Intersexed

What is Intersexed?

Intersexuals are people born physically between the male and female genders with anatomy that is either ambiguous or comprised of varying degrees of both male and female anatomy. Intersexuality occurs in many forms. Some intersex people are born with chromosome arrangements other than XX or XY, including Klinefelter's Syndrome (XXY arrangement) and Turner's Syndrome (XO arrangement). Other forms of intersexuality include partial or full androgen insensitivity syndrome (AIS), adrenal hyperplasia, and Progestin-induced androgenization. Some intersex people have ovotestis or one testis and one ovary. Intersex conditions sometimes do not become apparent until puberty, leading to a person having "normal"-appearing though grossly underdeveloped genitalia. All counted, as many as one in 100 people have bodies differing from standard male or female.

Social Conditions

Surprisingly, few people know anything about intersexuals. Most of our culture is geared to uphold a gender dichotomy in which people are either male or female. Few schools teach children about intersexuals, and most biology classes reinforce the partial-truth of XX female / XY male chromosomes without mentioning other possible variations. Society teaches that men are supposed to be manly and women are supposed to be feminine, and those who deviate are fair game for ridicule. In such an environment intersexed and transgendered people are forced to keep silent about their condition for fear of being ostracized or abused. Secondary sex characteristics developed at puberty, including voice, hips, musculature, facial structure, etc., often cause intersex people serious social adjustment problems, especially when others assume them to be homosexual or transsexual. Yet, most intersex people instinctually know their appropriate gender, whether male, female, or other, and are not homosexual.

Medical Mistreatment

Many doctors know very little about intersexuality and medical practitioners frequently mistreat people with intersex conditions. When an intersex child is born, most doctors treat the infant as a crisis and perform surgery without informed consent to make the child appear either male or female. Some doctors argue that it would be cruel to allow a child to grow up without a "normal" male or female body. In fact, however, case studies have shown that intersexuals not surgically altered at birth lead healthy lives and enjoy being "bi-gendered". Those who are surgically altered are not told of their intersex condition, and frequently grow up feeling that "something isn't quite right" and have difficulty adapting to their assigned gender. As a result, many people are now calling for a ban on what has been termed "intersex genital mutilation."

Terms

Many intersexed people dislike the term hermaphrodite because the term raises uninformed images and misconceptions of intersex people. Terms such as "true hermaphrodite", "psudo-hermaphrodite", "merm" and "ferm" refer to specific types of intersexuality, but these terms are not frequently used by intersexuals themselves. One misconception is that intersexuals can impregnate themselves to both sire and bear a child; no such incidents have been documented and most intersexuals do not have the anatomy to make such a thing possible.

If your child is intersexed...

Love your child. Let your children express themselves. Do not force them into gender roles, but let them explore and find out who they are, and be supportive. If they want to be male or female that is OK, if they want to just be intersexed that is OK too. Every person has a destiny, including intersexed people; encourage self expression and allow them to follow their own destiny. Do not be easily persuaded by doctors to allow surgeries or medication without full knowledge and understanding. Most doctors know very little about intersexism; seek a specialist and get opinions from multiple doctors, your own research, and your child, before making any major medical or therapeutic decisions. As a general rule, do not allow any operation unless the situation is truly life-threatening. Do your own medical research and remember that the opinions of your child are most important.