Menstuff® has compiled the following information on Intersex.
A medical definition of intersexuality which is applied to human
beings is "conditions in which chromosomal sex is inconsistent with
phenotypic sex, or in which the phenotype is not classifiable as
either male or female". Applying this precise definition, the true
prevalence of intersex is seen to be about 0.018%
What is intersex?
The prevalence of intersex depends on which
definition is used
Tennis Controversy: Female Player (with Male
Past)
Alice, from Holland, has Androgen
Insensitivity Syndrome (AIS)
Going beyond X and Y (Scientific
American)
Statistics of intersex
frequency
Notable intersex people
Resources
The current medical protocol calls for the surgical "reconstruction" of these different but healthy bodies to make them "normal," but this practice has become increasingly controversial as adults who went through the treatment report being physically, emotionally, and sexually harmed by such procedures. There is no single "intersex body"; it encompasses a wide variety of conditions that do not have anything in common except that they are deemed "abnormal" by the society. What makes intersex people similar is their experiences of medicalization, not biology. Intersex is not an identity. While some intersex people do reclaim it as part of their identity, it is not a freely chosen category of gender--it can only be reclaimed. Most intersex people identify as men or women, just like everybody
Are intersex people "third gender"?
Many people with intersex conditions identify solidly as a man or as a woman, like many non-intersex people. There are some who identify as a member of an alternative gender, like some non-intersex people. While we support everyone's right to define her or his own identities, we do not believe that people with intersex conditions should be expected to be gender-transgressive just because of their condition.
What is the difference between "hermaphrodite" and "intersex"?
In biology, "hermaphrodite" means an organism that has both "male" and "female" sets of reproductive organs (like snails and earthworms). In humans, there are no actual "hermaphrodites" in this sense, although doctors have called people with intersex conditions "hermaphrodites" because intersex bodies do not neatly comform to what doctors define as the "normal" male or female bodies. We find the word "hermaphrodite" misleading, mythologizing, and stigmatizing. Although some intersex activists do reclaim and use this term to describe themselves, it is not an appropriate term to refer to intersex people in general. In short, snails are the hermaphrodites; humans are not. Also, please avoid using the word "intersexual" as a noun; we prefer "intersex people" or "people with intersex conditions/experiences."
Are intersex conditions harmful?
In general, intersex conditions do not cause the person to feel
sick or in pain. However, some intersex conditions are associated
with serious health issues, which need to be treated medically.
Surgically "correcting" the appearance of intersex genitals will not
change these underlying medical needs.
Can't they just do a test to find out babies' true sex?
Medicine cannot determine the baby's "true sex." For example,
chromosomes do not necessarily dictate one's gender identity, as it
is obvious from the fact that most people born with androgen
insensitivity syndrome live as women despite their XY chromosomes. In
other words: science can measure how large a clitoris is, but cannot
conclude how large or small it needs to be. That is a social
determination.
Beside stopping cosmetic genital surgeries, what are intersex
activists working toward?
Surgery is just part of a larger pattern of how intersex children are
treated; it is also important to stop shame, secrecy and isolation
that are socially and medically imposed on children born with
intersex conditions under the theory that the child is better off it
they didn't hear anything about it. Therefore, it's not enough to
simply stop the surgery; we need to replace it with social and
psychological support as well as open and honest communication.
What is the correct pronoun for intersex people?
Pronouns should not be based on the shape of one's genitalia, but
on what the person prefers to be called. For children too young to
communicate what her/his preference is, go with the gender assignment
parents and doctor agreed on based on their best prediction. Do not
call intersex children "it," because it is dehumanizing.
Is intersex part of the trans community?
While some people with intersex conditions also identify as
trans, intersex people as a group have a unique set of needs and
priorities beyond those shared with trans people. Too often, these
unique needs are made invisible or secondary when "intersex" becomes
a subcategory of "transgender". For example, people who discuss about
intersex in the context of transgender often stress the risk of
assigning a "wrong" gender as an argument against intersex genital
mutilation, which overlooks the fact that intersex medical treatment
is painful and traumatic whether or not one's gender identity happens
to match her or his assigned gender. It is for this reason that
intersex people prefer to have "intersex" spelled out explicitly
rather than have it included in the "transgender" umbrella.
What is the difference between "hermaphrodite" and
"intersex"?
In biology, "hermaphrodite" means an organism that has both male
and female sets of reproductive organs (like snails and earthworms).
In humans, there are no actual hermaphrodites in this sense, although
doctors have called people with intersex conditions hermaphrodites
because intersex bodies do not neatly comform to what doctors define
as the "normal" male or female bodies. The word "hermaphrodite" is
misleading, mythologizing, and stigmatizing. Although some intersex
activists do reclaim and use this term to describe themselves, it is
not an appropriate term to refer to intersex people in general. In
short, snails are the hermaphrodites; humans are not. Also, please
avoid using the word "intersexual" as a noun; it is preferable to
say, "intersex people" or "people with intersex
conditions/experiences."
The prevalence of
intersex depends on which definition is used.
According to the ISNA definition above, 1 percent of live births
exhibit some degree of sexual ambiguity, approximately one in every
hundred births. Between 0.1% and 0.2% of live births are ambiguous
enough to become the subject of specialist medical attention,
including surgery to disguise their sexual ambiguity.
What's so significant about October 26?
On October 26, 1996, intersex activists from Intersex Society of
North America (carrying the sign "Hermaphrodites With Attitude") and
our allies from Transexual Menace held the first public intersex
demonstration in Boston, where American Academy of Pediatrics was
holding its annual conference. The action generated a lot of press
coverage, and made it difficult for the medical community to continue
to neglect our growing movement. That said, events related to
Intersex Awareness
Day 
can take place throughout October and does not necessarily have to be
on the 26th.
It's great! How can I help?
First, join our email
discussion list
(we suggest the digest format if you want to keep the number of
emails you receive under control). Then, look at our Get
Involved
section to see if there is already any IAD events scheduled for your
area. If so, go and help them; if not, find a local organization that
will sponsor the event--for example, try LGBT group in your city or
college campus--and help them bring IAD to your city! We have
"suggestions" for what activities to do, but what you will do is
entirely up to you and your neighbors (and please tell us if you
think of any great idea!) E-Mail
Tennis Controversy: Female Player (with Male
Past)
Sarah Gronert, a 22-year-old tennis pro from Germany who was born with both male and female genitalia, has chosen to compete against women, and that has some in the tennis community up in arms. "There is no girl who can hit serves like that, not even Venus Williams," says the coach of an opponent Gronert recently beat. The coach, Schlomo Tzoref, also claims, "This is not a woman, it's a man." Is Tzoref just a disgruntled coach, trying to stir up controversy, or is there any validity to his claim? What makes a man a man, and what makes a woman a woman -- and how does being either affect one's ability to win?
The Olympics has one answer; the WTA has another; across the board
at national and international levels there seems to be a free-for-all
in deciding how to allow players who do not fit into the binary
division of traditionally defined female and male to compete.
Meanwhile, science has its own explanations and advice for the sports
community.
Source: www.aolhealth.com/condition-center/womens-sexual-health/gender-controversy-intersex-conditions/
Going beyond X and Y (Scientific
American)
Alice, from Holland, has Androgen
Insensitivity Syndrome (AIS) Alice has XY chromosomes, which is the norm for males, as
opposed to XX for females. When she was 17, Alice went to
the doctor to find out why she still hadn't got her first
period. He sent her on to a hospital for a test. As the test
was being administered, she saw the technician frown; he
said that the machine didn't seem to be working, and they
had better move to another room and try another machine.
Again, there seemed to be something wrong. The technician
left the room to call a doctor. The doctor looked at the
machine, frowned too, and then did an internal check up.
What he found was nothing. In Alice's body, he found no
womb, no uterus, no ovaries. Nothing. It was only then that
Alice discovered she had AIS. Although she has XY
chromosomes, being insensitive to testosterone, she
developed in a female direction. Complete AIS means that the
person will look absolutely female from the outside. However
AIS is only one of about 75 different intersex
conditions.
Statistics of intersex frequency
|
Not XX and not XY |
one in 1,666 births |
|
Klinefelter (XXY) |
one in 1,000 births |
|
Androgen insensitivity syndrome |
one in 13,000 births |
|
Partial androgen insensitivity syndrome |
one in 130,000 births |
|
Classical congenital adrenal hyperplasia |
one in 13,000 births |
|
Late onset adrenal hyperplasia |
one in 66 individuals |
|
Vaginal agenesis |
one in 6,000 births |
|
Ovotestes |
one in 83,000 births |
|
Idiopathic (no discernable medical cause) |
one in 110,000 births |
|
Iatrogenic (caused by medical treatment, for instance progestin administered to pregnant mother) |
no estimate |
|
5 alpha reductase deficiency |
no estimate |
|
Mixed gonadal dysgenesis |
no estimate |
|
Complete gonadal dysgenesis |
one in 150,000 births |
|
Hypospadias (urethral opening in perineum or along penile shaft) |
one in 2,000 births |
|
Hypospadias (urethral opening between corona and tip of glans penis) |
one in 770 births |
|
Total number of people whose bodies differ from standard male or female |
one in 100 births |
|
Total number of people receiving surgery to “normalize” genital appearance |
one or two in 1,000 births |
(activist), intersex activist,
alpine skier,
British aristocrat and author of Guide to Being a Modern
Lady,
judoka and Gold medalist in the woman's half-heavyweight division
at the Pan-American games.Books
Films (Available through available from ISNA)
)Web Sites
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