The Psychology of Intersex Rights and Well-Being

Intersex people, or those born with physical variations in sex characteristics, are far more common than most people realize. When broadly defined, an estimated 1.7% of the global population is born with intersex variations, about the same prevalence as people with naturally red hair and more common than identical twins. This can include differences in chromosomes (such as XXY patterns), hormone production or sensitivity, gonadal development (such as variations in ovaries or testes), or genital anatomy that does not fit typical medical definitions of female or male bodies (Clevland Clinic, 2025).

These variations are part of normal biological diversity. Despite this, the experiences of intersex people are largely invisible and stigmatized. In conjunction, the public’s understanding of intersex variations remains limited (Hegarty & Smith, 2022). Psychological science helps explain why stigma, secrecy, and violations of intersex people’s bodily autonomy persist, and how they shape mental health and well-being.

1. Stigma, Not Biology, Drives Harm

Psychological research shows that stigma arises when bodies deviate from socially-enforced norms, particularly binary frameworks of sex and gender (Link & Phelan, 2001). The pathologization of intersex bodies can be internalized and negatively affect intersex people’s sense of self and social agency (Hart & Shakespeare-Finch, 2022). Importantly, secrecy, shame, and erasure, not intersex traits themselves, are what create distress (Meyer, 2003). When people are taught their bodies must be hidden or “fixed,” internalized stigma becomes a chronic health burden (Rosenwohl-Mack et al., 2020).

2. Non-consensual Interventions Can Cause Long-Term........

© Psychology Today