Intersex

Intersex is where a person is born with a reproductive or sexual anatomy that doesn't seem to fit with the known definitions of female or male. For example, a person might be born appearing to be female on the outside, but having mostly male-typical anatomy on the inside. A person may be born with genitals that seem to be in-between the usual male and female types-for example, a Female may be born with a large clitoris or lacking a vaginal opening or a Male may be born with a small penis or with a scrotum that is divided looking more like labia. Some persons may be born with mosaic genetics, so that some of the cells of the body have XX chromosomes and some of them have XY.

Though intersex is considered an inborn condition, intersex anatomy is not always apparent at birth. Sometimes a person isn't discovered to have intersex anatomy until he or she reaches the age of puberty, or finds out themselves as an infertile adult or dies of old age and is then autopsied. Some people live and die with intersex anatomy without anyone (including themselves) ever knowing. Thus there is a spectrum of variation in intersex as well. Most intersex persons still identify as male or female.