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Boy or girl? Intersex awareness is on the rise
At least 1 in 5,000 U.S. babies are born each year with intersex conditions _ ambiguous genitals because of genetic glitches or hormone problems. Secrecy and surgery are common. But some doctors and activists are trying to change things. (April 17)
AP
Model Hanne Gaby Odiele is one of the first high-profile people to disclose that she is intersex.
The 29-year-old supermodel from Kortrijk, Belgium, said she is speaking out because she wants to "break the taboo" surrounding intersex people.
But what does it mean to be intersex? Here's a quick explainer:
Intersex individuals are born with sex characteristics such as genitals or chromosomes that do not fit the typical definitions of male or female.
"A girl may be born with a noticeably large clitoris, or lacking a vaginal opening, or a boy may be born with a notably small penis, or with a scrotum that is divided so that it has formed more like labia. Or a person may be born with mosaic genetics, so that some of her cells have XX chromosomes and some of them have XY," according to the Intersex Society of North America.
While intersex can be discovered at birth, some people may not realize they are intersex until later in life when they reach puberty or find they are infertile, according to the Intersex Society of North America.
How common is intersex?
Up to 1.7% of the population is born with intersex traits, according to the United Nations — a figure roughly equivalent to the number of redheads.
What happens to children that are born intersex?
People born intersex may go through surgical procedures to make their genitals appear more male or female.
Odiele was born with an intersex trait known as Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome (AIS) in which a woman has XY chromosomes more typically found in men. She also had internal, undescended testes, and her parents were told that if she did not have her testicles removed, “I might develop cancer and I would not develop as a normal, female girl,” she says.
At 10, she had surgery to remove her testes, an experience she could barely process at the time. “I knew at one point after the surgery I could not have kids, I was not having my period. I knew something was wrong with me.”
Are intersex people identified as male or female on their birth certificates?
In December, 55-year-old Sara Kelly Keenan received what is believed to be the first intersex birth certificate in the U.S., NBC reported. Keenan was born in New York City with male genes, a mix of male and female reproductive organs and female genitalia, according to the news outlet.
She was classified as a male for three weeks and then issued a female birth certificate and was unaware she was intersex until adulthood.
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