If you’ve never heard the word intersex before, you’re not alone. About 1.7% of people are born intersex—roughly the same as the number of people born with red hair. Yet most people never learn what it means. Some people with sex diverse traits don’t even discover this part of themselves until adulthood, if ever.
But intersex isn’t new, rare, or strange. It’s a natural variation in human biology—one of the many ways human bodies exist. Understanding it helps us see that diversity is normal, and every body deserves respect.
What It Means to Be Intersex
Being intersex means someone is born with sex characteristics—such as chromosomes, hormones, or anatomy—that don’t fit typical ideas of “male” or “female.”
For example, a person might have chromosomal patterns like XXY, hormone levels outside binary ranges, or reproductive anatomy that doesn’t fit expectations. Some intersex traits are visible at birth. Others appear later in life, during puberty or fertility testing.
There’s no single “look” or “type” of intersex body. Each intersex person is unique.
Most importantly, this variation is not a disorder or emergency. It’s simply another way that bodies develop. For too long, intersex people have been treated as if something needed to be “fixed.” That misunderstanding caused a great deal of harm.
Organizations like the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and GLAAD confirm that intersex traits are a normal part of human diversity—just like height, hair color, or eye shape.
How Medicine Got It Wrong
For decades, intersex infants and children were given non-consensual surgeries to make their bodies appear more “typical.” Doctors believed these surgeries would help children fit in.
However, most of these operations were not medically necessary. They were based on social comfort, not health. As a result, many people in this community grew up with chronic pain, sterilization, loss of sensation, and trauma.
Human rights groups, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, have condemned these procedures. The World Health Organization (WHO) also calls for an end to non-consensual surgeries.
Even the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently recognized the “well-documented harms” of these medical practices. Because of this, more hospitals are starting to prioritize informed consent.
Bodily autonomy means having the right to make choices about your own body. For those born with sex differences, that right, that right has often been denied. Advocates are now fighting to protect every person’s right to choose what happens to their body—and when.
How Gender and Biology Defy the Binary
People often confuse intersex (physical traits someone is born with) and transgender (a person’s gender identity) but they mean different things. Some intersex people are transgender, some are cisgender, and others are nonbinary. Being intersex doesn’t determine gender identity. Likewise, gender identity doesn’t determine anatomy.
Intersex people show us every day that sex isn’t binary—it’s beautifully diverse. Science now echoes what lived experience has always shown: human bodies exist across a spectrum. That understanding helps us replace shame with celebration.
Intersex Solidarity Day 🕯️
Every year on November 8, people around the world observe Intersex Solidarity Day. This date marks the birthday of Herculine Barbin, a 19th-century French intersex person whose story revealed how harmful rigid gender rules can be.
The day honors intersex lives and brings attention to ongoing discrimination. It reminds us that this community of people have always existed, even if society has tried to erase them. Intersex Solidarity Day also highlights how often intersex people are left out of LGBTQIA+ spaces. The “I” in LGBTQIA+ stands for intersex—and it belongs there. Inclusion and visibility save lives.
If You’re Intersex—or Think You Might Be
Learning that you might be intersex can bring up many emotions—curiosity, confusion, or even relief. All of those feelings are valid. Take your time.
You don’t need a medical label to understand who you are. Your body is not wrong. You are not broken. You are part of a long, powerful history of people whose bodies show that there is no one right way to be human.
Finding community helps. You can listen to intersex advocates, join peer-led groups, or talk with a queer-affirming therapist. Connection brings healing, understanding, and strength.
Here’s how you can show support
Here are ways to learn and advocate with respect:
1. Learn from Intersex Voices
Read books by community authors like Hida Viloria (Born Both) and Pidgeon Pagonis (Nobody Needs to Know). Follow interACT: Advocates for Intersex Youth and the Intersex Justice Project.
2. Challenge Myths about Sex and Gender
If someone says “biological sex is binary,” share that science shows it’s more complex. Nature doesn’t always fit into neat boxes.
3. Advocate for Autonomy
Support laws that ban unnecessary infant surgeries and promote informed consent. For example, California’s proposed legislation sought to delay these surgeries until a child could consent.
4. Center Intersex Voices
Donate to community-led groups. Include sex-diverse people in LGBTQIA+ events and media. Most importantly, listen. Intersex people are the experts on their own lives.
Resources and Support
Organizations
- interACT: Advocates for Intersex Youth
- Intersex Justice Project
- AIS-DSD Support Group
- Organisation Intersex International (OII)
Crisis Support
- Trans Lifeline: 877-565-8860
- The Trevor Project: 866-488-7386
Why This Matters
Celebrating and protecting people with sex diverse bodies isn’t just about awareness—it’s about justice and belonging. Everyone deserves to feel safe in their body, to make their own choices, and to be treated with dignity.
When we honor intersex people, we expand what’s possible for everyone.
💛💜 Your body is valid. Your existence matters. You belong.
Author: Molly Hicks
Molly Hicks is the Marketing Directory for QueerPsych.