According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, intersex people are born with "any of several sex characteristics including chromosome patterns, gonads, or genitals that... do not fit typical binary notions of male or female bodies."
Individuals born with physical sex traits that are not typical of male or female bodies, and may have characteristics of both.
Intersex variations: Understanding the different variations of intersex and their prevalence in society, including congenital adrenal hyperplasia, androgen insensitivity syndrome, and Klinefelter syndrome.
Gender identity: Understanding the notion of gender identity and how it differs from biological sex, including the various ways in which individuals experience and express their gender.
Intersex rights: Understanding the legal and social issues facing intersex individuals, including discrimination, lack of medical support or access to informed consent regarding medical treatment, and denial of basic human rights.
Intersex history: Understanding the historical context of intersexuality and its social, cultural, and medical implications, including the history of medical interventions, such as genital surgeries and hormone treatments.
Medical interventions: Understanding the various medical treatments and interventions that intersex individuals may undergo, their outcomes, and the ethical considerations surrounding them.
Allyship: Understanding how to be an effective ally to intersex individuals, including advocacy and support efforts, and how to interact with and support intersex individuals and communities.
Intersex and sexuality: Understanding the complexities of sexuality and relationships for intersex individuals, including the ways in which medical interventions may impact sexuality and sexual function.
Intersecting identities: Understanding the intersections of intersex with other aspects of identity, such as race, ethnicity, class, and disability, and how these may impact the experiences of intersex individuals.
Language and terminology: Understanding the appropriate language and terminology to use when discussing intersexuality, and the importance of respecting an intersex individual's chosen language and identity.
Advocacy and activism: Understanding the role of advocacy and activism in promoting awareness and acceptance of intersex individuals and their inherent human rights, and how to get involved in supporting these efforts.
"The number of births with ambiguous genitals is in the range of 1:4500–1:2000 (0.02%–0.05%)."
Yes, there are other conditions that involve atypical chromosomes, gonads, or hormones, but not all clinicians recognize them as intersex. The prevalence of "nondimorphic sexual development" might be as high as 1.7%, according to Anne Fausto-Sterling and co-authors.
"Some persons may be assigned and raised as a girl or boy but then identify with another gender later in life, while most continue to identify with their assigned sex."
"In the 19th and 20th centuries, some medical experts devised new nomenclature in an attempt to classify the characteristics that they had observed." Terms such as "hermaphrodites" or "congenital eunuchs" were previously used but are considered misleading and stigmatizing now.
In clinical settings, the term "disorders of sex development" (DSD) has been used since 2006.
"Intersex people face stigmatization and discrimination from birth, or following the discovery of intersex traits at stages of development such as puberty."
"Some intersex infants and children, such as those with ambiguous outer genitalia, are surgically or hormonally altered to create more socially acceptable sex characteristics."
This is considered controversial, with "no firm evidence of favorable outcomes."
"Such treatments may involve sterilization." Additionally, elite female athletes have been subjects of such treatment.
Increasingly, these issues are considered human rights abuses, as stated by international and national human rights and ethics institutions.
"In April 2015, Malta became the first country to outlaw non-consensual medical interventions to modify sex anatomy, including that of intersex people." These quotes should help provide answers to the study questions.