A
congenital anomaly of the reproductive and sexual system.
Intersex people are born with external genitalia, internal reproductive organs, and/or
endocrine system that are different from most other people. 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 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 else.
The
Intersex Society of North America (ISNA) is devoted to
systemic change to end shame,
secrecy, and unwanted genital surgeries performed on people born with an anatomy that someone decided is not standard for male or female. We urge physicians to use a model of care that is patient-centered, rather than concealment-centered.
