intersex
What is behind the third gender?
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For a long time there was only one opinion when it came to gender: male or female. But what does it actually mean to be intersex?
Intersex: what is intersex?
- There is a lot of talk about the third gender in Germany. Advertisements for positions be with male (m), female (f) and diverse (d) given for the sexes. But what is behind it?
- In the first place they are intersex people. These are characterized as living from birth with innate genitalia/gender characteristics that a do not allow clear allocation into male and female.
- These people often refer to themselves as Hermaphrodite, hermaphrodite or intersex. Some intersex people only realize during puberty or the final stages of sexual development that you body and their sexual organs does not correspond to sexthat they actually live or feel. So there can still be physical transformations after birth that turn a supposedly “normal” child into an intersexual person.
- In practice, intersexuality can express itself in such a way that, for example both ovaries and testicles are present (rather rare). The genitals are mostly in one mixed form pronounced between male and female.
Transgender: differentiation from transgender and transsexuality
- transgender: People who do not feel good about the gender assigned to them or who reject a clear classification. Some intersex people fall into this category.
- Transsexual: Transsexual people are clearly described as male or female from birth, but feel they belong to the opposite gender.
Intersex: Terms and Syndromes
For the determination of intersexuality need Hormones and genes using blood tests be checked. It is mostly genetic defects that prevent a clear division of the chromosomes into XX (woman) or XY (man). Since these are not routinely detected after birth if the appearance is normal, it often happens that intersexuality is only detected much later in some people.
Overall there is very many forms and syndromes of intersexuality, so we will briefly present two well-known characteristics.
- AGS: The Adrenogenital Syndrome is the most common. The babies have female chromosomes, but at the same time there is an increased production of androgens such as testosterone. If left untreated, masculinization of external sexual characteristics will occur over time.
- AIS: The Androgen Resistance Syndrome is characterized by the fact that those affected are born with male chromosomes, but the body does not accept the released androgens, at least in part. As a result, the genitals can appear feminine, and since the testicles are inside, the “girls” are often not caught off guard until puberty, when menstruation stops.
Intersex people do not want to be seen as sick with terms such as “syndrome” or “defect” because they do not always have to be treated. Rather, one can speak of a natural characteristic. Inter means between two or more characteristics and simply enables new information – not diseases.
Intersex: Frequency of being intersex
Intersexuality is not a medical diagnosis, as there are many different manifestations and causes. It is therefore also hard to measure roughly how many intersex people there are. According to estimates by the Saxony-Anhalt malformation monitoring system out of 1,000 children about half to one person affected. The Federal Constitutional Court, on the other hand, leads a Ratio of 500:1 at.
Intersex: contact and gender registration
- Dealing with an intersex child is a challenge, especially for parents. For a long time, physicians have recommended that parents diagnose early in childhood operations and interventions and thus also to decide on a clear definition of a gender. Of course, this also had to do with the fact that, by law, a gender entry was made in the first week after the birth Classification as male or female was requested.
- Since 2019, the so-called Third gender accepted under civil status law and intersex people can register under the label “various” register. As a result, the pressure is no longer so high to carry out the much-criticized operations prematurely. That’s how they can Children later decide for themselveswhether they feel they belong to one gender or want to live their role as an intersex person in society and in everyday life.
Sexual orientation also takes many forms. Have you ever wondered: what is pansexual? Or what is sapiosexuality? Last but not least, we will also tell you the difference to demisexual.
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