitalia, internal organs, and sexual hormone levels) diverges from the typical binary pattern.
Source: https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-intersex-5092841
