Intersex
Introduction
Intersex is an umbrella term reffering to variations in sexual characteristics that fall outside of what is typically considered "male" or "female."
There is a massive range of intersex conditions including but not limited to hormonal, internal, external, and physical variations.
Common Questions
Are intersex people transgender?
Not inherently. Some intersex people identify as being transgender, some don't. Many intersex people have a complex relationship with gender, and what they identify as will vary depending on the person.
Are intersex people non-binary?
Same as with being transgender - not inherently. Some intersex people identify as being non-binary. Some don't. Many intersex people have a complex relationship with gender, and what they will identify as will vary depending on the person.
Are intersex people/animals "biologically non-binary?"
No, and you sound stupid for saying that. Intersex variations ≠ human non-binary gender identity.
Can you transition to become intersex?
No. If you are not intersex, you cannot become intersex. A more appropriate term that you may be looking for is "altersex" or "salmacian".
Do all intersex people have mixed/ambiguous genitalia?
No. Intersex conditions are widely varied; they do not all present as distinct genital differences.
Do intersex people go on HRT?
It depends on the person.
Medical Experiences
It is not uncommon for intersex infants to undergo surgeries or hormonal treatments to appear as though they are not intersex. These procedures are often unnecessary, harmful, and overall traumatizing.
Due to the general desire of doctors to hide 'less noticable' intersex conditions or alter babies with 'more noticable' intersex conditions; many intersex people grow up not even realizing that they are intersex. Some don't find out until adulthood, and others never find out. Some intersex conditions don't present themselves in a noticable way until puberty or adulthood.
It can be hard to determing how many people are, in fact, intersex; due to underdiagnosis and medical abuse.
Glossary
Note that some additional terms can be find in the primary definition tabs of The Transgender Dictionary.
- Amalgagender - A gender that is affected by or mixed into one’s intersex identity.
- C.A.F.A.B. - Coercively Assigned Female At Birth
- C.A.M.A.B. - Coercively Assigned Male At Birth
- Duogender - A gender that is a combination of male and female as a result one’s intersexuality.
- D.S.D. - An abbreviation meaning either “difference of sexual development” or “disorder of sexual development.” The latter is generally considered stigmatizing.
- Dyadism - The belief that being dyadic is normal, correct, the default, etc., and that intersex people are unnatural, wrong, diseased/deformed, insignificant, etc. Also referred to as perisexism, endosexism, or juxtasexism.
- F.A.F.A.B. - Forcibly Assigned Female At Birth
- F.A.M.A.B. - Forcibly Assigned Male At Birth
- Forced/Coerced H.R.T. - Unwanted H.R.T. given to intersex people to make them appear Dyadic. Often given as a result of IGM.
- Hermaphrodite - An intersexist slur.
- I.A.F.A.B. - Intersex Assigned Female At Birth
- I.A.M.A.B. - Intersex Assigned Male At Birth
- I.G.M. - Infant/Intersex Genital Mutilation
- Inter-Aligned - A gender alignment for nonbinary intersex people whose gender is aligned with being intersex instead of or alongside being masc-aligned or fem-aligned.
- Interandrogyne - A form of Androgyne that is connected or influenced by one’s intersexuality.
- Ipsofeminine/Ipsofem - Intersex people who are of a feminine gender identity or are transitioning femininely.
- Ipsogender/Ipso - Intersex people who identify as the gender they were assigned. They may or may not identify as cisgender.
- Ipsomasculine/Ipsomasc - Intersex people who are of a masculine gender identity or are transitioning masculinely.
- Transgender-Intersex/Trans-Intersex - A term for an intersex person whose gender identity does not match the one decided on by their doctors and/or parents at birth, and identifies as transgender and intersex at the same time.
- Ulterfeminine/Ulterfem - Ultergender people who are of a feminine gender identity or transitioning femininely.
- Ultergender/Ulter - Intersex people who do not identify as the gender they were assigned. They may or may not identify as transgender.
- Ultermasculine/Ultermasc - Ultergender people who are of a masculine gender identity or transitioning masculinely.
- Ulterneutral - Ultergender people who are of a neutral/both masc and fem gender identity or transitioning neutrally.
- XTF - A term for intersex people who are transitioning femininely, regardless of whether they’re cis, trans, etc.
- XTM - A term for IS people who are transitioning masculinely, regardless of whether they’re cis, trans, etc.
- XTX - A term for IS people who are transitioning towards gender neutrality, both masculinity & femininity, back to their "natural" bodies, or a variety of other manners, whether they're cis, trans, etc.
Intersex Organizations
InterACT - Advocates for Intersex Youth
Intersex Human Rights Australia
Intersex Society of North America
Books
bogireadstheworld - intersex in our own voices books
Davis, G. (2015). Contesting intersex: The dubious diagnosis (Vol. 10). NYU Press.
Holmes, M. (Ed.). (2016). Critical intersex. Routledge.
Horlacher, S. (2016). Transgender and intersex: Theoretical, practical, and artistic perspectives (pp. 1-27). Palgrave Macmillan US.
Lock Swarr, A. (2023). Envisioning African Intersex: Challenging Colonial and Racist Legacies in South African Medicine (p. 245). Duke University Press.
Orr, C. E. (2022). Cripping Intersex. UBC Press.
Reis, E. (2021). Bodies in doubt: An American history of intersex. JHU Press.
Viola Amato (2016) JSTOR: Intersex Narratives: Shifts in the Representation of Intersex Lives in North American Literature and Popular Culture
Additional Resources
American Progress - Key Issues Facing People With Intersex Traits
GLAAD Media Reference Guide – In Focus: Intersex People
HRC - Understanding the Intersex Community
Our Bodies Ourselves - Genital Variation: The Myth of Binary
Reddit - r/intersex
The Intersex Roadshow - Intersex Genitalia Illustrated and Explained
The Trevor Project - The Mental Health and Well-being of LGBTQ Youth who are Intersex
tumblr - gonyadaldysgenesis - link to google drive regarding non-graphic examples of long term effects of intersex IGM scarring
tumblr - intersexfairy - Intersex Terminology Masterpost
tumblr - intersex-support - FAQ
tumblr - ipso-faculty - Intersex Resources List
Wikipedia - Disorders of Sex Development
Wikipedia - Intersex
YouTube Video - Intersex explained (Part 1) [+CC Español, Türkçe]
Additional Resources (explicit!)
Approach to DSD (Ambiguous genitalia)
Intersex Presentation
