Intersex: facts, information and allyship

What is Intersex?

Intersex, the “I” in LGBTQIA+, is an umbrella term used to describe a variety of situations where a person is born with reproductive or sexual anatomy that does not fit into the binary box of “male” or “female”.

Being born intersex is a healthy and naturally occurring variation in humans, this means there is nothing medically wrong, it is not a “condition” or “problem” to be resolved. Therefore, medical interventions (such as surgeries and hormone therapy) are not necessary.

Being born intersex is also a lot more common than people tend to realize, it’s estimated that about 1.7% of the population is born intersex. That’s about equivalent to the number of people born with red hair.

Intersex, sexuality and gender identity

The label intersex refers to the sex a person is assigned at birth. This is a gender marker you are given usually by a doctor, based on your gender and chromosomes, which goes on your birth certificate. Most countries will only allow a doctor to select “male” or “female”, but just because an intersex person is given a certain gender marker when they are born does not mean it will match their gender identity.

Just as with any other person, an intersex person may grow to realize the sex they were assigned at birth does not align with their gender identity. They may (or may not) identity as transgender or non-binary, and – as with everyone else – will learn about their sexual orientation too. It’s therefore not uncommon for an intersex person to co-identify as trans or queer for example, but they also may be straight and cisgender.

Regardless of their gender identity or sexual orientation, they are still a valid member of the LGBTQIA+ community.

The movement for intersex rights

Many intersex people face stigmatization and discrimination from birth. Although scientists and activists alike have long argued that being born intersex is not a medical concern, many still subject intersex children to unnecessary surgical and other procedures to conform their appearance to binary sex stereotypes.

These procedures can be irreversible and dangerous – often leading to permanent infertility, pain, incontinence, loss of sexual sensation, and lifelong mental suffering, including increased rates of depression. Compelling children to such harmful and invasive surgeries – for which they are too young to give their consent for – purely for aesthetic purposes would be seen as abuse in many other circumstances, and its continued practice has become central to the fight for intersex equality.

“Many intersex adults exposed to such surgery as children emphasize the shame and stigma linked to attempts to erase their intersex traits, as well as significant physical and mental suffering, including as a result of extensive and painful scarring,” The United Nations explains of the consequences of such surgeries and procedures.

“Many also feel that they were forced into sex and gender categories that do not fit them. Given their irreversible nature and impact on physical integrity and autonomy, such medically unnecessary, unsolicited surgery or treatment should be prohibited. Intersex children and their families should receive adequate counselling and support, including from peers.”

Intersex people are also often the victims of discrimination if people know – or perceive them to be – intersex or they are presumed to have a gender outside of binary stereotypes. On top of this, anti-discriminatory laws often don’t cover a person being intersex, leaving them in an even more vulnerable position.

Hans Lindahl speaks of their experience, “To be born intersex is to experience violence at the hands of a medical system determined to erase you, literally cutting your intersex parts away for the sake of “normalcy.”

Allyship to the intersex community

So, what can be done to support the intersex community? Allyship has to start with education, make sure you learn about what it is to be intersex and listen to those who are happy to share their lived experience. Intersex people come from all walks of life, seek out resources and information that will make you a better ally.

Then, educate those around you – uplift intersex voices and ensure conversations are led by facts. Advocate for intersex-inclusive sex and relationships education for young people and find out what the legislation is in your local to protect intersex people. You can also find out if hospitals in your area are still performing surgeries on intersex children and reach out to local groups to find out what you can to do help stop these. Policies vary widely but can usually be found on a hospitals website. To date, very few hospitals have clear policies banning unnecessary genital surgeries on children, despite calls for action to do from many LGBTQIA+ groups.

Make sure that you’re also using intersex-inclusive language. This starts by including “intersex” as an option for “sex” on all forms as well as “male” and “female”. If you’re not sure what pronouns an intersex person uses just check with them, and make sure you have you're sharing your pronouns to help normalize this act.

We also need to ensure that LGBTQIA+ spaces are safe and inclusive for the intersex community. Hans Lindahl shares their experience in these spaces, “I am a queer nonbinary intersex person, and I am still searching for a place to belong. I exist in a gray area somewhere between cis and trans that I don’t know how to name or navigate. Even living in San Francisco, many of my interactions in non-intersex queer and trans spaces have been disappointing, isolating, or at worst, fetishizing. Intersex narratives are barely acknowledged in many queer spaces.”

Creating safe and inclusive spaces for the intersex community is integral in fighting the discrimination they face. The fight for LGBTQIA+ equality needs to include everyone in our community, as we cannot have a world where everyone is free to be themselves whilst also leaving behind a group of people. This means intersex people should not only be included in this fight but are vital to its success: because a world where we speak up for and support one another is a better place for everyone.