What is endosex?

To better fight for the human rights of intersex children adding words to describe human diversity is necessary. Human beings can be born with endosex male physiology and endosex female physiology. If a person is born without endosex physiology, they are said to have been born with intersex physiology. Like endosex physiology, intersex physiology includes chromosomes, hormones, genitals, and reproductive systems. So, in short, you are born endosex if you are not born intersex.

Both endosex and intersex people can be assigned wrong at birth:

Both endosex and intersex people can be any gender identity: men/boys, woman/girls, both or neither in some way. I like to teach that gender identity is in our hearts and brains, and sex traits are in our chromosomes, genitals, hormones, and reproductive systems. Due to binary notions that wrongly believe that genitals and chromosomes equate to two choices, female/girl or male/boy, hundreds of millions of people are assigned wrong at birth.  

A person that goes against their birth assignment can be known as transgender, but not always. I say, always ask and see how the person defines themselves. For example, to some, being transgender is okay. However, to an intersex person, who survived nonconsenting, cosmetic genitals corrective surgeries as a child, if they were assigned wrong, it could be a tragedy to call this person transgender. Some intersex people have survived surgeries that altered their sexual anatomy as nonconsenting children. An intersex person can also have genitals or a reproductive system that is somehow between male and female, and they may or may not want surgery as an adult.  

Whether a person calls themselves transgender or not, I like to say that we are all valid in our authentic gender identity, whether we require genitals or reproductive surgeries or not. Both endosex and intersex people can take hormone replacement and/or have surgeries if they find them necessary to be at peace with themselves. No intersex child should ever have genital corrective surgeries against their consent. All people deserve to live their authentic selves, and sometimes we must wait for the child to develop a voice to hear what they want or do not want. Now that non-binary and nonconforming gender identities and bodies exist, I believe it will become much easier for children to remain whole intersex people. We must confront endosexism to end these surgical tragedies and the misassignment of intersex kids. To understand even better, here is my short educational TEDxTalk: Born Intersex, we are Human!

Two Sources for this new word endosex: 

Costello, Carey, Ph.D. Nonconsensual Intersex Surgery as Physical Conversion Therapy. https://intersexroadshow.blogspot.com/2018/08/nonconsensual-intersex-surgery-as.html

Costello, Carey, Ph.D. Breaking Human Rainbows into Binaries. https://intersexroadshow.blogspot.com/2022/08/breaking-human-rainbows-into-binaries.html

~.V.~