Intersex Awareness Week: What It Means, Why It Matters, and How We All Help

Dates to know (2025): Intersex Awareness Day is October 26, and many communities observe Intersex Awareness Week from October 26 through Intersex Day of Remembrance/Solidarity on November 8. It’s a time to amplify intersex voices, celebrate progress, and confront the harms that stigma and secrecy still cause.

What does “intersex” mean?

Intersex is an umbrella term for people born with innate variations in sex characteristics—for example, differences in chromosomes, hormones, internal anatomy, or external genitalia—that don’t fit typical medical definitions of “male” or “female.” Being intersex is a natural human variation. It is not a sexual orientation and not the same thing as gender identity. Intersex people, like anyone else, may identify as women, men, nonbinary, both, or neither.

Language note: The word hermaphrodite is outdated and stigmatizing; avoid it. Use “intersex person” or “person with an intersex variation.”

How common is intersex?

You’ll see different estimates because “intersex” can be defined narrowly or broadly. A widely cited upper-bound estimate suggests up to ~1.7% of people have an intersex trait, though some researchers argue for smaller figures using narrower medical definitions. A responsible way to communicate this is a range: roughly 0.3% to 1.7%, with the exact number depending on which traits you count and when they’re identified (at birth, puberty, or later).

A brief history—and why this week exists

Intersex Awareness Day commemorates October 26, 1996, when intersex activists gathered outside the American Academy of Pediatrics conference in Boston to challenge non-consensual “normalizing” surgeries on children. The period between Oct 26 and Nov 8 (Intersex Day of Remembrance/Solidarity) became a global window for education and action.

The struggles intersex people face today

Non-consensual, medically unnecessary surgeries on children. For decades, many intersex infants and children have undergone surgeries to make their bodies appear more typically male or female—procedures that can cause irreversible physical and psychological harm and are often not medically urgent. Leading human-rights organizations have called for an end to these practices unless necessary to protect immediate health.
Progress note: In 2020, a major U.S. children’s hospital (Lurie Children’s in Chicago) publicly apologized and said it would stop cosmetic “normalizing” surgeries on intersex children—an important signal within U.S. medicine.
Discrimination and stigma. Recent surveys show high rates of discrimination against intersex people—in healthcare, documentation, employment, and public life—with intersex respondents reporting markedly worse experiences than many other LGBTQI+ groups.
Secrecy and shame in care. Historical medical practices often discouraged disclosure, leaving people without accurate information about their bodies or choices. New rights-based guidance emphasizes informed consent, transparent communication, and psychosocial support instead of defaulting to surgeries.

Progress in awareness, law, and policy

Landmark human-rights action. In April 2024, the U.N. Human Rights Council adopted its first-ever resolution specifically protecting the rights of intersex people—urging states to end discrimination and harmful practices and tasking the U.N. human-rights office with a global report.
Bans and limits on non-consensual surgeries.
• Malta (2015) passed the world’s first law protecting intersex children from non-consensual interventions.
• Germany (2021) adopted a national law restricting surgeries on minors with variations of sex development (VSD) without their consent, except in defined medical circumstances.
• Greece (2022) prohibited medical interventions to change intersex minors’ sex characteristics under 15 without their informed consent.
Identity documentation and dignity. Some countries are making it simpler for trans, intersex, and nonbinary people to update legal name/sex details—Germany’s 2024 self-determination law is one example—reducing bureaucratic harm that also affects intersex people.

Myths & facts

Myth: “Intersex means a ‘third gender.’”
Fact: Intersex is about sex characteristics, not orientation or gender identity. Intersex people have diverse identities.
Myth: “Surgery is necessary so kids can live ‘normal’ lives.”
Fact: Evidence does not show that early cosmetic surgeries improve psychosocial outcomes; they can cause loss of sensitivity, scarring, and trauma. Deferring non-urgent procedures respects bodily autonomy and future choice.
Myth: “It’s extremely rare.”
Fact: Depending on definitions, intersex traits are not vanishingly rare; the upper-bound estimate is comparable to having red hair. Precision matters, so using a range (0.3–1.7%) is most honest.

Two stories to hold onto (true-to-life composites)

Content note: mentions surgical interventions.

Story 1: “Ava, 27 — I didn’t get to choose”

Ava was born with a variation in sex characteristics that doctors labeled a “disorder.” Within months, surgeons reshaped her genitals to look more typically female. No urgent health risk—just the belief that conformity would spare her pain later. Growing up, Ava felt something was “secret” about her body. Puberty brought nerve pain and reduced sensation; intimacy as an adult felt confusing and sometimes physically uncomfortable. It wasn’t until she requested her medical records at 22 that she learned the truth. She describes grief and anger—but also relief: “I wasn’t broken. Adults made a decision about my body that I should’ve made.” She’s now part of a peer group and advocates for policies that defer non-urgent surgeries until a person can consent.

Reflection prompt:

What does “first, do no harm” look like when the harm we’re trying to prevent is social stigma, not a medical emergency?
If you’re a parent, clinician, teacher, or policymaker, what would it mean to center Ava’s future consent in your decisions today?

Story 2: “Jonah, 16 — Puberty gave me the answers”

Jonah’s childhood checkups were routine. At 14, puberty didn’t progress as expected, and bloodwork showed an intersex variation. The first specialist visit was rocky: rushed explanations and a push toward hormonal “normalization.” Jonah’s mom asked for time. A school counselor connected them with intersex-led resources. With a second, rights-based care team, Jonah learned his options and decided on watchful waiting, regular monitoring, and a peer group for teens. He updated his biology teacher on class language—switching from absolutes (“girls have XX”) to “typically.” Jonah says, “My body isn’t a mistake. It’s mine. Having choices changed everything.”

Reflection prompt:

Where in your classroom, clinic, or workplace could a simple language shift (“typically” instead of absolutes) make life better for someone like Jonah?
What peer or parent resources would you keep on hand to avoid rushing families into decisions?

Try this week (quick actions)

Share one intersex-led resource on your social channels or bulletin board.
Review a form you control (intake, HR, school) and remove unnecessary sex/sex-characteristics fields; add an “X/another option” or a write-in where needed.
If you work in healthcare, start a conversation about deferring non-urgent surgeries until meaningful consent is possible—and ask how your policy reflects that.
In learning spaces, add one sentence to your next lesson: “Biology is diverse, and some people are intersex.”
Donate to an intersex-led organization or attend a webinar to learn more.

Why this matters beyond the week

Intersex Awareness Week isn’t just about visibility. It’s about ending harmful practices, protecting kids’ futures, and building systems that meet people where they are—with dignity, truthful information, and real choices. The last few years brought historic steps (from hospital apologies to national laws to a first-ever U.N. resolution)—but daily experiences still show discrimination and unequal care. Keeping this conversation going helps transform policies and culture.