5 Myths About Intersex People, Debunked!
If I asked you to define “intersex,” would you be able to? Most people I’ve asked haven’t been educated about it so they aren’t aware of the prevalence.
The intersex identity is one of the least understood identities by cisgender people, mainly because of the myths and misconceptions that run rampant around “biological” sex. The intersex identity inherently contradicts one of the most popular anti-trans talking points today: that there are only two genders and two sexes.
Even biological sex is not binary, despite what your science teacher told you. In fact, falsly declaring there are only two biological sexes is unscientific. There are many other myths surrounding intersex people, and this blog post will help disprove many of them. Beyond this article, I encourage you to learn from Intersex folks with lived experience who are doing incredible advocacy work. Let’s begin correcting this misinformation by looking at the definition of the intersex identity.
Intersex Definition
The intersex identity can be described as, “a combination of chromosomes, gonads, hormones, internal sex organs, and genitals that differs from the two expected/assumed patterns of male or female.”
An intersex person may have any combination of primary (genitals) and secondary sex characteristics, resulting in a presentation that falls outside of the male/female sex binary. While intersex people might identify with one of the two genders on the binary, there are also many intersex people who label themselves as gender non-conforming, genderqueer, genderfluid, and more.
According to the Intersex Society of North America, though being intersex is often referred to as “an inborn condition, intersex anatomy doesn’t always show up at birth. Sometimes a person isn’t found to have intersex anatomy until [they] reach the age of puberty, or finds [themself] an infertile adult, or dies of old age and is autopsied. Some people live and die with intersex anatomy without anyone (including themselves) ever knowing”.
Meaning, we don’t even really know the true prevalence but can assume that its higher than the reported 1-2% of the population.
Much like gender, intersex is a socially constructed category that reflects real biological variation beyond the confines of the binary. If we didn’t assign sexes, or assume there were only two, the category of intersex wouldn’t exist.
MYTH: Being intersex is a medical condition in need of “fixing”
REALITY: Being intersex is naturally occuring in humans and does not require any medical intervention
Unfortunately, it’s all-too -common medical practice for intersex newborns to undergo surgery to “correct” intersex traits. Parents and medical professionals “decide” the sex of the child and medically alter their bodies, sometimes never planning to tell the child that the operation even took place.
This type of surgery is currently under attack, as there’s no reason that newborns should be operated on when it is not absolutely medically necessary. An intersex child does not need to be operated on to fit a mold of traditional male or female traits. Instead, these children can grow up and discover themselves, and make those sorts of decisions on their own later in life.
MYTH: There are only two sets of chromosome options present in humans
REALITY: Intersex people often have different combinations of chromosomes than the assumed XX or XY; for example, XXY
A common anti-trans talking point is insisting that there are “only two genders,” or that there are only people with XX or XY chromosomes, corresponding to male and female. As referenced above, this is disproven by the existence of intersex people, never mind the fact that there are a multitude of gender identities besides male and female.
Intersex people often have a different combination of chromosomes than the traditional XX or XY—XXY, for example. Just as there’s more than two chromosome combinations present in humans, there are more than two gender identities as well.
MYTH: Once a child is born, it’s immediately obvious if they are intersex
REALITY: Some people don’t know they’re intersex until later in life, or never realize it at all!
In some cases, parents and medical professionals are able to tell that a child is intersex from the presentation of their genitals, but for many intersex people, it isn’t that straightforward.
In fact, some intersex people don’t realize they’re intersex until secondary sex characteristics develop during puberty. Others never know that they are intersex at all, because their external sex characteristics match traditional male or female standards, while their hormones or external organs do not.
MYTH: Intersex people don’t exist
REALITY: Estimates show that 1-2 in about 100 people born in the US are intersex
The numbers say it all! Recent estimates show that around 1-2% of people born in the US are intersex, whether they are identified as such at birth or later in life.
MYTH: Intersex people should “pick” one of the two genders on the gender binary
REALITY: Intersex people can be any gender, including gender non-conforming
Just because intersex people might display more traditionally male or female traits does not mean that they have to choose to identify as such. In fact, many intersex people identify as intersex or a variety of other gender non-conforming labels, and don’t use he/him or she/her pronouns.
Intersex Day of Remembrance
Today, November 8th, is Intersex Day of Remembrance. According to IntersexDay.org, “The Day marks the birthday of Herculine Barbin, a French intersex person whose memoirs were later published by the philosopher Michel Foucault, along with contemporary texts and a later fictionalized account.”
To honor intersex people of past and present, send along this article to anyone else who might benefit from learning more about the identity.
Want to learn more?
Check out my recent blog posts, Demystifying Trans Identity: You Can Be Trans And… and Active LGBTQ+ Allyship Explained to learn more!
Resources to learn more about LGBTQ+ identities and be a better parent or caregiver:
A great way to be an ally is learning the proper terms to discuss 2SLGBTQ+ topics.
To download a PDF of gender and sexuality terms click here.
Has a kid in your life recently come out to you? Check out my guide!
Sign up for How To Talk To Kids About Gender, the course that helps parents and caregivers have the not-so-difficult conversations that matter about gender.
