The 101 of Intersex (Something You Really Should Know About)
Here’s a short overview of why intersex individuals are demanding recognition and small everyday changes that can make a real difference. Thanks to today's guest writer, MeerderWörter.
Many social issues, such as climate change or food insecurity, are well-known, but so many issues aren’t featured in mainstream media. As the world wakes up and sees previously hidden injustices, many groups (rightly) are standing up and demanding long overdue recognition.
As we aim to build a more inclusive and collaborative world, finding ways to include everyone is so important. Giving everyone an equal platform to share their story is a good place to start. For more on why stories matter, see Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s powerful TED talk - The Dangers Of A Single Story.
Have you ever met an intersex person?
Most likely, you have. Numbers suggest that up to 1 in 200 individuals are intersex, depending on the definition.
You might wonder if there is anyone famous?
Well, there are:
Caster Semenya won the 800m World Championship
Dutee Chand is an athlete competing on the world stage
Herculine Barbin, is probably the most famous. They lived in France in the 19th century, and their birthday, November 8th, has become a celebration- Intersex Solidarity Day.
So, some people you’ve probably heard of.
So, what does being intersex mean?
It's possibly a term most of you may not have come across yet. So, let’s start with a few definitions to get everyone on the same page, and so everyone knows what’s being discussed. Everyone starts from the same bare minimum.
Can you remember sex-ed in school again? You remember the talk about how XX and XY are male and female, respectively, right? If not, or if you have never heard any of this before, that’s OK.
Intersex refers to one’s sex characteristics. Chromosomes and hormone levels are sex characteristics, but genitals, inner sex organs (those are primary sex characteristics), breast development, and body hair distribution (those are secondary sex characteristics) are as well. Now, when you are intersex, either one or more than one of those cannot be easily classified as either male or female. Thus “intersex” – “between the sexes”.
4 important things to know
Being intersex can be “discovered” at any stage of life
Be that birth, childhood, puberty, or later in life, then normally when you have issues with fertility.
What is important to keep in mind is that this is not to be confused with being transgender, where the sex characteristics do align with either the male or female sex. Still, transgender individuals do not identify with the gender they were assigned to at birth.
Medical terminology matters and can be deeply offensive:
“Intersex” is not a medical term in use anymore. It’s an umbrella term that groups together a number of variations of sex characteristics. Variations of sex characteristics is a good synonym as it is descriptive and neutral. Having descriptive and neutral terminology is important because, historically this hasn’t been the case. The current official medical term, DSD – Disorders (or Differences) of Sex Development, is felt by many to be a pathologizing and patronizing term and is rejected by most intersex individuals.
Too often, intersex individuals fall outside existing legislation and legal protections
Human Rights of intersex individuals are threatened on a daily basis. Something as simple as filling in a form can be problematic. Right now, only Australia, California, and Germany have a 3rd gender marker, and in Austria, the Constitutional Court has ordered a revision of the gender marker law. This is not to say that all intersex folks want a 3rd gender marker for themselves, but it will make them visible. It will allow those who do not identify as male or female to see their gender identity acknowledged.
Many countries force the body of an intersex individual to comply as best as possible with society’s standards of male and female. When it comes to doctors, it is still common practice to use the scalpel first and then ask. Malta is the only country in the world that has explicitly outlawed what activists call Intersex Genital Mutilation and other similar treatments. For example, forcing individuals to take estrogen or testosterone or to undergo gonadectomies (that is, the removal of ovaries, testes, or ovotestes).
It is difficult to write about the Human Rights of intersex individuals, as those are mistreated on a daily basis, as well as the fact that in law, apart from Malta and the few other countries that now have a 3rd gender marker, intersex people simply do not exist in law.
It is not the same as trans*
There are similarities and differences in the trans* community. Put simply, trans activists fight for the surgeries that they do want, while intersex individuals fight against the surgeries that they don’t want. And here is the common ground – self-determination on Human rights grounds. In the end, what we both, intersex and trans* individuals, want is free and fully informed consent and enough time to think about options. Free and fully informed consent – that the procedure is explained, its positive and negative outcomes, possible alternatives, positive and negative outcomes, and what happens when nothing is being undertaken. So, there are similarities, but there are differences too.
What’s the best way forward?
Here are some simple asks that could make a big difference.
1) Educate yourself
Reading this article is a great place to start (thanks so much), and there’s plenty more literature available. Start with the OII Europe toolkit for allies, published in different European languages for a more in-depth read on the situation of intersex people in Europe.
2) Mind your language
Be aware of what language you use and when.
- For newborn children, don’t let the first question be: “Is it a boy or a girl?” Instead, ask if the baby is alright and healthy.
- Don’t make menstruation a gendered thing about only women getting periods – women may and may not have periods.
3) Discover the intersex organizations in your region
There are many great intersex organizations out there all over Europe. You will be welcome when you genuinely ask how you can best support them. If you see that there are demands regarding the rights of intersex people, go to your next best representative and ask them to stand for the rights of intersex people.
In the end, what it comes down to, when you offer your support and when you challenge the binary notions of male and female, is the focus on your language- Including us, intersex people. Making us visible is the first best step to solve the problem.
Read more:
Thanks to MeerderWörter for this insightful piece. Follow @MeerderWorter on Twitter for more updates!
