Intersex

• Sexual Development Parenting & Education
• WO
• Studiejaar 3

Jackson, Annelieke and Meike

https://www.them.us/story/inqueery-intersex

Program

• Terms, definitions, interpretations
• History
• Parenting
• Intersectionality
• Education
• Break
• In class assignement
  

What comes to mind when you think of the concept Intersex?

Definition

“umbrella term used to describe a wide range of innate bodily variations in sex characteristics. Intersex people are born with sex characteristics that do not fit typical definitions for male or female bodies, including sexual anatomy, reproductive organs, hormonal patterns, and/or chromosome patterns.”

According to the UN Office for the Commissioner of Human Rights 'intersex' is an:

Monro, S., et al. (2021). Intersex: Cultural and social perspectives. Culture, Health & Sexuality, 23(4), 431–440.

Terms, definitions, interpretations

• Medical professionals:

- disorders of sex development (DSD)
- differences of sex development (dsd)

• Legal experts:
  - variations of sex characteristics (VSC)
• Other scholars and activists:
  - intersex

Monro, S., et al. (2021). Intersex: Cultural and social perspectives. Culture, Health & Sexuality, 23(4), 431–440.

Why Intersex?

• Escapes pathologization (unlike DSD and dsd)
• Less ambiguous in terms of being innate/acquired (than VSC)

Monro, S., et al. (2021). Intersex: Cultural and social perspectives. Culture, Health & Sexuality, 23(4), 431–440.

Intersex and Gender Identity

• 'Endosex'
• Sex assigned at birth
• Medical interventions
• Cisgender
• Transgender

Price, M.N., Green, A.E, DeChants, J.P, & Davis, C.K. (2021).The mental health and well-being of LGBTQ youth who are intersex. New York, New York: The Trevor Project.

Intersex and Gender Identity: Research

• Ages 13-24
• LGBTQIA+ residents of the US
• n (total) = 34.759
• n (intersex) = 1.132 = 3%
• 47% vs. 58% 

Price, M.N., Green, A.E, DeChants, J.P, & Davis, C.K. (2021).The mental health and well-being of LGBTQ youth who are intersex. New York, New York: The Trevor Project.

Intersex across cultures and history

 Fausto-Sterling, A. (2000). Sexing the body: Gender politics and the construction of sexuality. Basic Books.
Roscoe, W. (1998). Changing ones: Third and fourth genders in Native North America. Palgrave Macmillan

Hermaphroditus

Guevedoces

Indigenous Cultures: Navajo (Diné) Nadleehi

www.google.com

in medical western world

1700s–1800s: Early References

• The term "intersex" appears in the late 1700s, originally referring to relationships "between the sexes."

• In the 1800s, the term hermaphrodite” was used in medical literature to describe people born with ambiguous genitalia. This term is now considered offensive.

What does it means to be intersex

Intersex Advocacy: A Brief Timeline

1. How does the binary sex/gender system influence medical decisions and the lived experiences of intersex people?

Socialisation of intersex children

• Negative experiences
  - silence
  - pressure
  - loss of autonomy
• Positive experiences
  - Open communication
  - Child's choice first
  
  

Horowitz, K., Zayhowski, K., Palmour, N., Haghighat, D., & Joly, Y. (2024). Navigating the disclosure landscape: Parents’ perspectives on healthcare professionals’ role in supporting intersex children and families. Journal of Genetic Counseling. https://doi.org/10.1002/jgc4.1962
Czerwiec, K. (2022). Intersex child’s parents’ negative experiences – case study. Kultura - Społeczeństwo - Edukacja, 21(1), 161–173. https://doi.org/10.14746/kse.2022.21.10

Recommendations based on the needs of intersex people

• Open conversation
• Get informed and connect
• Put your child's choice and feelings first
• Fight against oppressive systems
  

Astle, S., Pariera, K., Anders, K. M., Brown-King, B., & Adams, M. (2024). “Support the Shit Out of Them:” Intersex Emerging Adults’ Recommendations for Caregivers of an Intersex Child. Sexuality & Culture, 28(5), 2143–2174. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12119-024-10223-1

Challenges for parents with intersex children

• Not enough knowledge and support provided by medical experts
• Pressured by doctors to make medical decisions for their children
• Influence of societal gender norms
• Importance of normalization and support
  

Astle, S., Pariera, K., Anders, K. M., Brown-King, B., & Adams, M. (2024). Growing Up Intersex: A Thematic Analysis of Intersex Emerging Adults’ Key Socialization Experiences in Childhood and Adolescence. Sex Roles, 90(8), 994–1017. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-024-01489-8

02:05

How does the binary sex/gender system influence medical decisions and the lived experiences of intersex people?

Intersex and Intersectionality

• Gender identity
• Sexual orientation
• Ethnicity/race 
• 49% youth of colour

Price, M.N., Green, A.E, DeChants, J.P, & Davis, C.K. (2021).The mental health and well-being of LGBTQ youth who are intersex. New York, New York: The Trevor Project.

Risk factors

• Discrimination based on gender identity/sexual orientation
  - transgender/nonbinary intersex youth: 73%
  - cisgender intersex youth: 50%
• Dating violence
  - intersex youth of colour: 24%
  -  White intersex youth: 13%
  - transgender/nonbinary intersex youth: 21%
  - cisgender intersex youth: 13%

Price, M.N., Green, A.E, DeChants, J.P, & Davis, C.K. (2021).The mental health and well-being of LGBTQ youth who are intersex. New York, New York: The Trevor Project.

Protective factors

• Accepting parent in terms of gender identity and/or sexual orientation
  - no significant differences by race/ethnicity, sexual orientation or gender identity

Price, M.N., Green, A.E, DeChants, J.P, & Davis, C.K. (2021).The mental health and well-being of LGBTQ youth who are intersex. New York, New York: The Trevor Project.

Limitations

• Other intersecting identities are left out
• (Lack of) access to healthcare isn't discussed (gender-affirming care)

Price, M.N., Green, A.E, DeChants, J.P, & Davis, C.K. (2021).The mental health and well-being of LGBTQ youth who are intersex. New York, New York: The Trevor Project.

Education and awareness

Lisahunter, N., Zavros-Orr, A., Brömdal, A., Hand, K., & Hart, B. (2023). Intersex awareness and education: what part can health and physical education bodies of learning and teaching play? Sport Education and Society, 28(9), 1047–1067. https://doi.org/10.1080/13573322.2022.2115477

• Reducing stigma and supporting intersex students
  
• Integrating intersex awareness in health and physical education lessons
  - respectful language
  - foster empathy and inclusion
  
• Whole-school approach
  - open conversations
  
  

Key Considerations for Eduactors

InterACT Youth. (n.d.). What we wish our teachers knew. Retrieved from https://interactadvocates.org

• Intersex traits aren’t always visible
  - Feel safe to share
  
• Create a safe and supportive space
  - suceed in school
  

Supporting Intersex Students in the Classroom

InterACT Youth. (n.d.). What we wish our teachers knew. Retrieved from https://interactadvocates.org
Human Rights Campaign. (n.d.). Understanding the Intersex community. Retrieved from https://www.hrc.org/resources/understanding-the-intersex-community

1. Be mindfull of language
   
   
2. Teach about diversity
   
   
3. Avoid assumptions
   
   
4. Create inclusive spaces
   
   
5. Don't tokenize intersex student

Useful Resources

• Intersex Asia

• Amnesty International - 5 Myths about Intersex People

• OII Europe - About Us

• Talking About Intersex on Social Media - Hashtag and Language Guide

• Diversity in identity around the world

• Gender is not modern stuff. Just look at these fascinating histories
• What does it mean to be intersex
  

In class assignement

Instructions

1. We provide you a list of myths and facts that have been mixed together.
2. Your task is to make matching sets of myths and facts that belong together!
3. Work in groups of two or three people, but make sure you fill in your own sheet!
   

Answer sheet

Myths	Facts
1	4
2	10
5	7
6	9
8	3

• Fact: intersex people could live their entire life without ever realizing they are intersex (3)
• Fact: the prevalence of being intersex that is most often given, is comparable to the prevalence of having red hair
• Fact: you can be cisgender and intersex at the same time (10)
• Fact: the prevalence of being intersex cannot be accurately determined, but is likely higher than currently estimated (4)
• Fact: intersex variations aren’t new and the number of intersex people isn’t increasing (9)
  

• Myth: intersex people are always visibly different from birth (8)
• Myth: being intersex is rarer than having red hair (5)
• Myth: you can’t be cisgender and intersex at the same time (2)
• Myth: the prevalence of being intersex cannot be accurately determined, but it is just as likely to be lower as it is to be higher than currently estimated (1)
• Myth: being intersex is a recent phenomenon and the number of intersex people is increasing (6)
  
  
  
  

Discussion

Which one of these myths do you think has the biggest impact on intersex people, and why?

1. Intersex people are always visibly different from birth.
2. Being intersex is rarer than having red hair.
3. You can’t be cisgender and intersex at the same time.
4. The prevalence of being intersex cannot be accurately determined, but it is just as likely to be lower as it is to be higher than currently estimated.
5. Being intersex is a recent phenomenon and the number of intersex people is increasing.

Which one of these myths do you think has the biggest impact on intersex people, and why?
1. Intersex people are always visibly different from birth.
2. Being intersex is rarer than having red hair.
3. You can’t be cisgender and intersex at the same time.
4. The prevalence of being intersex cannot be accurately determined, but it is just as likely to be lower as it is to be higher than currently estimated.
5. Being intersex is a recent phenomenon and the number of intersex people is increasing.

Discussion