Intersex: what it is and why it is good to talk about it
Intersex is a phenomenon that affects a higher number of people than is believed, about 30 million in the world. Despite this there is a lot of confusion and misinformation about it, when it would be good to talk about it and become more aware of it.
Intersex people are born with sexual characteristics that do not fit into the classic man / woman distinction that we are all somehow "educated" to think about. These physical variants that characterize intersexuality are not to be considered threatening to health, but - despite this - the lack of culture and information in this regard leads to heavy medical interventions that are not necessary at all (at least in most cases), if not to be able to classify intersex people into one of two male / female categories.
Let's see together what "intersexuality" is specifically, since under this term there are very different physical variations that can affect all the physical elements linked to sexuality, from the reproductive and genital organs to the somatic aspect of gender, from chromosomes to hormones, from genetic markers to gonads. We will then try to understand the relationship between intersex and sexual orientation and why it is so important to talk more about it.
What is intersexuality?
Intersex affects all those people with a biological sex that cannot be defined one hundred percent as male or female. An intersexual is born with one or more anatomical or physiological characteristics that belong to both sexes. These variable characteristics can affect the genitals (which may be somewhat atypical or have both male and female traits), chromosomes, gonads or hormones, an expected phenotype different from the genotype.
These variations are not threatening, at least in most cases, to those who present them, so much so that the most correct definition of "intersexuality should be" disorder of sexual differentiation ", without any negative connotations. Simply, an intersexual is born with characteristics. sexual interventions of the opposite sex to the biological one. Unfortunately, ignorance about the phenomenon has often led to interventions in the genital form at an early age, causing trauma and great difficulties in the search for their own sexual identity by those who have suffered them.
In fact, an intersex person, like anyone else, can be cis-gender or transgender, that is, feel comfortable with his biological gender or not, but this has nothing to do with his intersexuality.
Intersex and sexual orientation
Better clear the field of misunderstanding immediately: intersex has nothing to do with sexual orientation. An intersex person can have any sexual orientation, that is, be heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, pansexual, or anything else. Genetics, like anyone else, does not determine their orientation.
It may happen, however, that an intersexual has more difficulty in understanding what his sexual identity is due to the traumas to which he is generally subjected from an early age in order to be "defined" in the male / female category. Unfortunately, theirs is often a more difficult path from a psychological point of view.
For this reason it is essential to underline that "intersex is not a disease at all, but a particular condition of the human body that arises in a certain way and therefore does not absolutely need to be" treated ". Diversity must always be respected: if someone has variations, for example, in the genital organs that do not cause any health problems must be able to accept it without feeling the slightest obligation towards society to intervene or "cure" anything.
Intersex: the struggle for information
Unfortunately, in many parts of the world there continues to be a lot of ignorance and misinformation, and children born with intersex traits undergo surgery to "correct" their variants: it is often real genital mutilation. Forcing the normalization of these children does nothing but cause trauma to themselves, perpetuating ignorance about intersexuality, treating it as if it were something negative that must be treated and hidden.
This is the reason why the movements that fight to claim the rights of intersexuals are very active in reiterating the need to overcome the sexual and gender binary: intersexuals also have every right to be just and simply themselves.
If you are a parent of intersex children, you will understand even more how important information is for your child to grow up calm and at peace with himself. It is not easy to raise independent children in this difficult world, but you can do it! Look here:
