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Today we wanted to talk a little bit about a letter within the extended LGBTQ+ acronym that we haven't yet discussed, and that's the I. I is for intersex, and a number of intersex individuals identify with the LGBTQ+ movement as it stands for acceptance, understanding, diversity, and equality. They may also be LGBTQ+ themselves too. ♥︎
Other people do not identify as LGBTQ+, simply because they may identify as cisgender and heterosexual, and that's okay too. It is also fully recognized that the issues intersex individuals face cannot always be put under the same umbrella as LGBTQ+. However, our community pillars here on the FreetheLGBT profile are inclusion and support.
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Intersex Pride Flag
So, with that said, it's time to buckle up for a little bit of extracurricular science to help us learn about the diversity in the human genetic sexes, so we hope you've got your clever hats on today. You might just impress somebody with your knowledge by the end of this chapter!
Generally when we say someone has two X chromosomes, we're taught they are biologically female, while someone with one X and one Y chromosome is biologically male.
But biology isn't quite that simple, and similarly to the various LGBTQ+ spectrums, the human sexes also exist on a wonderfully diverse continuum. Here we've written a list with a few examples.
*A genetic male can have androgen insensitivity syndrome (AIS) which causes cells to be partially or completely unable to respond to androgenic ("male") hormones. This causes the individual to have less defined masculine features.
*A genetic female can have congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) which causes genitals to appear slightly more in line with their genetic male counterparts.
*A genetic male can have 5-alpha-reductase deficiency (5ARD) where an individual can have a female-appearing body before puberty due to lack of the enzyme that activates testosterone. However, when puberty hits, other hormones come into play that activates it.
*In the small remote village of Las Salinas in the Dominican Republic, 1 in 90 males were affected carriers of 5ARD. The locals there celebrate when somebody who was previously believed to be female 'transforms' into a male.
*There are multiple genetic instances where a person has more X or Y chromosomes. People with these extra combinations either have no or barely any issues, whilst some combinations can be more life-affecting.
*Klinefelter syndrome is the most common variant, where a genetic male has one or more extra X chromosomes. 1 in 500-1000 men have this syndrome.
*Triple X syndrome is not uncommon in females, with 1 in 1000 having three X chromosomes.
*When a person has only one X chromosome or the second one is affected, they have Turner syndrome. This condition occurs in 1 out of 4500-5000 people.
*It is possible for people to have two different types of cells, which is called mosaicism. When there is only one type of cell with a Y chromosome, this can lead to various outcomes in regards to genital development.
*Depending on how the different types of cells are distributed throughout the body, a person with, for example, X0/XY, can have complete male or female genitals, or they can be partially masculinized or ambiguous.
As you can see, the diversity presented in intersexuality is both vast and worth taking the time to understand. So, whether you are just passing through or sat there taking mental notes, you can at least say one thing:
