{"id":16531,"date":"2019-10-26T13:07:05","date_gmt":"2019-10-26T11:07:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.intimina.com\/blog\/?p=16531"},"modified":"2019-11-26T16:41:48","modified_gmt":"2019-11-26T15:41:48","slug":"intersex-awareness-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.intimina.com\/blog\/intersex-awareness-day\/","title":{"rendered":"Intersex Awareness Day: What it Means & Why it\u2019s Important"},"content":{"rendered":"

Between October 26 and November 8, there are several days of recognition centered on people who are intersex. What is intersex, and why does it need not one, but several days of awareness?<\/span><\/p>\n

Well, we\u2019re glad you asked!<\/span><\/p>\n

What Does Intersex Mean?<\/span><\/h2>\n

While your high school biology class may have lead you to believe that everyone is born neatly into the category of \u2018male\u2019 or \u2018female\u2019 with XY or XX genes, that isn\u2019t strictly true. (Like a lot of what we learn in elementary and high school, complex topics are often simplified for the purpose of learning the basics that you can build a more complex understanding of later.)<\/span><\/p>\n

In terms of genetic makeup and physical representation, biological sex is actually a range of expressions, with the \u2018standard\u2019 male and female sitting at either end of the continuum. Formerly and\/or casually, these alternative sex expressions might have been called \u2018hermaphroditism,\u2019 however the term intersex is preferred now as it\u2019s more accurate.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Okay, But What Does it Actually <\/span>Mean<\/span><\/i> if Someone is Intersex?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Intersex is an umbrella term used to describe a wide range of natural variations that affect a person\u2019s genitals, hormones, chromosomes or reproductive organs, and while some of these characteristics are visible when they\u2019re born, some don\u2019t appear until puberty, and some aren\u2019t physically apparent at all.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

Sometimes, an XX intersex person will have female chromosomes and ovaries, but external genitalia that more closely resembles a penis and testes. Or the opposite might be true. Or, chromosomally, they may be XXY or XXX.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Could I Be Intersex?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Possibly! Because so few people ever have occasions to have their chromosomes checked, it\u2019s possible you could be intersex and not even know it.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s estimated that some 1.7% percent of the population has some characteristics that would make them intersex (similar to the population of redheads) but it is to be noted that this number includes conditions such as Klinefelter syndrome, Turner syndrome, and late-onset adrenal hyperplasia, which some physicians might not consider truly intersex.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It may not be likely that you are intersex, particularly if you have gone through a fairly standard puberty experience, but it\u2019s worth recognizing that being intersex isn\u2019t as rare as assumed, and it doesn\u2019t look the same for everyone.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What Sort of Issues Do Intersex People Face from Society?<\/span><\/h2>\n

One of the main reasons that Intersex Awareness Day<\/strong> exists is to help people understand what being intersex means. And part of that is showing that being intersex isn\u2019t something that needs to be \u2018fixed.\u2019 Unfortunately, due to stigma and lack of understanding, many infants are subjected to \u2018corrective\u2019 surgeries and often aren\u2019t even told that they are intersex.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Another issue is that some countries are considering legislation that creates two gender categories (as gender and sex can be confused as the same thing by many people) that are static, which erases a portion of the population.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Between October 26 and November 8, there are several days of recognition centered on people who are intersex. What is intersex, and why does it need not one, but several…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":16532,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nIntersex Awareness Day: What it Means & Why it\u2019s Important<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Not sure what \u2018intersex\u2019 really means? 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