Hi Friends!
I hope you are doing well. Outside of school, where I’m currently teaching about substance use, I’ve been cheering on the Golden State Valkeries in the WNBA Finals, seeing a few concerts (Heavens To Betsy, Geese, and Phoebe Bridgers), and getting ready to perform with Conspiracy of Beards at the upcoming Leonard Cohen Festival. If you can get the San Francisco Bay Area Nov. 5-8 please come to one of the shows!
I’m excited that I get so share some new writing from my wife Thea Hillman today, as part of this week’s recognition the 30th anniversary of the modern intersex rights movement.
I always make sure my health classes include information about intersex conditions I try to include the experiences of intersex people when we are talking about anatomy and development, and encourage other teachers to do the same.
Big Love,
Christopher
Op-ed: I’m Intersex. Here’s How Anti-trans Laws Are Harming People Like Me
In this essay, Intersex advocate Thea Hillman explains how anti-trans laws threaten both transgender and intersex people — and why politicians’ narrow definitions of sex fail to reflect the realities of human life.
“Intersex, transgender, they’re complicated. While it’s perhaps comforting to think that there are only two sexes, male and female, no one agrees on how to determine this. XX and XY? There are 12 different chromosomal combinations. Ability to reproduce? There are XX people raised as girls with no vagina, or no uterus, or no ovaries. There are XXY people who have a penis, testes, but don’t produce sperm. Our civil and human rights can’t depend on a politician’s understanding of sex traits. Or the difference between sex and gender. Nor can we rely on the understanding of a sports administrator. Or some guy who happened to become president.
When I came out as intersex and embraced all the ways in which my body is different, my mom felt as if everything she’d done to make me happy and healthy didn’t work. But it was quite the opposite. Learning about intersex, and the impacts of our society’s desire to hide and fix our bodies, helped me come to fully understand my experiences, heal, and feel confident and at home in my body. Over time, my mom saw how powerful this understanding was for me, and became a public advocate herself for patient-centered care for intersex people. Today I know, as does she, that I am who I always was, from the beginning. And that makes us both happy.’‘
Read the full piece at The Advocate
Videos: What It’s Like To Be Intersex
InterSex Education
Hans Lindahl’s articles and videos about human sex diversity have been translated into multiple languages, and Hans’s words in support of policies for bodily autonomy appear in Wired, Buzzfeed, Teen Vogue, NBC, Out, and USA Today.
One of Hans’ latest projects is a terrific 3-part series on intersex issues for the website Scarleteen. Learn more about each of the parts below.
Could I Be Intersex?
Topics covered:
How do I know if I’m intersex?
Is intersex a medical condition?
I’m trans. Can my doctor do chromosomal testing to see if I have an intersex variation?
How Do I Tell A Partner I’m Intersex?
If you’re on the fence about telling someone about your body, or feeling stuck on how to think about the conversation, here are 5 steps to guide you.
Get clearer about what you want.
Decide which pieces someone needs to know, and when.
Consider any risks.
Decide on the tone.
Give yourself talking points and resources.
How Can I Enjoy Sex as an Intersex Person?
Topics covered:
How is sexuality different for intersex people?
How can I feel more confident with sex as an intersex person?
Understand more about your body’s own “yes” and “no.”
Build a relationship with discomfort.
Seek healing around shame and consent violations.
Get in community with other intersex people.
Seek help managing any physical issues.
Remember that sex is all about exploration.
Please Join Me in Supporting Scarleteen
If you appreciate articles like the ones Hans wrote, please think about supporting Scarleteen with a one-time or a recurring donation. The site is wholly dedicated to providing comprehensive and highly inclusive sex and relationships education, information and support that centers young people.
I'm so grateful to have read all of this and for all these resources and information! Thank you to Thea for sharing. I loved the insight that her mom was worried she'd messed up or wasn't appreciated for what she did for Thea as a child and how that resolved with her not only understanding but also advocating. Love it.