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The Gender Unicorn: Physical Sex


We've reached the halfway point in the Gender Unicorn series!

 We've gone over Gender Identity, which is a mental state, and Gender Expression, which is choice in self-presentation. Today's topic is Sex Assigned at Birth, which is a physical state.

 There are three categories for this physical state: female, male, and intersex/other. Let's start with the definition of the most commonly known sexes.

 Female:
a person bearing two X chromosomes in the cell nuclei and normally having a vagina, a uterus and ovaries, and developing at puberty a relatively rounded body and enlarged breasts, and retaining a beard-less face; a girl or woman.

 Male:
a person bearing an X and Y chromosome pair in the cell nuclei and normally having a penis, scrotum, and testicles, and developing hair on the face at adolescence; a boy or man.

 The cross-outs are mine and are there because while I acknowledge those are currently common synonyms for male and female, they're more gendered terms than anything.

 Now onto our third category: intersex.

 According to the Intersex Society of North America, "'Intersex' is a general term used for a variety of conditions in which a person is born with a reproductive or sexual anatomy that doesn’t seem to fit the typical definitions of female or male." The following are shortened versions of the examples listed alongside this definition.

  • A female-looking person with mostly male inner anatomy
  • A person whose genitals are "in between" typical male/female types
  • A person with "mosaic" chromosomes: some being XX and some being XY
A person can go their whole life without knowing they have non-standard anatomy. Sometimes it shows itself at birth, sometimes not until after death by way of autopsy, and sometimes somewhere in between, like puberty or during conception attempts.

A summary of how common being intersex is can be found here. 

Typically this is where I put in the notice about asking personal questions in private. This time the message is slightly different.

Do not invade someone's privacy by asking about their genitalia/anatomy. 
This is a very intimate question that really isn't anyone else's business.

If they want you to know, they'll tell you.

~Liss
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