Intersex Awareness Day

Intersex is defined by the United Nations as referring to people ‘born with sex characteristics that don’t fit typical definitions of male and female’. Variations of sex characteristics may include chromosomal, gonadal, physiological, or hormonal traits that vary from typically believed male or female presentation.

The prevalence of intersex variations is a contested issue, but recent sources suggest that up to 1.7% of the population is born with a variation of sex characters, which makes having an intersex variation as common as having naturally occurring red hair.

Some intersex variations are very fairly common such as hypospadias which effects between 1:150 – 1:300 people assigned male at birth. Others are much rarer such as androgen insensitivity disorder where prevalence is around 1:20,000 people.

Terminology is a controversial issue, but some of other terms used to refer to intersex variations includes Variations of Sex Characteristics (VSC) and Disorders/differences of Sex Development (DSD). Although many intersex people dislike these medical terms as they are pathologizing implying there is something wrong with them.

Prenatally, terminations have been sometimes carried out when a child would be intersex, despite there being a significant number of people who are never diagnosed due to minimal effects, who have relatively normal and productive lives.

In recent history, children with an intersex variation have been subjected to non-consensual, irreversible, cosmetic genital surgery to make their genitals appear more typical. Many of these medical interventions are known to cause long-lasting, medical effects such as pain, incontinence, infertility and psychologically traumatic after-effects.

Adults are often stigmatized and subjected to multiple human rights violations, including violations of their rights to health and physical integrity, to be free from torture and ill-treatment, and to equality and non-discrimination.

Some neurodiversity can be present but underlying intelligence isn’t normally affected and many intersex people have professional careers.

Some intersex variations come with health problems or increased likelihood of developing certain conditions, such as Osteoporosis, Diabetes and Cardiovascular disease.

Sexual orientation and gender identity isn’t dictated by being intersex and they have the same range of preferences as anyone else. Although in some cases genetic changes and hormonal levels may cause a level of gender fluidity, incongruence or dysphoria. There is a case for an alternative pathway to help these people outside the gender identity services.

Intersex Awareness Day is celebrated internationally on Saturday 26 October annually to raise awareness about the human rights violations faced by people with an intersex variation and to celebrate the diversity of people in this world.

Information provided by Lexi Breen chbreen@lincoln.ac.uk and Megan Walker.

Further Study.
https://interactadvocates.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Intersex-Variations-Glossary.pdf
Book: Interdisciplinary and Global Perspectives on Intersex
https://www.unfe.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/UNFE-Intersex.pdf
https://intersexday.org/en/
https://youtu.be/x4cnBDoC6yA

Lexi Breen is an Intersex Advocate and Academic and is available to speak within the university and for other organisation’s to raise awareness.

Story submitted by Lexi Breen
chbreen@lincoln.ac.uk