Intersex

The intersex flag

Intersex is an identity term for people born with physical characteristics that do not fit traditional conceptions about male or female bodies. It does not describe a specific body type but rather can be used as an umbrella term for a broad range of conditions. For instance, variations may appear in a person’s chromosomes, hormones, genitals, or internal organs like testes or ovaries. Some intersex traits are identified at birth, while others may not be discovered until puberty or later in life. Intersex individuals may identify with any gender identity, including male, female, and non-binary.

It is estimated that as many as 1.7% of people are born with intersex traits.

Issues & Activism

Some issues faced by intersex people include:

• nonconsensual surgery on intersex infants and children
• discrimination in sports
• discrimination in employment and the workplace

Intersex activists address issues like these and more. In 1993, Cheryl Chase announced the founding of the Intersex Society of North America, initially a support group that developed into an advocacy group on intersex issues. Since then, other organizations have been founded such as InterACT, OII Europe, and IC4E.

Flags

Morgan Carpender's design, more commonly used

The most commonly used intersex flag was created by Morgan Carpenter in 2013. Yellow and purple were chosen for the design, as alternatives to the strongly-gendered colors of blue and pink. The purple circle in the middle symbolizes "wholeness and completeness" as well as "the right to be who and how we want to be."

Natalie Phox's design

An alternate flag design was also made by Natalie Phox in 2009, originally introduced as a bigender flag.