Famous intersex people across history and continents

Intersex people make up about one percent of the population. While this may seem like a very small portion of humanity, if we calculate how many people on the planet this percentage represents, we find that it actually amounts to tens of millions of individuals. Let's look at some notable intersex people. A brief excursion from the nineteenth century to the present day begins now!

First, let's define what it means to be intersex. Intersex refers to natural biological variations that do not fit into traditional categories of male or female bodies. These variations can be related to chromosomes, hormones, or anatomy and often manifest at birth. If you were

Abel Barbin

Abel Barbin was a French intersex teacher living in the nineteenth century. Shortly after birth, she was declared female, named Herculine, and thanks to a church scholarship, she was able to study at a convent and then at a teacher training college. Based on several physical characteristics (non-existent menstruation, flat chest, and facial hair), she was sent for a medical examination, after which she was declared male. Subsequently, he changed his name to Abel Barbin. At the age of twenty-nine, he committed suicide, and his autobiography was found in his apartment, in which he wrote about his life before transition in the feminine gender and after transition in the masculine gender. More than a century later, the autobiography was discovered and published by French philosopher Michel Foucault, bringing Abel Barbin's story to public attention. The International Intersex Awareness Day falls on his birthday (November 8). Abel's story opened up important questions about gender identity, medical care, and societal pressure in the 19th century that are still relevant today.

Source: thelelagyprojectshicago.org

Madeleine Blaustein

Madeleine Blaustein is known to children and adults in the USA primarily as the voice actress for the Pokémon Meowth, but she was involved not only in acting but also in drawing comics. She was not only intersex but also a transgender woman and passed away in 2008 at the age of 48 due to unspecified stomach problems.

Source: Wikipedia

Tony Briffa

Australian Tony Briffa holds two world firsts: He is the first openly intersex person to hold a mayoral position and also the first openly intersex person to ever hold a public political office. He became Deputy Mayor of Hobsons Bay in the Australian state of Victoria in 2009 and took office as Mayor in 2011. Today, he no longer works in politics but publicly lectures on human rights. Tony's story is an inspiration – it shows how personal courage can lead to positive changes in society.

Source: Briffa.org

Eliana Rubashkyn

That LGBTQ+ people flee persecution is unfortunately nothing new. This was also the case for Colombian Eliana Rubashkyn, who fled her homeland in 2012 after being stabbed in the street. While escaping, she was detained in Hong Kong because her official gender did not match her appearance, and she spent several more years in a detention facility before being granted refugee status a year later. She subsequently moved to New Zealand, where she also obtained citizenship.

Source: 1news.co.nz

Caster Semenya

Athlete Caster Semenya from South Africa came into the spotlight after, as a successful runner, she was forced to undergo genetic tests to determine her sex. At one point, she had to take medication to suppress her testosterone levels, which reportedly made her ill, leading her to sue the international athletic organization. The case reached the European Court of Human Rights, which ruled in Semenya's favor, but the athletic organization still requires intersex female athletes to keep their blood testosterone levels below a certain threshold.

Source: Slate.com

Hanne Gaby Odiele

Belgian model Hanne Gaby Odiele has become one of the most prominent intersex activists today. She began speaking publicly about her experiences in 2017 and has since been involved in campaigns fighting against unnecessary surgical procedures on intersex children. Her courage and openness have inspired many people, not only within the LGBTQ+ community.

Source: Wikipedia

Pidgeon Pagonis

Pidgeon Pagonis is an American intersex activist who has translated their personal experiences into campaigns to protect the rights of intersex people. Pagonis has publicly spoken out against unethical medical procedures performed on them without consent when they were children. Through documentaries, workshops, and media appearances, they strive to raise awareness about the rights of intersex people and the harm caused by societal norms that overlook the existence of biological variations.

Source: NPR.org

Did I forget anyone? Please let me know! I'd be happy to write about them next time.