Beyond the Binary: Being Intersex

November 7, 2026:

By Kayo Odusote (he/them), 17, Staff Writer

November 6, 2026

You might have heard the word “intersex” before and associated it with the idea of being both male and female. But what if I told you that in reality, being intersex encompasses more than 30 variations of the characteristics that make up our biological sex?

That’s right! Even when it comes to something as “supposedly” simple as our sex—which many misunderstand as a binary of male or female—there is in truth a spectrum. Sex development is a complex process.

So, let’s take a look beyond this binary and explore what it means to be intersex.

The Truth About Biological Sex

Even though biological sex might sound like a “simple” definition of XX means female while XY means male, it’s really a complex mix of five things: chromosomes like XX or XY, gonads like ovaries or testes, hormones like estrogen and testosterone, internal anatomy like the uterus or epididymis and external genitalia like the vulva or penis.

However, when it comes to what sex is assigned at birth, it’s typically a decision made by a doctor who only considers external genitalia. This can lead to putting individuals who are born intersex into one of two boxes (male or female), when they might not belong in either.

What Is Intersex?

“Intersex” is an umbrella term for any difference in sex characteristics. Intersex traits are found in around 1.7 percent of people, according to research by scientist Anne Fausto-Sterling. This includes one in 2,000 babies born with external genital differences that a doctor might suggest changing with unnecessary surgery. But despite being more common than identical twins and as common as having red hair, intersex people often go untracked and unidentified.

As stated, some intersex traits can be identified at birth, if they are visible via external genitalia. Other people might discover they’re intersex later in life—during puberty (like if someone assigned female at birth does not get their period), in adulthood or never at all. These people might grow up feeling different or confused about their bodies, or they might have no signal that they are intersex.

Misunderstood

Being intersex often gets misunderstood and mishandled. Many have experienced discrimination through derogatory words like “hermaphrodite”—a term that is not used anymore. This was sometimes based on the misunderstanding that intersex means that a person can have both a fully-formed penis and vagina (which is not possible).

Even the medical term “disorders in sex development” (now sometimes replaced by “differences in sex development”) reflects the stigmatization of intersex bodies. Many people undergo unnecessary surgeries while babies, with the aim of “fixing” bodies which are not broken.

How Does It Occur?

Intersex traits don’t have one particular cause. They are just another trait, like height or eye color, not some disease to prevent or cure. Intersex bodies are natural. All bodies start in the womb with the same parts. When sex development begins, each body has its own unique path, which may align with male, female or intersex!

Being intersex is more complex than we often understand. For more information I went to interACT, Advocates for Intersex Youth, an organization dedicated to empowering intersex people and raising awareness about how they have been misunderstood and, at times, mistreated. “Potential causes of intersex traits include random genetic variations, changes in a person’s number of sex chromosomes, gonadal differences, natal exposure to unusual levels of sex hormones or different responses to sex hormones,” according to them.

It’s important to stay educated and aware, as it is how we create more understanding about and safe spaces for intersex people. Events like Intersex Awareness Day (October 26th) and Intersex Solidarity Day (November 8th) can help us remember this. Though Intersex Awareness Day started in 1996, with a Boston protest against non-consensual surgeries, it continues today to promote the medical rights and bodily autonomy of the intersex community. I hope this article has provided a little more insight!

For more information, check out this reference and here, to learn more about how to advocate when you’re intersex.

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