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."
Refers to people who are born with physical sex characteristics that are not exclusively male or female.
Intersex: Definition, history, and prevalence: This topic provides a basic introduction to intersex, its definition, history, and prevalence.
Intersex variations and their biological underpinnings: This topic provides a detailed discussion of the various intersex variations, their causes, and biological underpinnings.
Intersex and the medicalization of sex: This topic discusses how intersex has been medicalized and the ethical implications of such medicalization.
Intersex and gender identity: This topic explores how intersex individuals experience and articulate their gender identity.
Intersex and the LGBTQ+ community: This topic discusses how intersex fits within the broader LGBTQ+ community and intersectionality.
Intersex and discrimination: This topic explores the discrimination and human rights violations that intersex people face.
Intersex and healthcare: This topic discusses the healthcare needs of intersex individuals and the challenges they face in accessing appropriate care.
Intersex and legal recognition: This topic examines the legal recognition of intersex people and the challenges they face in obtaining legal recognition.
Intersex and social stigma: This topic explores the social stigma and prejudice that intersex people face and its impact on their lives.
Intersex and activism: This topic discusses the activism and advocacy efforts of intersex individuals and their allies.
"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.