October 26th is Intersex Awareness Day, a time for education, visibility, and—most importantly—change. For too long, intersex people have faced systemic injustices in healthcare that have gone unchallenged and under-discussed. Today and every day we call on allies, healthcare practitioners especially, to confront these biases and imagine a world where intersex people are respected, celebrated, and provided with the healthcare they truly deserve.
Who Are Intersex People?
Intersex is an umbrella term that describes people born with sex characteristics—like chromosomes, hormone levels, or reproductive/sexual anatomy—that don’t fit the typical definitions of “male” or “female.” Intersex traits are a natural part of human diversity, and approximately 1.7% of the population is intersex—similar to the percentage of people born with red hair. Despite how common intersex people are, many people still don’t understand what “intersex” means, highlighting the urgent need for education and visibility.
The Healthcare Challenges Intersex People Face
One of the biggest challenges for intersex people is accessing compassionate, affirming, and accurate healthcare. Medical institutions have often treated intersex people as anomalies rather than respecting them as whole individuals. From unnecessary surgeries performed in infancy to dismissive or poorly informed medical encounters in adulthood, healthcare for intersex people has often caused harm instead of healing.
Approximately 69% of intersex people have experienced discrimination or trauma in medical settings. This includes being pressured into invasive procedures, having their privacy violated, or being misinformed about their own bodies. Many intersex adults face a lack of proper information about their own bodies due to decisions made without their consent in their younger years. This medical history and culture of secrecy and gatekeeping—often intended to protect—only contribute to stigma, shame, and confusion. Intersex people, like everyone else, deserve full access to their medical records and the right to make informed decisions about their bodies.
Another key issue is the practice of medically unnecessary surgeries, which are often performed on intersex infants. According to a report from the United Nations, as many as 1 in 2,000 infants undergo "normalizing" surgeries, often before they are even old enough to speak. These surgeries carry significant risks and harms,, including chronic pain, loss of sexual function, and psychological trauma—making the fight for bodily autonomy a crucial one.
Affirming Healthcare for Intersex People: A New Vision
At FOLX Health, we believe in care that centers self-determination and informed choice. Intersex people have the right to decide what’s best for their bodies and their lives—free from pressure, judgment, or secrecy. This means supporting bodily autonomy and actively working against the outdated practice of non-consensual surgeries or hormone treatments.
Affirming intersex healthcare requires practitioners to listen first and act second. It means recognizing that not every intersex person needs or wants medical interventions. It’s about being honest and transparent and providing patients with the information they need to make empowered decisions. Intersex conditions can be complicated! But there are ways and resources to help patients (and providers!) get more information and resources to make timely, healthy, and most of all, autonomous decisions about their health.
Healthcare should be about collaboration—not control. And that’s the approach we take at FOLX. By offering virtual care, resources, and connections to knowledgeable and respectful LGBTQIA+ providers, we hope to create a healthcare experience where intersex people feel seen, heard, and respected.
Stories From the Intersex Community: A Call for Change
Take, for example, River Gallo (they/them), an intersex advocate who was subjected to “normalizing” surgery and testosterone therapy as a child. It wasn’t until they were 12 years old that they knew they had been born with a condition called Anochria, where testicles are absent at birth, and they did not consent to the medical interventions designed to make them present as a cisgender boy.
60% of intersex adults report that they would not have consented to the medical procedures performed on them as children if given the choice. River’s story is not the only one. There are countless intersex people who have been denied the ability to make choices about their own bodies. These stories remind us why Intersex Awareness Day is crucial: it’s a chance to highlight these voices, to advocate for bodily autonomy, and to ensure future generations grow up with their choices intact.
How You Can Support Intersex Rights
Advocacy doesn’t end with awareness. Here are some ways you can be part of the movement for intersex justice:
- Educate Yourself and Others: Learn about intersex experiences and share that knowledge. Normalize conversations around intersex rights and challenge harmful misconceptions when you encounter them.
- Support Bodily Autonomy: Advocate against non-consensual medical interventions. All people deserve the right to make informed decisions about their own bodies.
- Uplift Intersex Voices: Follow intersex activists and support their work. Platforms like InterACT and the Intersex Justice Project provide great resources and amplify intersex stories that need to be heard.
- Choose Inclusive Healthcare: Whether you're intersex or an ally, seek out healthcare providers who respect bodily autonomy and are informed about intersex issues. Demand better training for medical professionals to ensure intersex patients receive the compassionate care they deserve.
Imagining a Better Future
Intersex Awareness Day reminds us that the fight for healthcare justice extends beyond typical conversations about gender and sexuality—it’s about respecting all bodies, however they exist. Intersex people deserve to grow up without shame, to access healthcare that celebrates their identities, and to live without the fear of being "fixed."
At FOLX, we are committed to making that future a reality by providing life-affirming, inclusive care for the intersex community. Because no one’s body needs to be fixed. Instead, it’s our systems—our ways of thinking and treating people—that need the overhaul.
Together, we can make sure intersex people get the healthcare they deserve: care that honors choice, respects diversity, and celebrates every body exactly as it is.
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FOLX Health is the first digital healthcare company designed by and for the LGBTQIA+ community. Our services include primary care, gender-affirming hormone therapy including estrogen and testosterone (HRT), mental health care, sexual and reproductive health care, and fertility consultations. FOLX memberships give you access to LGBTQIA+ expert clinicians, peer support, thousands of LGBTQIA+ resources, and more. Whether you’re lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, gender non-conforming, nonbinary, or another identity, you can find LGBTQ-specialized health care that helps you meet your wellness goals. Get all the benefits of becoming a FOLX member and sign up today!
