Who are intersex people?
Intersex people are individuals born with anatomy or physiology, which differs from cultural and/or medical ideals of male and female. The medical term “hermaphrodite” has been commonly used, but is not accepted by many intersex people. It is standard medical practice to assign a sex at birth to individuals born with intersex/atypical anatomy or physiology and to perform surgeries beginning in infancy and often continuing into adolescence, before a child is able to give informed consent. The Intersex Society of North America has labeled this practice as genital mutilation and opposes surgery on infants and children. Click here to find PFLAG’s policy on Intersex persons. Another good source of information about intersex issues is Bodies Like Ours.
