Intersex is a general term used for a variety of conditions in which a person is born with a reproductive or sexual anatomy that doesn't seem to fit the typical definitions of female or male. For example, a person might be born appearing to be female on the outside, but having mostly male-typical anatomy on the inside.
Intersex is a group of conditions in which there is a discrepancy between the external genitals and the internal genitals (the testes and ovaries). The older term for this condition is hermaphroditism.
People who are intersex have genitals, chromosomes or reproductive organs that don't fit into a male/female sex binary. Their genitals might not match their reproductive organs, or they may have traits of both. Being intersex may be evident at birth, childhood, later in adulthood or never.
Bigender: A self-imposed gender identity term which reflects feeling like both a man and a woman.
In English, the four genders of noun are masculine, feminine, common, and neuter.
Through these conversations with real people Benestad has observed seven unique genders: Female, Male, Intersex, Trans, Non-Conforming, Personal, and Eunuch.
Gender identity typically develops in stages: Around age two: Children become conscious of the physical differences between boys and girls. Before their third birthday: Most children can easily label themselves as either a boy or a girl. By age four: Most children have a stable sense of their gender identity.
If a person's genitals look different from what doctors and nurses expect when they're born, someone might be identified as intersex from birth. Other times, someone might not know they're intersex until later in life, like when they go through puberty.
Ambiguous genitalia affect 1 in 5,000 live births. Diagnostic procedures can be time-consuming, and often the etiology cannot be established in this group of individuals with differences/disorders of sex development (DSD).
An intersex baby may: Appear female on the outside but have mostly male anatomy on the inside, or vice versa. Have genitals that seem to be in between male and female. Have some cells with female chromosomes (XX) and some with male (XY).
In rare cases, intersex babies need emergency surgery when they are born — for example, if they are unable to urinate properly. But in the vast majority of cases, the operations are done to prevent a child from suffering presumed psychological distress later in life, experts said.
It is estimated that up to 1.7 percent of the population has an intersex trait and that approximately 0.5 percent of people have clinically identifiable sexual or reproductive variations.
Some intersex people have both testes and ovaries. You may be able to get pregnant on your own, if you also have a uterus. However, if you have testes, they may be releasing more testosterone than would be optimal for conception and pregnancy.
Intersex variations are not abnormal and should not be seen as 'birth defects'; they are natural biological variations and occur in up to 1.7 per cent of all births. Most people with intersex variations are not born with atypical genitalia, however this is common for certain intersex variations.
Children who do continue to feel they are a different gender from the one assigned at birth could develop in different ways. Some may feel they do not belong to any gender and may identify as agender. Others will feel their gender is outside of male and female and may identify as non-binary.
“If your child has come out to you as non-binary, one of the best things you can do is educate yourself,” says Geisinger pediatrician Dr. Megan Moran-Sands. “Consider joining an LGBTQ support group on social media, listening to podcasts or reading books on the topic.”
If a child asks you about someone's gender, don't assume or pretend you know. Use thoughtful and gender-neutral language, such as "they" and "them" pronouns, to let your child know that until a person self identifies, you can't be sure.
Some children's self-identified gender remains stable, while others may alternate between presenting themselves as a “boy” or a “girl” at different times (sometimes even in the same day). This exploration is normal and healthy. Children become more aware of gender expectations or stereotypes as they grow older.
Some transgender people choose to become transsexual by having their gender reassigned through hormone treatments and/or surgery. Many people, including teens, have non-traditional feelings about gender roles and sexual identities, and that is normal, too.
Children dressing up as the opposite gender is very common (almost as common, in fact, as parents who are worried about this behavior.) But rest assured, it is perfectly normal. Dressing up and playing pretend is the activity of choice for children of this age.
Ethnographic examples [of 'third genders'] can come from distinct societies located in Thailand, Polynesia, Melanesia, Native America, western Africa, and elsewhere and from any point in history, from Ancient Greece to sixteenth-century England to contemporary North America.