In my article Double Imposter: On Being Trans and Intersex, I mentioned my dislike for the way ‘transgender’ and ‘intersex’ are conflated. Recently, I’ve been seeing this sentiment expressed more often. Usually, this conflation appears as a well-meaning but fundamentally incorrect theory: the idea that being transgender is a form of being ‘intersex in the brain’. While meant to validate, this ‘brain intersex’ theory is scientifically shaky and ethically damaging to both trans and intersex communities. Firstly, lets define both terms: transgender refers to someone whose gender doesn’t align with the one they were assigned at birth, or that is otherwise expected of or forced upon them by society. Many transgender people, such as myself, experience gender dysphoria, which is often the cause of us being transgender in the first place. Intersex refers to someone who developed physical sex characteristics, whether from birth or puberty, that do not neatly fall into binarist ideas of male or female. Crucially, intersex traits can only develop naturally; it is impossible to “become” intersex. The main argument for the theory that being transgender is a form of ‘brain intersex’ hinges on the idea that transgender people, in some way, have a “male brain” or “female brain” in a “female body” or “male body” repectively, and that this is the cause of dysphoria. This mismatch, it’s argued, should be considered an intersex condition. Firstly, the idea of an ‘intersex brain’ — mentally or neurologically — is itself a contradictory term. As we’ve defined, intersex, as a medical, political, and social identity, refers to traits of the body, not of the brain. Now, I understand the want to “justify” being transgender, I really do. At a time where we are being persecuted and lies are being spread about us more than ever, I understand the temptation to find a concrete or palatable “explanation” for being trans. This theory, however, is just scientifically false. For starters, there is no one part of the brain that determines sex. While it doesn’t mention transgender or intersex individuals specifically, Cordelia Fine’s Testosterone Rex does an excellent job debunking the pseudoscientific idea of a static male or female brain. In short, the human brain is a “mosiac” of features, and is far more impacted by age, enviorment, and genetics than sex. In a study by Tel Aviv University, over 1,400 brains were analyzed. Of those brains, the percentage of individuals with only male-ended or female-ended features was less than 8%. While some features may be more common in men or women, there is certainly no set sexed template for the brain. Secondly, if this idea is meant to explain dysphoria, it leaves absolutely no room for dysphoric enben. Here is a comment from an enban with bisex (or duosex, as it is referred here) dysphoria made in the subreddit r/truscum, a transmedicalist subreddit that often promotes the brain sex dysphoria theory:
It basically means somebody who is neurologically wired such that they should ideally possess sex characteristics and hormonal profiles consistent with that of a mix of both sexes. Oftentimes people with this type of dysphoria may not have much discomfort with what they already have, but feel dysphoria over the sex characteristics of the opposite sex they don’t possess. It’s basically the neurologic equivalent of being a [h-slur], but not everyone who has this kind of dysphoria wants a full set of sex characteristics of both sexes. This mode of existence reflects some kind of rare neurologic condition, but it’s very poorly researched and understood compared to binary dysphora.
This attempt at explaining a non-binary identity in a binarist theory shows how it completely falls flat. This isn’t a reflection of the individual I’m quoting, but a reflection on this theory forcing them to put a square peg in a round hole. As we’ve covered, if the structure of the brain was really what determined sex, this “rare neurologic condition” described would be 92% of the population. Okay, so brain sex is guff. But dysphoria is real, so why shouldn’t dysphoric trans people call themselves intersex in the brain? Other than it not fitting the definition of intersex, what’s the harm in it? This idea does actually do harm to both transgender and intersex people. We’ve already gone over its incompatibility with enben, but the theory negatively affects binary trans people too. Firstly, it provides an open door for medical gatekeeping. Intersex conditions are physical and can therefore be determined by medical professionals. Putting transgender under the intersex umbrella means that it too can, and therefore must, be determined by medical professionals. Others have discussed the harm done by models that require a doctor’s referral before being able to medically transition far better than I could ever. To be brief, these models are fundamentally flawed by their delay of transgender healthcare, medical gatekeeping, and pathologization of being transgender. Futhermore, the framing of being transgender as physical thing plays into the hand of those who want to oppress us. There are already examples of people who want being trans to have a biological cause specifically so they can “breed it out”. For intersex people, the idea causes harm by diluting what it means to be intersex and the problems uniquely faced by intersex people. While issues may overlap, certain problems, such as the forced mutilation of intersex infants, are simply just problems endosex individuals don’t face. Intersex people have also fought for years to not be recognized as “disordered” or a biological anomalies. Jargon like “DSD” and “hermaphrodite” have been forced upon us, and largely rejected by us, to try and force us in this cage. Unfortunately, it is still not uncommon to see but what about intersex people? used as a retort without any actual activism for our rights. Therefore, this framing also invites a crucial question about solidarity. If one identifies as being ‘intersex in the brain,’ does that connection translate into tangible support for intersex people? True solidarity means joining the fight for our bodily autonomy and liberation, not just borrowing our identity as a validating concept. Ultimately, the ‘brain intersex’ theory, though often well-intentioned, is a dead end. It asks trans people to justify their identities with a biology that doesn’t exist, and it asks intersex people to surrender ourselves to become a rhetorical device. We deserve better. As someone who lives at the intersection of these two identities, I am asking for a more honest conversation. Don’t use my intersex body to explain my trans soul. Let them both be true, separately and together. Both of our communities are fighting for the right to self-determination and bodily autonomy. Being transgender is a matter of gender identity. Being intersex is a matter of innate physical sex characteristics. They are distinct, and that distinction is what allows us to see each community’s unique struggles and humanity.