Ask a clown fish!

*Sigh* Of course I can’t because clown fish can’t talk. Even if they could, I’m not sure they could tell me much about human reproductive biology, let alone gender identity. That’s not to say clown fish reproductive biology isn’t fascinating, of course it is. Clown fish are sequential hermaphrodites. This means they develop as males […]

Is there such a thing as “intersex genitalia”?

Okay, let’s talk about “intersex genitalia”, or using its proper term, ambiguous genitalia and how sex is determined. First of all, it is not some doctor, rubbing their chin, doing a sharp intake of breath and writing down a question mark, or a “best guess”, with a shrug. This really minimises the experience that parents […]

Is Sex a Spectrum? Sex Determination and Differentiation

Right, we’re still struggling with the idea that there’s only two sex classes and that intersex people do not prove the ability to change sex, or do not exist on a spectrum. So, let’s look at sex determination and differentiation…   Sex is determined at the point of conception. This is known as primary (or gonadal) […]

Statistics and Semantics: Is Intersex “as common as red heads”?

Today we’re going to talk statistics and semantics. I’m going to do so via the medium of one of social media’s favourite stats 1.7% (aka “intersex is as common as red heads.”). The statistic comes from Fausto-Sterling’s work, which you can see a review of here.  To understand the statistic, we have to drill down into what the meaning of the word “intersex” is. Most […]

Do Intersex Women Have Penises?

Do intersex women have penises? I’m seeing this thrown around a lot, so let’s address it. Firstly, as ever, let’s all remember that intersex is not the same as trans, and the conflation is harmful and ignorant. Now let’s get on with some science…   I’m not even really sure what people mean when they talk […]