Intersex

What Is ‘intersex’ Anyways

... sets of traits. The remaining two percent—accounting for about 1 to 2 in every 1,000 births depending on which researcher you ask— are “intersex,” which means they have male and female traits. You’ll be familiar with what intersex can look like thanks to the identification’s most famous example, hermaphroditism: the condition of being born with both sexual organs, ambiguous genitals, or a mix thereof. No one’s used that term since the mid- 20 th century, but there was a time when many ancient cultures—Greek, Indian, Native American, among others—celebrated the births of such people as auspicious events. Throughout the early-to-late 20 th century, doctors treated those kinds of intersex people at birth, using surgery to assign them one of the two most common sexes. A doctor might see, say, a structurally unusual penis at birth that had elements of a vagina, remove it, fashion something resembling female genitals, declare the child a “girl,” give the ...

Wastewater Treatment Upgrades Result In Major Reduction Of Intersex Fish

... Grand River was one of the highest in the world. In 2012, the Region of Waterloo upgraded the Kitchener Wastewater Treatment Plant and changed the aeration tank to reduce toxic ammonia. Within one year the proportion of intersex males dropped from 100 per cent in some areas to 29 per cent. By the end of three years, the numbers dropped below the upstream levels of less than 10 per cent. "Rainbow darters are the Grand River's canary in the coal mine," said Servos, also a member of the Water Institute at Waterloo. "They're extremely sensitive to the concentration of estrogens and other hormone disrupters in the water. Still, we didn't expect them to recover so quickly.". Endocrine disruption in water systems is a worldwide phenomenon. Estrogen in birth control pills and other chemicals that mimic natural hormones are known to impact fish health in trace amounts as low as one part per trillion, far below what conventional wastewater treatment can typically ...

Sa Schools Introduce Transgender, Intersex Policy

... consultation" with students and their families, with safety and wellbeing a "primary consideration". "Some possible alternative options may include use of disability or staff facilities," it stated. Accommodation arrangements for transgender and intersex students at school camps and on excursions have also been revised. "The ideal situation will be for a student to access sleeping quarters that correspond to the student's gender identity if they choose," the document stated. "If this is not possible or appropriate then private or separate sleeping quarters can be considered.". Sam Matthews, who was born a boy but made the transition four years ago, said the introduction of the policies was an important step. "If I had had these policies back when I was in school I would have known about what it was to be transgender," she said. "I would have had that terminology and I would have had something to know that what I was feeling was OK.". ...

Portraits Of Kenya's Intersex Community

... Portraits of Kenya's intersex community. Ryan Muiruri (left) and John Karanja (right), are both intersex men and activists in Kenya, a country with a strong Christian population. "I could find some pastors talking to me [and they'd say], 'God had a reason to create you as a girl,'" Ryan says. "But I was not comfortable. I was not a girl as they knew I was.". Hide Caption. 1 of 6. Photos: Portraits of Kenya's intersex community. Ryan Muiruri has a girlfriend who is aware of his condition. "Some friends and community are taking it negatively but she is fighting that. I can find her telling them, 'I don't care the names [you call him],'" Muiruri said. "[She says], 'what I care is that I love him and he loves me too.'". Hide Caption. 2 of 6. Photos: Portraits of Kenya's intersex community. Cecilia Njung'u's son was 13 when he began skipping school every month. She soon discovered the reason - her son had gotten his period. "When I knew that I didn't understand I just couldn't understand that day. They took me to the hospital. I fainted for two hours," Ndung'u said. Hide Caption. 3 of 6. Photos: Portraits of ...

Wpath, Intersex Genital Mutilation Igm , And Sex Variant Bodies

... accessing treatment. Indeed, intersex people found themselves forced to conceal their intersex status from gatekeepers in order to obtain “the letter” with a diagnosis of GID that was a passport to transition care services. Seeking transition care based on one’s intersex condition was not an option, because practitioners focusing on the treatment of “Disorders of Sex Development” (DSD) were and are heavily invested in the ideological belief that intersex people will invariably identify with their birth-assigned sex, the “assignment” generally involving IGM, regardless of what intersex people themselves may say in asserting their trans identification. If there is to be true honor and mutual alliance among people with variant sex characteristics, then WPATH is a fitting arena for action. In attempting to outline some themes for this action, I emphasize early and often that only the intersex community can set the agenda and then actualize it through direct dialogue with WPATH, with endosex trans people playing a vital supporting role in this process. Liberating WPATH: Some tentative ...

Nation's First Known 'intersex' Birth Certificate Issued In New York City

... she told the News Hour. Keenan may be the first to make this change in New York City, but the department plans to propose a way to make the designation available to others. This March, the bureau plans to present a proposal to the Board of Health detailing how to make the intersex designation available to newborns, Van Wye said. “We would like to make sure we’re capturing this data appropriately from the time of birth,” she said. ‘This is not just an intersex issue’. Keenan’s case reaches beyond the intersex community, Adams said. In particular, New York City’s decision “shows a change in the nation’s understanding of gender as not being constrained by the myth of the binary,” she told the News Hour by email. READ NEXT: The complications of ID for non-binary people — and how it could change soon. On a national level, the State Department is grappling with a similar issue. Dana Zzyym, who is intersex and uses the pronoun “they,” sued the federal government in October 2015 after their application for a passport was denied, seeking a third gender option for U. S.-issued passports. A federal judge ruled in Zzyym’s favor in ...

First Us Person To Have 'intersex' On Birth Certificate

... and a later appointment with an endocrinologist confirmed that she was born genetically male with female genitalia and a mixed reproductive anatomy. “It never occurred to me that I was going to uncover a 30-year lie,” she said. “It was really shocking to learn that I had been duped about my own body.”. Keenan, 55, has soared to international fame in recent weeks after she became the first person in the US to obtain a birth certificate with “intersex” on it. Activists said it’s a groundbreaking moment in the fight for intersex rights that could help pave the way for public officials, doctors and parents to better recognize and respect a marginalized group. In a recent interview with her husband at her home in the mountains of Santa Cruz, California , Keenan said she decided to go public with her story in part because she recognizes that misconceptions about intersex people can have life-altering and sometimes fatal consequences. Sara Kelly Keenan’s birth certificate. Photograph: Sam Levin for the Guardian. ...

Shame, Taboo, Ignorance

... that I am engaging in lesbianism in the community some saying that I am engaging in 'gayism' so I find I was not fitting in either way.". Muiruri moved to live and work in Naivasha, Kenya, after encountering bullying and abuse in his hometown. Traditional customs such as ritual circumcision have also made the shift to manhood more difficult for Ryan. "When you become a boy the first thing they expect you to do is go through circumcision and having understood the complexities of intersex, this can be difficult," said Muchomba. "This boy is a boy by name, but not by social expectation.". "You often find men are not taking me as one of them," Ryan said. "I feel rejected - when I see a group of men, I try to interact with them, I try to let them understand that besides what they knew I was [before], I am a real man.". Muiruri talks with his grandfather and uncles. The family "had to defend and protect Ryan from the community.". READ MORE: Intersex dating: Finding love across intersection. A biological issue. And as the world works out how to ensure intersex ...