Warning: Talk of genitalia in this article.
I could not believe I had never heard about it before. Intersex. Approximately 1/100 people fall into this genetic category, which is like, insanely common!
Intersex is defined by many sources (listed at the bottom of the article) as having a blend of genetically female and male components at birth. Intersex genetics can consist of being born with chromosomes, hormones, or physical features that result in a person being between sexes. Although sex is male, female, neither, or both, gender identity is decided by the individual.
Examples of intersex: having some cells in the body that are XX (female) and some that are XY (male) simultaneously; having an extra X chromosome making an XXY baby; having a closer to equal balance between estrogen and testosterone hormones rather than a clear ruling of one over the other; or having androgen insensitivity syndrome which people with a vagina can have while they have testicles in their stomachs… just to name a few.
Although approximately 1/100 people have some form of intersex genetics, not all people born this way know it right away. There are more than 30 different genetic variations that lead to someone being intersex, and these 30+ genetic variations can appear in hundreds of external or internal variations in the people who experience them.
Only about 1/2,000 people are born with “ambiguous outward-facing genitalia,” meaning that doctors have a hard time deciding if it is a boy or a girl based on their visible genitals. Unfortunately, there are still many stigmas revolving around having ambiguous genitalia, so many doctors recommend, and many parents request, that surgery be done to “fix” the baby’s genitals. These surgeries are aesthetic, and typically done to turn the genitals into a more clearly male or female-like organ.
It is not uncommon for children who have surgery done on their genitals to grow up with confusion about their gender. The doctors and/or parents can guess wrong, and a child may end up having a strong sense of being a boy or girl while having the opposite genitalia due to the surgery that happened during their infancy.
As long as babies born intersex are happy and healthy, then no surgery needs to be done while the child is unable to decide if they want it or not.
Being intersex can appear in many other ways as well.
For example, having a penis on the outside and ovaries on the inside; a vagina on the outside and testes on the inside; having fully functioning female parts, but XY (male) chromosomes; or fully functioning male parts while having an extra X chromosome. Some of these differences may come into light with genetic and fertility testing. [Videos linked below with personal intersex experiences.]
Lastly, intersex can also be a simple “hormonal imbalance” that is not really an “imbalance,” but rather how the person was born. People with variations here could seem a bit different than the standard gender stereotypes in society. They may identify as both male and female (he/she/they,) as this feeling is unique and only those who experience it can truly know how it feels. (Note: someone does not have to be intersex to identify with he/she/they pronouns.)
A friend recently shared with me that she has chest hair that grows between her breasts, and this is not what society considers “normal” for being a woman. For a long time, she was told, and believed, that she had hormonal imbalances leading to these characteristics. In reality, she is not imbalanced. She is how she is, and her body gives her some factors that make her feel less feminine some days. We do not know if she is intersex, but we are reminded that sometimes “imbalance” is not actually imbalanced at all.
People who fall into the category of being between genders tend to make society uncomfortable because historically we have avoided accepting it. There is no way to go back in time to reverse the surgeries that have happened on healthy babies to convert them into a more socially acceptable version of a human, but we can move forward with open minds and conversations about the topic, and support intersex people as they wish to be.
It is more common than 99/100 of us think.
Sources:
Advocates for Intersex Youth FAQ Page
United Nations: Big Victory for Intersex People and Their Rights
Intersex Society of North America: What is Intersex?
Videos:
Ted Talk: What I’ve Learned From Having Balls (15 minutes)
Intersex Children: Waiting to Decide on Sex Surgery? (9 minutes)
Intersexion: Boy or Girl? Intersex Documentary (50 minutes)