Understanding Intersex Identities: Beyond Outdated Terms
For far too long, intersex lives have been spoken about in whispers defined by medical jargon, outdated labels, and myths that have done more harm than good. But in 2025, it’s time we shift the narrative. Intersex people are not anomalies to be “explained” away. They are part of the vast spectrum of human diversity, living and thriving in queer India and across the world.
What Does Intersex Mean?
Intersex is a natural variation in sex characteristics. Simply put, it refers to people whose bodies don’t fit the typical definitions of “male” or “female.” This may involve chromosomes, hormones, or genitalia that don’t align neatly with binary medical categories.
The term hermaphrodite still wrongly used in some Indian texts is outdated and harmful. Medical circles once shifted to Disorders of Sex Development (DSD), but even that framing has been challenged for branding intersex traits as “disorders.” Today, activists and allies use intersex variations instead because being intersex is not a defect, it’s a part of human diversity.
Intersex in the Indian Context
In India, conversations around gender often collapse intersex and transgender identities, blurring the unique lived experiences of both. For example, the Hijra/Kinnara community has historically included some intersex people, but their identity isn’t reducible to cultural categories alone.
Unlike LGBTQ+ identities that often emerge through self-discovery, being intersex is visible from birth or diagnosed medically. Some intersex people identify within the LGBTQ+ umbrella, others don’t and both choices are valid.
In recent years, Pride in India has become more intentional about spotlighting intersex voices. Their flag golden circle on a purple background a reminder that intersex people have their own history, their own struggles, and their own resilience.
Moving Beyond Medicalisation
Medical frameworks still try to categorise intersex people into types46, XX intersex, 46, XY intersex, true gonadal intersex, or chromosomal variations like XXY and XO. While these categories may help in clinical contexts, they often erase the lived realities of intersex people.
What matters most is not the chromosomes on paper but how intersex people experience their own gender and how society treats them. Many intersex individuals grow up being subjected to unnecessary surgeries, forced to “fit” into binaries before they can even consent. This is not just a health issue it’s a human rights issue.
“Being intersex is not about fixing a body. It’s about respecting a person.”
Why Intersex Visibility Matters in 2025
For decades, intersex people were invisible in queer conversations in India. That silence is now breaking. Artists, activists, and educators are pushing back against stigma, demanding laws against nonconsensual surgeries, and insisting on representation that’s not exploitative.
By understanding intersex identities beyond outdated terms, we help create safer spaces in queer India where intersex people don’t have to choose between invisibility and medicalisation. Their stories deserve celebration, not erasure.
Practical Takeaways
- Stop using outdated or pathologizing terms like hermaphrodite or disorder. Say intersex or intersex variations.
- Respect self-identification. Some intersex people identify within the LGBTQ+ community; others don’t.
- Learn and share: The intersex pride flag (purple background, golden circle) symbolises wholeness and autonomy.
- Challenge harmful medical practices that force children into binary categories without consent.
- Support intersexed organisations and voices in India.
To understand intersex is to understand the limits of our binaries. India’s queer future cannot be inclusive if intersex voices are silenced or spoken for. Moving forward means listening, amplifying, and honouring intersex people as they define themselves not as outdated textbooks or medical charts once defined them.
